Ignorance Management - Risk Reduction

This thesis analyzed Joint Vision 2020 and DoD Transformation technical concepts in the context of the “Cooperative Maritime Strategy for the 21st Century.” It hypothesizes that Decision Superiority requires a renewed emphasis on the fundamentals of decision making.

The thesis introduces the concept of Ignorance Management as a risk reduction concept to help focus decision makers, and the IT professionals who support them, on getting the “right information, to the right people, at the right time.” The concept of Information Readiness Levels is explored as a means to help operational forces more objectively gage the ability of the information architecture to support decision making in the context of specific missions. One finding is that technical convergence has occurred and the promise of network-centric operations is becoming more fully realized as organizational and cultural evolution accelerates.

Examples of organizational evolution are provided, including a survey of portfolio management and Communities of Interest policies. The thesis concludes with a case study of the Universal Core, an interagency information sharing initiative that exemplifies enterprise behavior, including political, technical and cultural progress in this area.

NET-CENTRIC INFORMATION SHARING:
SUPPORTING THE 21ST CENTURY MARITIME STRATEGY
by Daniel M. Green, September 2008

Intelligence—The Profession of Specialists

"If Naval Intelligence is to realize its vision of achieving information dominance over potential adversaries and create decision superiority for our commanders, our operational forces and our allied partners, we must fundamentally alter course with regard to how we look at ourselves. We must be highly skilled and possess extensive experiences in the profession of intelligence. We must invest in educating our people to a dramatically higher level than we ever have in our history. I commit to you my energies and leadership, but I will need your help and your innovative thinking as we implement new methods for training and educating our professionals. This is our highest priority. Standby your stations, we’re about to crank it up to flank speed."

Vice Admiral Jack Dorsett, Director of Naval Intelligence

Information Warfare Officer Leadership

"The demand for our skill sets in Fleet, Joint, and National billets rings loud and clear. Our 1610 ACDU billet base has grown by 181 billets since 2000 - that is approx 25% growth in operational billets over the last 8 years. There is simply not that kind of growth in many other Officer Communities.

Obviously, the future brings great challenges and opportunities, and any reflection of our immediate history leads me to only one conclusion - as a community, we are well postured to accept those challenges and expand on those opportunities.

Positive self-talk is a good thing and creates lots of momentum, and I ask that each of you take this letter and use it to guide an IW Wardroom discussion about who we are, the myriad roles we play in support of the GWOT, and the incredible opportunity we all have as individuals and a community to lead the CNO's concept of Decision Superiority."

Rear Admiral Edward H. Deets III, Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command in his 25 March 2008 letter to Information Warfare Officers