NETWORK CENTRIC WARFARE: MYTH OR REALITY FOR BANGLADESH ARMED FORCES?

The emerging theory of 'Network Centric Warfare' (NCW) has proved to be aforce multiplier of battle space in the recent past. It enables military commandersto take the information advantage that can significantly increases the fightingpower of a force. It also helps operational and tactical level commanders in takingquick decisions to self-synchronize their actions. The concept of NCW is not veryfamiliar to the Bangladesh Armed Forces. But many modern armies haveintroduced the concept of NCW to enhance the synergetic effort required in thebattle space. Therefore, it is important to analyse the necessity of conducting NCWin the context of the requirement of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. This primaryresearch attempts to identify the implication and feasibility of NCW. The option ofadopting NCW for the Bangladesh Armed Forces have been suggested in thispaper. Because of rapid development in information technology, the means ofconnecting sensor, shooter and the commander may vary but the idea ofnetworking forces by any means remains the basic consideration of NCW. Theauthor attempts to show that the concept of NCW is very applicable for Bangladeshand can be implemented with existing communication infrastructure and facilities.This paper also suggests ways of implementing the concept of NCW into reality. Abrief proposal for training personnel on NCW has been included to familiarise thesubject and help develop expertise to undertake Network-Centric Operations in thefuture.