C2, Networks, and Self-Synchronization

Network Topology And Problem Type

Much of Command and Control (C2) consists of addressing challenging resource allocation problems – often under conditions of uncertainty and risk. It is true that there is a core part of C2 which is essentially creative, and involves outlining a conceptual framework or way of thinking about the problem at hand (Builder et al., 1999). However, a large part of C2 involves the allocation of people and platforms (on the one hand) to places and tasks (on the other). A good network topology will facilitate this process.

In studying C2-related resource allocation problems, we can divide them into three categories, which we will call “easy,” “difficult,” and “fiendish.” An example of an “easy” problem is finding the largest number in a set. The effort required to solve such an “easy” problem will be at most proportional to the size of the problem, since the problem can be solved by a single scan through the set. Technically, such problems are known as linear-time or sub-linear-time problems.