See first. Decide first. Act first.
How Star Trek:Discovery Displays 23rd Century Combat Operations
You thought you were done, didn’t you? Sonia Van Meter did her recaps of Star Trek: Discovery and that was the end of it, you thought. YOU THOUGHT WRONG. Here’s a real life Air Force Lieutenant Colonel to compare the finale of season two of Star Trek: Discovery to JADC2, or the Joint All-Domain Command and Control. Writes Lt. Col. Matt Butler, “A 21st Century battlefield commander’s abilities to manipulate conflict will soon approximate those of a 23rd Century Starfleet captain.” I know, right?
by Matthew G. Butler, Lt Col, USAF
Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) enables a new American way of war focused on connections and manipulation of systems, rather than reliance on a new fighter jet or missile, specific technologies or tactics to be a game-changer. It is the military’s “internet of things,” not far removed from the concept applied to modern households where kitchens, entertainment systems, and personal vehicles are all connected. Ultimately, JADC2 is a multi-billion-dollar effort aimed at allowing our military to make decisions faster and better than America’s potential adversaries. Because of its complexity, JADC2 can be difficult for even the most seasoned military professionals to fully understand, let alone explain. Fortunately, an unexpected source, Star Trek: Discovery provides a fantastic illustration of JADC2.
JADC2 is the US military’s effort to link everything; every sensor connected to every shooter, linked to multiple levels of decision-makers across all warfighting domains (air, land, sea, cyber, space, electromagnetic spectrum). Well-publicized technological advances, along with the promises of artificial intelligence and machine learning, are finally enabling the theoretical to become the practical. Computers are approaching Star Trek-levels of power and utility. A 21st Century battlefield commander’s abilities to manipulate conflict will soon approximate those of a 23rd Century Starfleet captain.
Premiering on April 18, 2019, “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2” served as Star Trek: Discovery’s second season finale episode. During this season, Starfleet’s peer adversary is revealed to be Control, a form of artificial intelligence intent on evolving into the dominant “lifeform” in the galaxy. Control is the epitome of algorithmic warfare in that it calculates its potential actions based on its knowledge of Starfleet capabilities and tactics, to only choose responses with near-certain probabilities of victory. Control soon discovers, however, the incalculable advantages of Starfleet’s decentralized leadership and innovation which are key components of JADC2.
Starfleet demonstrates JADC2 during the intense battle at the episode’s climax. At the battle’s start, Starfleet fields two starships (Discovery and Enterprise), along with two hundred modified shuttles and small maintenance craft that act as manned and teamed (unmanned but linked via network to an operator) smaller assets that multiply the finite capabilities of the two starships. The small craft are meant to compensate for the lack of battlespace mass provided by only two starships representing hundreds of highly-trained personnel and (presumably) billions of dollars of investment.
Control, on the other hand, links thirty-one starships with no personnel. It relies entirely on artificial intelligence and machine learning to win against Starfleet’s primarily organic-led (human brain power) combat capabilities. In addition, when Control senses Starfleet’s small-craft force multipliers, it recalculates its combat requirements and releases a remote-operated swarm of thousands of unmanned drones. Control’s entire fielded forces are data-linked via command and control nodes (starships) to the centralized algorithmic decider (Control’s flagship).
Both sides in this confrontation, Starfleet and Control, seek not only domain superiority (space, cyber, electromagnetic) but also cognitive superiority. Control’s center of gravity, its critical strength that can be turned into a vulnerability, is its algorithmic speed and accuracy. Control does not predict the future. It shapes the battlespace to limit Starfleet’s available choices to counter Control’s actions. Starfleet’s task, therefore, is to “get inside” Control’s decision-cycle. This cognitive competition can be visualized by the “OODA Loop” framework. The OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Loop provides a way to evaluate an adversary’s decision-making, as well as oneself. This is a contest of the mind. JADC2 seeks to provide the cognitive, or decision, advantage to the United States military, as well as its allies and partners.
Starfleet and Control seek not only domain superiority but also cognitive superiority
Like Starfleet against Control, the US military can use JADC2 to achieve decision advantage. Information, networked throughout sensors, decision-makers, and shooters, is the fuel behind JADC2. The starships are key command and control nodes for smaller lethal spacecraft, analogous to aircraft carriers linked to F-35 jets. In today’s reality, with JADC2, a single soldier on the ground can communicate what she senses through space and cyber domains information then used to identify and strike adversary assets.
JADC2 enabled three of Starfleet’s factors in their battlespace success: (1) starships as main command nodes; (2) small spacecraft as tactical interdiction and harassment assets; (3) the team assigned to achieve the primary strategic objective. Command and control of these lines of effort are decentralized or “distributed” because JADC2 enables the lowest level of leadership (to the individual shooter) to maintain battlespace awareness. A small spacecraft pilot does not rely upon the starship captain for authority to target adversary assets. Communication links are degraded and destroyed throughout the battle. JADC2 compensates for network disruption when lines of effort continue the fight, even when cutoff from each other. Starfleet is ultimately successful against Control by operating “inside” the artificial intelligence’s decision-cycle. In short, Starfleet acted quicker, correctly, to undermine Control’s perceived advantages. Enterprise, for example, shields Discovery from destruction via concentrated enemy fire when awareness of the situation reached the Starfleet commanders. The save allowed more time (decision space) for other success factors to eventually negate Control’s overall goal. Lastly, Starfleet succeeds because it has friends. Its allies and partners, Klingons and Kelpiens, eventually link into the JADC2 framework thereby adding even more unpredictability to complicate Control’s algorithms.
In conclusion, Star Trek: Discovery provided an excellent reference for visualizing JADC2. The show portrayed the innovation and leadership that the United States will require to address and overcome a very real peer conflict where Americans are fighting another nation on equal footing. In “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part Two,” Star Trek continues with what it has done so well since its 1966 premiere: provide inspiration about what the future may hold that appeals to a wide audience. In this case it demonstrated how JADC2 might better bind United States military services, along with allies and partners, together, connected and acting in harmony toward a common goal—see first, decide first, and act first against America’s enemies.
Matthew G. Butler is an active duty U.S. Air Force officer who serves as an Airpower Strategist with the Futures and Concepts Division (Skunk Works), Headquarters Air Force. He is also a member, in his personal capacity, of the Defence Council at Truman National Security Project. His views are his own and do not reflect the U.S. Department of Defense or Truman Project.
What do you think of today's email? I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback. I might even put ‘em in the newsletter if I don’t steal it outright.
Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Unless of course you were forwarded this email, in which case you should…
If your new year’s resolution was to lose weight, try Noom, and you’ll quickly learn how to change your behavior and relationship with food. This app has changed my life. Click on the blue box to get 20% off. Seriously, this works.
Headspace is a meditation app. I’ve used it for a couple years and am absolutely shocked at how much it’s taught me about managing my inner life. Try it free for a couple weeks. Don’t worry if you’ve never done it before. They talk you through it.
I now offer personal career coaching sessions through Need Hop.
We set up a merch table in the back where you can get T-shirts, coffee mugs, and even tote bags now. Show the world that you’re part of The Experiment.
We’ve also got a tip jar, and I promise to waste every cent you give me on having fun, because writing this newsletter for you is some of the most fun I’ve had.
Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of the American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and myself comes out June 8 from Penguin Random House. There is no better way to support this book than to pre-order a copy. You’re going to love reading what really happened at the Alamo, why the heroic myth was created, and the real story behind the headlines about how we’re all still fighting about it today.
