Refining the headquarters: an analysis of army operational and tactical level command and control

Fordham, Joshua Peter (2022) Refining the headquarters: an analysis of army operational and tactical level command and control. MPhil(R) thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The importance of the headquarters has increased due to the complexity of modern-day warfighting. This increased importance has led to significant growth at the operational and tactical levels. The increase has been driven in part by a surge in the complexity and volume of information within a battlespace. The resulting growth creates headquarters that are far too large to function without hindering command and control. This study aims to show that headquarters size has grown extensively and has strained command and control at the tactical and operational level, thereby reducing the commanders’ decision-making cycle, and the dissemination of information to subordinates.

To analyse this issue, extensive research was conducted looking mainly at the British involvement in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq invasion. These conflicts were selected as they were the last two near-peer conflicts faced by Western forces. Research interviews were also conducted with senior British Army officers in order to gain first-hand accounts of modern command and control issues. The research has shown that, to fix these command and control issues, a headquarters must look to reduce staff, streamline processes, and gather information in a timelier manner to gain advantage in decision-making.

• Item Type: Thesis (MPhil(R))
• Qualification Level: Masters
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain; U Military Science > U Military Science (General)
• Colleges/Schools: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Humanities > History
• Supervisor's Name: Jackson, Professor Peter and Hoskins, Professor Andrew
• Date of Award: 2022
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2022-82892
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 20 May 2022 08:39
• Last Modified: 20 May 2022 08:41
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.82892
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/82892