In a forward-looking analysis for Military Review, Lieutenant Colonel Jon R. Creel and Lieutenant Colonel James J. Torrence argue that the US Army Signal Corps must undergo a radical transformation to remain relevant and decisive in the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Their article, “Beyond the Network,” contends that the Corps must shift from a passive provider of connectivity to an active warfighting integrator capable of enabling decision dominance and distributed kill chains in contested, sensor-saturated environments.
The authors begin by describing the modern battlefield as transparent, persistently surveilled, and contested across land, air, sea, space, cyber, and the electromagnetic spectrum. In this environment, commanders can no longer rely on sanctuary or bandwidth. Instead, they must be able to see, decide, and act faster than adversaries. The Signal Corps, they argue, is central to this capability — not merely by maintaining networks, but by shaping the fight through agile, empowered communicators.
Creel and Torrence emphasize that spectrum management has become a form of maneuver. Drawing on insights from military thinkers like John Antal and Jack Watling, they note that bandwidth is now a resource to be seized and held, much like terrain. Signal soldiers must treat emissions as operational vulnerabilities and master spectrum agility, emission control, and signature deception as core disciplines. The authors cite Field Manual (FM) 3-0, which reinforces the need for formations to operate under persistent electromagnetic contact and achieve spectrum dominance for survivability.
The concept of “transformation in contact” is central to their thesis. Rather than relying on institutional modernization cycles, the Army must adapt while under fire — culturally, technically, and operationally. Command posts will be targeted, connectivity will degrade, and communicators must be trained to lead through disruption. Mission command must be more than a concept; it must be embedded in unit culture. Signal leaders must be prepared to assume responsibility for command and control (C2) continuity when infrastructure fails.
The authors critique the current emphasis on hardware and compliance frameworks, arguing that technical roadmaps like the Army Unified Network Plan 2.0 are insufficient without a parallel transformation in leadership and training. Concepts like Zero Trust and Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) must be treated as operational imperatives. In contested cyberspace, failure to secure data is not just a breach — it’s a denial of fires, a break in maneuver, and a collapse in initiative.
Creel and Torrence envision the Signal Corps as the integrator of C2 and lethality in a kill web environment, where data is ammunition and decision cycles are measured in seconds. Human cognition alone cannot process the volume and speed of battlefield data, necessitating AI-enabled compression of sensor-to-shooter timelines. Signal professionals must not only transport information but fuse effects, synchronize operations, and enable decisions under pressure.
To achieve this, the Corps must flatten its hierarchy, dissolve artificial distinctions between strategic and tactical communications, and empower leaders at every echelon. The authors highlight the US Army Special Operations Command’s Tactical Mission Networks (TMNs) as a model for future capability. TMNs extend encrypted cloud-based communications to the edge, enabling maneuver units to sense, make sense, and act without relying on fixed command posts or unbroken reach-back. This democratization of technology allows signal integrators to provide layered capability through informed, agnostic transport options.
The article concludes with a series of vignettes illustrating how signal leaders can shape the fight in real time — managing bandwidth risk, enabling fires, and planning deception operations. These scenarios are not speculative; they are logical extensions of current trends in sensor saturation, cyber degradation, and spectrum competition. Signal professionals are portrayed not as troubleshooters but as decisive actors who turn disruption into initiative.
Creel and Torrence’s central message is clear: the network alone is not enough. The Army must cultivate warfighter-communicators who lead from the edge, integrate convergence, and command digital terrain. The Signal Corps must be reimagined as an operational force — no longer a support function, but a maneuver element in the data domain. In the battlespace of tomorrow, victory will belong to those who can see, decide, and act first. That requires communicators who are trained, empowered, and ready to fight through fire.