Command and Control for War and Peace

With “Command and Control for War and Peace,” Thomas Coakley has done great service to those who aspire – or dare – to peer into this mysterious world and get at its basics. His delineation of the basic principles of command and control is as thorough and comprehensive as I have seen on the subject. While he orients his treatment of the subject toward the operational practitioner, I would recommend it as fundamental reading for any of the specialists in the wide variety of fields that pervade the command and control world, from the technical architect to the operational manager and the ultimate user. It adds measurably to the body of knowledge that must eventually emerge from scholarly treatment of the business and take an enduring form for future and aspiring practitioners to study. Senior commanders as well as novices on the threshold of a new career will benefit from the time they spend reading this material and reflecting upon how it all must play together. --General Robert T. Herres, U.S. Air Force (Ret.)