Transforming military force : the legacy of Arthur Cebrowski and network centric warfare / James R. Blaker.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-244) and index.

Ch. 1. The context -- Ch. 2. Military transformation -- Ch. 3. Transforming the U.S. military -- Ch. 4. Future forces -- Ch. 5. Military transformation and world affairs -- Ch. 6. Successes and failures -- Ch. 7. Institutionalizing transformation -- Ch. 8. An appraisal.

"Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld arrived at the Pentagon in 2001 with an agenda that included the transformation of the American armed forces. His intent was to modernize the existing force, while simultaneously developing high-tech innovations to revolutionize the military of the future. The primary architect of transformation, Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski, USN (Ret.), conceived what is known as network-centric warfare - a concept designed to leverage advances in military technology that will influence the U.S. Armed Forces for many decades to come." "Admiral Cebrowski was a central figure in the effort to transform American armed forces and promoted the concepts that formed the basis for network-centric warfare. Blaker examines the concepts that formed the basis of Cebrowski's vision and chronicles the former officer's struggles inside the Office of Force Transformation. To craft this history, Blaker draws on Cebrowski's own writings, testimony, materials he crafted to illustrate his concepts, and a series of weekly conversations the author had with Cebrowski during a five-year period that lasted until the latter's sudden death in November 2005. The book also incorporates material from other interviews with Cebrowski, which were conducted by a variety of individuals in the media and military during his time in Washington, D.C. In addition to discussing the development of the concept, Transforming Military Force also offers an examination of the successes and failures of network-centric warfare, analyzing what has been done in the past and offering suggestions on the future direction of this form of conflict."--BOOK JACKET.