Since its emergence in 1998, the concept of Network Centric Warfare (NCW) has become a central driver behind America 's military transformation and seems to offer the possibility of true integration between multinational military formations. Even though NCW, or variations on its themes, has been adopted by most armed services, it is a concept in operational and doctrinal development. It is shaping not only how militaries operate, but, just as importantly, what they are operating with, and potentially altering the strategic landscape.

This paper examines how the current military...