The Internet of Battlefield Things: The Next Generation of Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I) Decision-Making

TLDR

Information and related networks, as part of the 3rd offset strategy, have transformed military operations, with the Internet of Battlefield Things (IoBT) exemplifying pervasive connectivity of intelligent sensing and actuation devices, and the convergence of IoBT and C3I marking a shift toward multi‑domain, network‑centric strategic and tactical operations. The paper reviews C3I and IoBT and examines how their convergence affects military decision making. It reviews existing literature and analyzes the implications of IoBT–C3I convergence for decision‑making processes.

Abstract

As a key component of the 3rd offset strategy, information and related networks have changed the landscape of military operations. This is exhibited by the pervasive connectivity of exponential numbers of intelligent sensing and actuation devices, known as the Internet of Battlefield things (IoBT). Command, control, communications, and intelligence (C31) has been critical to military dominance for all of recorded history. The convergence of IoBT and C31 systems marks a profound shift towards multi-domain, network-centric, strategic and tactical operations. This paper provides a review of C31, and IoBT and presents the implications of their technological convergence on military decision making.