Strategic Command and Control for Maneuver Warfare: Creation of the Royal Navy's "War Room" System, 1905-1915

Abstract

Between 1905 and 1914, the British Board of Admiralty developed and implemented a revolutionary system of naval command and control intended to facilitate the adoption of maneuver warfare strategy and built upon the concept of what is known today as "information dominance." Under Admiral Sir John Fisher, the Admiralty transformed itself into the Royal Navy's operational command and control center and in the process fundamentally redefined the relationship between the supreme command and the fleet (and theatre) commanders. Adoption of the "War Room" system entailed coordination of British investment in global communications infrastructure as well as the centralization of gathering and processing of intelligence from around the world.