Command center A command center or command centre ( often called a war room ) is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose . While frequently considered to be a military facility , these can be used in many other cases by governments or businesses . The term " war room " is also often used in politics to refer to teams of communications people who monitor and listen to the media and the public , respond to inquiries , and synthesize opinions to determine the best course of action . Military and government . A command center is a central place for carrying out orders and for supervising tasks , also known as a headquarters , or HQ . Common to every command center are three general activities : inputs , processes , and outputs . The inbound aspect is communications ( usually intelligence and other field reports ) . Inbound elements are " sitreps " ( situation reports of what is happening ) and " progreps " ( progress reports relative to a goal that has been set ) from the field back to the command element . The process aspect involves a command element that makes decisions about what should be done about the input data . In the US military , the command consists of a field - ( Major to Colonel ) or flag - ( General ) grade commissioned officer with one or more advisers . The outbound communications then delivers command decisions ( i . e . , operating orders ) to the field elements . Command centers should not be confused with the high - level military formation of a Command - as with any formation , Commands may be controlled from a command center , however not all formations controlled from a command centre are Commands . Examples . Canada . During the Cold War , the Government of Canada undertook the construction of " Emergency Government Headquarters " , to be used in the event of nuclear warfare or other large - scale disaster . Canada was generally allied with the United States for the duration of the war , was a founding member of NATO , allowed American cruise missiles to be tested in the far north , and flew sovereignty missions in the Arctic . For these reasons , the country was often seen as being a potential target of the Soviets at the height of nuclear tensions in the 1960s . Extensive post - attack plans were drawn up for use in emergencies , and fallout shelters were built all across the country for use as command centres for governments of all levels , the Canadian Forces , and rescue personnel , such as fire services . Different levels of command centres included : United Kingdom . Constructed in 1938 , the Cabinet War Rooms were used extensively by Sir Winston Churchill during the Second World War . United States . A Command and Control Center is a specialized type of command center operated by a government or municipal agency 24 hours a day , 7 days a week . Various branches of the U . S Military such as the U . S Coast Guard and Navy have command and control centers . They are also common in many large correctional facilities . A Command and Control Center operates as the agency ' s dispatch center , surveillance monitoring center , coordination office and alarm monitoring center all in one . Command and control centers are not staffed by high - level officials but rather by highly skilled technical staff . When a serious incident occurs the staff will notify the agency ' s higher level officials . In service businesses . A command center enables the real - time visibility and management of an entire service operation . Similar to an air traffic control center , a command center allows organizations to view the status of global service calls , service technicians , and service parts on a single screen . In addition , customer commitments or service level agreement s ( SLAs ) that have been made can also be programmed into the command center and monitored to ensure all are met and customers are satisfied . A command center is well suited for industries where coordinating field service ( people , equipment , parts , and tools ) is critical . War rooms can also be used for defining strategies , or driving business intelligence efforts . In popular culture . The most famous war room in popular culture was the war room depicted in the 1964 film " Dr . Strangelove " , and seen later in other such movies , like " Fail - Safe " and " WarGames " .