Information and Knowledge Centric Warfare: The Next Steps in the Evolution of Warfare

Abstract : Over the past 20-years, the military services have evolved from platform-centric to network centric warfare. As they continue to progress in the Information Age, network-centric warfare is envisioned to evolve into information-centric warfare (some evidence suggests this evolution has already taken place.) This paper is meant to be thought provoking, in as much as it proposes the next step in warfare: transitioning from network-centric/information-centric to knowledge-centric warfare. Network-centric warfare is built around human and organizational behavior a new way of thinking in terms of linkages. Its end result is combat power that can be generated from the effective linking or networking of the warfighting enterprise. Its premise is the ability to push information to the edge. Once this premise becomes institutionalized, warfare will utilize the proven attributes of network-centric/information centric warfare to go to the next, logical, evolutionary step in the conduct of warfare namely pushing knowledge to the edge . This next step is a transformation of network/information- centric-warfare's to the to knowledge-centric warfare's Power of the Edge . This paper discusses the basic tenants of network/information-centric warfare and how its attributes form the basis for knowledge-centric warfare. Key technologies for the transition from network/information centric to knowledge centric are discussed.