ABSTRACT
A naval command team comprises a group of 20 or more individuals who man the ship’s action information (AI) system, compiling a picture of the underwater, surface, and air environments from data derived from the ship’s sensors and by data link from other ships and aircraft. The command (i.e., the captain, advised by the warfare officers who analyze and interpret the picture), uses this information to direct defensive and offensive actions typically in collaboration with other friendly ships and aircraft. During the course of an action, the team deals with hundreds of verbal messages and items of electronic information. Although there are standard operating procedures to deal with most contingencies, no two actions are alike, and complex decisions have to be made, often under time stress. In short, the command team is a highly complex entity, and the description and analysis of the work of the command team is itself a challenging task.
