Command and Control

In this area, FOI conducts research and development relating to command and control (C2) in operations involving accidents and crises in civil society, as well as in military contexts.

In civilian crisis management, collaboration is a key capability, since several authorities and businesses need to be able to act together in handling difficult hardships. An important part of this cooperation is to achieve uniform and clear communication with the victims and the public.

The purpose of C2 is to focus and coordinate activities in time and space to achieve desired effect. This can apply both to the management of civil crises and the conduct of military operations. Appropriate research regarding C2 presupposes an interdisciplinary approach and includes research regarding the development of C2 methods and organization, technical support systems and the integration of these aspects in command and control systems.

Research in this field is conducted in the form of field studies as well as theoretical and experimental studies. Research groups in the area of C2 are focused on command and control capability and systems, robust communications platforms and communications systems, decision-support systems, and control rooms and command posts.

An important part of the C2 area is to harmonise people’s competence, technology and activities into well-functioning socio-technical systems. This includes studies of organisation, leadership, decision-making and communications. The latter comprises both interpersonal communication and communication between technical systems.

FOI conducts conceptual studies focusing on future C2 applications. In these futures studies, attempts are made to carry out C2, for example, with the support of as yet unavailable technology, to test how these would affect the conditions for C2. For example, such studies investigate how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can affect future C2.

This area also includes studies of control rooms and command posts. These studies involve how physical C2 environments should be designed so as to offer the best possible conditions for decision-makers and staff members. This sub-area gathers behavioural scientists, organisational psychologists, technicians and interface designers to work together.