Operation Allied Force

The study of reachback during Operation ALLIED FORCE reveals information management, rather than bandwidth, posed more formidable challenges. Such study also showed a misperception of bandwidth as greater cause for concern, which clouds the issue of information management as a limiting factor in the reachback process. In order to advance the effectiveness of reachback, managers must identify and implement improvements for handling information. How will changes to information management practices and improvement effect reachback? They offer benefits in the following three areas: 1) to provide access to timely and relevant information for decision-makers; 2) to obviate commanders of information overload; and 3) to integrate data and information before it reaches commanders. Potential improvements in any one of the three foregoing areas offer promise--and together, their synergistic effect increases improvement opportunities.