AI Integrated Command and Control (C2): Operational Viewpoints for the Future C2 Operations Process and C2 Organizations

Author(s):

Anna Madison and Christopher Kelshaw

Abstract:

The integration of AI into command and control (C2) represents not just a technological enhancement but a fundamental transformation of how we wage war. Legacy C2 systems, rooted in sequential and linear processes, cannot deliver the speed of thought required on tomorrow’s battlefield. Future C2 will shift toward dynamic, cohesive operational flows where human insight and AI-driven capabilities work in synergy, enabling faster decision-making, greater adaptability, and decisional advantage at every echelon. By streamlining the operations process—planning, preparing, executing, and assessing—AI integration will empower C2 personnel to understand and act with unprecedented speed and precision. This C2 evolution necessitates new organizational structures, including smaller, AI-enabled functional and integrating cells that optimize human–machine teaming and support distributed command nodes. Ultimately, this transformation is more than operational efficiency; it is a reimagining of the Army’s C2 system for the modern era, designed to seize and maintain decision overmatch over adversaries in complex, contested environments.