According to DoD officials, the term broadly describes the combination of emerging tactics, techniques and procedures that a networked force can use to create a decisive warfighting advantage. It's one of DoD's major initiatives to transform the military.

Among its benefits, network-centric warfare increases combat power by networking sensors, decision makers and shooters to achieve shared awareness of the battlefield, increased speed of command, greater lethality and increased survivability.

As a new source of power, it allows U.S. forces to get inside an adversary's decision cycle, changing the rules of warfare and dictating the pace of military operations.

Recent operational experience has repeatedly shown that only forces with comprehensively integrated capabilities can fully exploit the advantages of information-age warfare.