Evaluating the Claims of Network Centric Warfare

In response to technological advances, Network Centric Warfare (NCW) emerged as a theory to leverage the technology available in today’s world. Advocates of NCW claim that technology will improve information sharing by “…robustly networking a force”, thereby improving mission effectiveness. This study proposes a methodology with which to test the first tenet of NCW: a robustly networked force improves information sharing. Lessons learned from Human Systems Integration (HSI) demonstrate that in order to improve mission effectiveness, characteristics of both the human and the technology must be considered. As such, the impact of human characteristics and traits on mission effectiveness, as measured by individual and team performance, are assessed using a computer simulation, C3Fire. Results at the individual level, suggest that persons scoring high on extraversion and low on pessimism perform better than those scoring low on extraversion and high on pessimism. In contrast, at the team level, homogenous teams as measured by optimism-pessimism performed worse than diverse teams. Results of this thesis provide a methodology with which to examine NCW’s claims in a laboratory setting. Preliminary evidence demonstrates the need to consider human characteristics and traits in the design and composition of network teams.