Network awareness in operation Iraqi freedom: a case study of the first marine expeditionary force

This case study describes the effects a knowledge management system (KMS) had on increasing the situational awareness (SA) level of network engineers supporting the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). During the days of OIF, I MEF struggled to sustain shared SA of a communication network that spanned hundreds of square miles and supported a U.S. and coalition force that swelled from 700 to over 80,000 personnel in four months. With the combat requirement of continuous communications, I MEF developed an in-house KMS that collected and shared over 8,000 log entries in 5 months. While focused on combat support, this KMS was utilized to identify and troubleshoot network issues that would be prevalent in any large communication network. Triangulation and analysis of the multiple interviews, audiovisual material, archival records, and documents formed the basis for the findings of this study. An expert panel of three professionals experienced in SA and knowledge management vetted the findings. The results indicate that the creation of the Marine Air Ground Task Force Communication Control Center Event Log (MEL) increased SA and directly supported the sustainment of combat operations