C4I is a military term meant to summarize factors military theorists consider when planning how headquarters can control their subordinate units. The "C4" part of the term summarizes four words that begin with the letter "C" --"command", "control", "communications", and "computers". The "I" portion refers to "intelligence".
Military theorists previously used similar terms, which summarized fewer factors.
Last updated: 10-22-2005 23:18:33