The phrase command and control is used in various fields:

In telecommunications

Command and control (C ²) is the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission.

In the military: BlackBerry 7100t Telecommunication refers to the communication of information at a distance. ...

Command and monitoring of the outcome of control functions are performed through an arrangement of personnel (the command hierarchy), equipment (the signal infrastructure of communications facilities), and all other procedures employed by a commander in planning, directing, coordinating, and controlling forces and operations in the accomplishment of the mission. See command, control, and communications (C3) for more on the military view. The term is also extended to include a reference to military intelligence as well, in command, control, communications and intelligence (C3I).

In governance and government: Command has multiple meanings: An order. ... A command hierarchy is a group of people committed to carrying out orders from the top, that is, of authority. ... BlackBerry 7100t Telecommunication refers to the communication of information at a distance. ... Military tactics is the collective name for methods of engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. ... The military science term command, control, and communications or C3 designates a telecommunications network used by the command hierarchy for the command and control of a military force. ... Military intelligence (abbreviated MI, int. ... Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence, or C3I is a military term that is used to describe an infrastructure that supports joint operations by a military force. ...

The term refers more generally to the maintenance of authority with somewhat more distributed decision making. In these civilian contexts the term command is unfashionable but the meaning is the same. Some management science theorists even hold that the idea is now obsolete. For instance Dee Hock says that "Purpose and principle, clearly understood and articulated, and commonly shared, are the genetic code of any healthy organization. To the degree that you hold purpose and principles in common among you, you can dispense with command and control. People will know how to behave in accordance with them, and they'll do it in thousands of unimaginable, creative ways. The organization will become a vital, living set of beliefs." In the military this principle has been applied by German armed forces since the 19th century as Auftragstaktik.

In internet usage: In politics, authority generally refers to the ability to make laws, independent of the power to enforce them, or the ability to permit something. ... Decision making is the cognitive process of selecting a course of action from among multiple alternatives. ... Management science, or MS, is the discipline of using mathematics, and other analytical methods, to help make better business decisions. ... Dee Hock is the founder and former CEO of the VISA credit card company. ... Mission-type tactics (German: Auftragstaktik, also known as directive control in the US), are a central component of the tactics of German armed forces since the 19th century. ...

The term command and controll (note the ll) is sometimes employed by Internet trolls to suggest that their activities are more organized than they might appear.

In Internet terminology, a troll is a person who posts rude or offensive messages on the Internet, such as in online discussion forums, to disrupt discussion or to upset its participants (see Anonymous Internet posting). ...

See also

• JFACHQ

• Ubiquitous command and control (UC2) is a concept for the future of command and control.