The Brain of the Carrier Group: The Combat Information Center

This lecture will begin with the genesis of the shipboard combat information center (CIC) in World War II from the Guadalcanal campaign (1942) up through that at Okinawa (1945). From there it will move to a discussion of the development of the CIC on aircraft carriers through the Cold War and its current incarnation as the Combat Direction Center about US carriers (CVNs).  Dr. Kuehn author served as a CDC officer from 1998-2000 aboard the aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis.

Dr. John T. Kuehn is a Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC).  He is a Major General William Stofft Professor Emeritus and served as Fleet Admiral Ernest King Visiting Professor of Maritime History at the Naval War College from 2020-2021. He retired from the U.S. Navy 2004 at the rank of commander after 23 years, serving as a naval flight officer (NFO) flying land and carrier-based aircraft.

The Ft. Leavenworth Series is an annual roster of lectures focusing on significant historical events, usually with an emphasis on military history. Each lecture is presented by faculty from the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. Established by General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1881, the CGSC is the graduate college for U.S. Army and sister service officers. The esteemed faculty and guests of the CGSC provide unique and captivating insights into the history of military conflict from the ancient to the modern ages at the Dole Institute of Politics.

The opinions expressed herein are those of the individual and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency.