People need look only as far back as last spring if they want to see an illustration of the importance of tactical operations. Operation Iraqi Freedom, with its three-week drive that toppled Saddam Hussein, demonstrated just how effective a network-centric force can be on the battlefield. The weakness of the coalition’s Iraqi opponent served merely a supporting role in ensuring the operation’s success. Network-centric warfare is here to stay, and tactical operations are both the enablers and beneficiaries of its success.
Many countries around the world are looking at remodeling their militaries along the lines of the United States’. This revolution in military affairs is leading to forces that are smaller, move more rapidly, can access relevant intelligence in real or near-real time, react immediately to battlefield developments and provide less firepower more precisely. Most importantly, these forces are linked in an overarching network that both allows them to interoperate smoothly and provides them with vital information gleaned from sources throughout the battlespace.
This thrust has been underway for years, but it has assumed increased importance in the war on terrorism. The end of the Cold War brought about a substantial reduction in strategic threats against the Free World. The threat to freedom now focuses along two lines: the emergence of a new enemy that will stop at nothing and strike anywhere; and rogue nations that provide support or sanctuary to these terrorists. More than ever, tactical operations will be a likely means for dealing with these two types of foes. And, allied forces will need to rely on advanced information technologies to ensure that they prevail in any confrontation.
Several technologies will be key to the success of tactical operations. Intelligence and surveillance, high on anyone’s list, have grown in importance to the individual warfighter. They encompass key battlefield disciplines such as situational awareness, which always has been of paramount importance to the warfighter. Now, the network itself is reaching down to the individual and turning that person into a node. With this development, situational awareness defines the presence—and ensures the survival—of these human network nodes.
Sensor technologies play a role in both situational awareness and battlefield operations. Once known as smart bombs, precision guided weapons now are increasing in intelligence as they are equipped with newer sensors and guidance systems. Individual warfighters can look forward to new sensor systems that will increase both their own and the network’s situational awareness. Manned and unmanned platforms are seeing a magnitude of improvement in sensor capabilities, which will benefit their operations and the tactical commander’s knowledge base.
And, linking all tactical operations will be advanced information systems. Land, sea and air forces already are communicating among themselves and with each other. New capabilities will increase the flow of data—and ultimately, information—before and during battlefield operations. More efficient systems and new satellite constellations are enabling greater bandwidth, which will increase the amount of information moved throughout the battlespace as well as the number of users that can access it.
Virtually all of the new technologies that characterize the force transformation that is at the head of this revolution in military affairs are tactical—either in nature or in terms of their benefits. The advent of advanced electronics, instead of obsoleting the individual warfighter, has reinforced the concept of the infantryman as the ultimate weapon.
—The Editor
