Joint Interoperability

Within and outside the military establishment, it's a well known fact interoperability problems hurt readiness and, in extreme cases, cause the needless loss of lives. Since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, US forces have been committed to joint operations. Operation Desert Storm continued to point out interoperability problems among the US services and coalition partners. Since Desert Storm, a number of efforts have been initiated to solve these problems and increase the effectiveness of joint warfighting including "C4I for the Warrior" and, most notably and recently, "Joint Vision 2010." This project advances the proposition that the military has neither adequately addressed the C2 interoperability problems associated with Desert Storm nor planned for the major C2 considerations to adequately implement Joint Vision 2010. Through the review of primary (source documents and interviews), secondary, and tertiary sources, this project, starting with the interoperability problems encountered in Desert Storm, examines the current state of US forces' interoperability using "Joint Vision 2010" as a criterion. Existing or potential interoperability problems that may be encountered in each of the vision's four operational concepts (Dominant Maneuver, Precision Engagement, Focused Logistics, and Full-Dimension Protection) are examined.