QuoteReplyTopic: The way modern warfare is conducted Posted: 10-Feb-2008 at 23:40
Worldwide, what are the doctrines behind modern land warfare? What are the main shifts in focus from the era of the World Wars to contemporary times? How important is the principle of 'combined arms?' How have the developments of asymmetrical warfare and advances in weaponry influenced contemporary warfare?
Discuss.
Caveat: The discussion is mainly to pertain to land warfare, but naval and air warfare ought to be discussed in their respective contexts' wit regards to land-based combat.
The Cold War doctrine was centered in the north European plain and consisted of the "air-land battle" backed up by a strategic nuclear deterrant. Naval forces were to counter Soviet submarine capability and to resupply the air-land forces as that battle proceded.
That doctrine is now obsolete. Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq have shown the face of modern land warfare. Air warfare and sea warfare are merely adjuncts of land warfare, regardless of what was thought in Afghanistan (1990s), Somalia (1990s), the Balkans (1990s) and in Israel (2006). Those actions are the "Bill Clinton Doctrine." I.e., the political polls don't negatively respond to minor actions that cause loss to throw away military forces.
Contrary to the impressions of the 1990-91 campaign in Kuwait/Iraq, the doctrine there was also obsolete. No one on this planet was able to contest the US in a conventional conflict. You either had to have nuclear weapons or fight an assymetrical war with constantly replaceable guerilla forces.
Now, not many can mount nukes to the degree that the US could not overwhelm, but the assymetrical approach seems the most logical response. So, the US has to accomodate by going to war with such opponents, or those just posture and have little effect. Does anyone really think the Taliban or Al-Quaeda can threaten the existence of the US or even damage it to any real degree?
The problem for the US is that it has to retain sufficient conventional forces to fight some level of armored/air battle, and sustain an increasing level of tactical level and special forces to counter assymetrical warfare. Frankly, the US advantage in air and sea capability makes all of that one hell of a lot easier, but it still poses problems that have yet to be solved.
The issue of nuclear obliteration is really not an issue at all. Russia and China and India are all societies run by rational elites. If some nuclear attack by insane terrorists killed 1,000,000 Americans, there would soon be no one left alive in a lot of geographic expressions on this planet that could be mentioned. There would still be 299,000,000 Americans left. And there would be a lot of votes in that, believe it.
In terms of conventional military alone. The US army is based on speed and a network centric warfare. Modern warfare is moving to a 4th dimension (not in a physics sense).
Traditionally, most people only see 2 dimensions of a military, its
attack and defence. An M1 Tank can kill a T-90 at x range and can
defeat n type warhead with its armor.
What people never factor in is the third dimension, mobility. The M1
can kill a T-90 because it can manuever itself into a position where
the T-90 can't respond.
With information technology, we are moving into a 4th dimension. The M1
can kill a T-90 because it knows where it is relative to its environment
and pin point a location that the T-90 can't respond rapidly. The M1
can then maneuver itself into that position and use its gun to kill the
T-90.
Things like mobility and information dominance are intangible and
contribute a much greater combat power than attack and defence alone.
This is the reason why a Carrier battle group is so effective.
There have been no sea battles worth noting since WW2 so I don't know what you are basing you opinion that carrier battle groups are effective on.
Nuclear weapons are a dud. They are feared so much that no-one will ever shoot one, even if the Taliban got one, I doubt they'd actually fire one. Similarly, the 'information technology' dimension is a dud. That is people thinking the world is like a computer game. The M1 may be able to manuever into a better position than the T-90, but why bother? If you know where the T-90 is shoot missiles at it. The M1 crew may be too scared to move out of cover because it knows there are enemy artillery spotters and hidden infantry scattered all over the terrain. The enemy may have learned the frequencies that the M1 communicates on, and be flooding those channels with RFI.
War is the same as it always has been: flexibilty, intelligence and morale.
Recent wars have shown that well equiped, organised and determined infantry is the best defence, and a strong missile battery is the best offense. The difference between the rich and industrialised, and poor but determined has been reduced by advances in infantry arms.
Mobility provides you with options. Take the Indian Navy carrier group for instance. By itself, it is in deep trouble if it gets detected, tracked, identified, and attacked by a full fledge alpha strike (alpha -all effort) by the Pakistani airforce. However, a military operates as a team. The value of the Indian navy carrier comes into full view if you see it in the context of the whole Indian military.
In a hypothetical air war between India and Pakistan, the Indian carrier serves as a way to dilute PAF airdefences by posing a threat away from the main IAF threat axis. The PAF knows that and IAF air attack will mostly come in from the West. A prudent commander will put up defenses along this possible line of attack. The IN carrier complecates this defence. By manuevering to the Arabian sea, it creates another threat axis to the south and east. The PAF commander must allocate forces to defend that sector as well. This have an effect of weakining the main defense on the west. In naval terms this is called, the fleet in being.
The M1 may be able to manueverinto a better position than the T-90, but why bother? If you know where the T-90 is shoot missiles at it. The M1 crew may be too scared to move out of cover because it knows there are enemy artillery spotters and hidden infantry scattered all over the terrain. The enemy may have learned the frequencies that the M1 communicates on, and be flooding those channels with RFI.
How would the T-90 crew know which direction to fire the missiles at. Though I have no doubt that a good T-90 crew has an equal chance of knocking out an M1 1 vs 1, the T-90 must first acquire its target. Here is where the US network centric warfare comes into play. The M1 is linked with every other military platform in the US arsenal from JSTARS to Humvees. It will have greater situational aware and greater ability to acquire the T-90 before the T-90 even knows its there.
American crews are professional, your artillery will be knock out before a second round is fired, thanks again to network centic technology.
Though no technology is jam proof, the US has a commanding lead in electronic warfare than anybody. He commands the electronic battle field, holds command of the battle.
Recent wars have shown that well equiped, organised and determined infantry is the best defence, and a strong missile battery is the best offense. The difference between the rich and industrialised, and poor but determined has been reduced by advances in infantry arms.
It depends on your definiation of offense. If you want to take and hold ground, you need an army.
I agree. I believe infantry is still the backbone of any modern army. Even if you can bomb, subvert, propagandize, electronically disable, and fully reconnaissance an area, you still need boots on the ground to control it.
I agree. I believe infantry is still the backbone of any modern army. Even if you can bomb, subvert, propagandize, electronically disable, and fully reconnaissance an area, you still need boots on the ground to control it.
There has been a quite revolution in military affairs within the US military. It is hard to quantify because it is very difficult to see its physical manifestations. On the surface, the US Army of 2008 does not look all to different to the US army of 1991. All the hardware is the same, with minor upgrades. What is different however is that all of its unit are "linked" together. Every military unit from squad is wired (or is planned to be wired). The specific aim is increase awareness of one's own position on
the battlefield and to have a clear sense of the enemy's position, in
pursuit of the following goals: (1) increased lethality, (2) increased
control of the tempo of warfare, (3) the reduction of instances caused
by friendly fire.
In Desert Storm, it usually took up to two days for target planners to
get a photo of a target, confirm its coordinates, plan the mission, and
deliver it to the bomber crew. Today US aircraft have near real-time imaging of
targets with photos and coordinates transmitted by e-mail to aircraft
already in flight. In Desert Storm, commanders had to rely on maps, grease pencils, and radio reports to track the movements of our forces. Today, US military commanders have a real-time display of our armed forces on their computer screen.
The side effect of this is speed, not just that of troops but of the kill chain. The process of detecting, tracking, identifying a target is now very rapid. This makes the US military operational tempo is extremely rapid for the enemy to response. Enemy troop movement designed to counter US troop deployments, may already be obsolete by the time it gets to the hands of the front line commanders. The result is shock and overload, the inability to do anything due to the fact that the battlefield is moving faster than your forces can adapt.
As close to the dream of total situtaional awareness as it can get. The flipside is that US Army of 2008 moves just as fast as the army of 1991, so you reaction time is not equivalent to info time.
How would the T-90 crew know which direction to fire the missiles at. Though I have no doubt that a good T-90 crew has an equal chance of knocking out an M1 1 vs 1, the T-90 must first acquire its target. Here is where the US network centric warfare comes into play. The M1 is linked with every other military platform in the US arsenal from JSTARS to Humvees. It will have greater situational aware and greater ability to acquire the T-90 before the T-90 even knows its there.
You missed my point. Why does the M1 crew need to destroy the T-90? If you know where the T-90 is, you should be able to destroy it with artillery and missiles (air, land or sea based)
American crews are professional, your artillery will be knock out before a second round is fired, thanks again to network centic technology.
That did the Israeli's a fat lot of good in knocking out Hezbullah's rocket capability.
Though no technology is jam proof, the US has a commanding lead in electronic warfare than anybody. He commands the electronic battle field, holds command of the battle.
Until someone starts point missiles at satellites.
Originally posted by Brian
I agree. I believe infantry is still the backbone of any modern army. Even if you can bomb, subvert, propagandize, electronically disable, and fully reconnaissance an area, you still need boots on the ground to control it.
Exactly. The US army absorbs ridiculous amounts of money, and certainly knows about every physical occurance faster than any other army, yet its effectiveness hasn't improved. It lacks morale and tactics, and is being beaten by people without any fancy electronic gadgets.
In an even fight fancy electronics may tip the balance in your favour, but first you need flexibility, intelligence* and morale.
*Of course I realise that a lot of what you are talking about is better intelligence, but it only covers a small subsection of intelligence.
In terms of conventional military alone. The US army is based on speed and a network centric warfare. Modern warfare is moving to a 4th dimension (not in a physics sense).
Traditionally, most people only see 2 dimensions of a military, its attack and defence. An M1 Tank can kill a T-90 at x range and can defeat n type warhead with its armor.
What people never factor in is the third dimension, mobility. The M1 can kill a T-90 because it can manuever itself into a position where the T-90 can't respond.
With information technology, we are moving into a 4th dimension. The M1 can kill a T-90 because it knows where it is relative to its environment and pin point a location that the T-90 can't respond rapidly. The M1 can then maneuver itself into that position and use its gun to kill the T-90.
Things like mobility and information dominance are intangible and contribute a much greater combat power than attack and defence alone. This is the reason why a Carrier battle group is so effective.
That's not really a modern warfare. The importance of mobility is already noted in WWII, and was practiced admirably by generals like Patton and Rommel.
I feel that tanks are becoming more obsolete these days. Sure, their armours played a huge role in WWII, but we are now entering the era where missiles and antitank weapons are more common than ever. M1 tank, costing a lot of money and experienced crews, can be taken out by a single Hellfire missile launched from any aircraft unit. While Hellfire is a formiddable and costly weapon, it's a lot less expensive compared to the tanks.
Perhaps the only change of warfare since WWII, as George Orwell noted, is the rise of highly mobile, effective and small warfare. Usually found in counterterroism operations, this could be classified as new warfare. While it is certainly true that elite military forces existed in the past, they were used as a small effective forces in the huge warfare. Now, small task forces, heavily armed and trained, silently move into enemies and wipe them out one by one until the threat is neutralized.
I agree. I believe infantry is still the backbone of any modern army. Even if you can bomb, subvert, propagandize, electronically disable, and fully reconnaissance an area, you still need boots on the ground to control it.
Exactly. The US army absorbs ridiculous amounts of money, and certainly knows about every physical occurance faster than any other army, yet its effectiveness hasn't improved. It lacks morale and tactics, and is being beaten by people without any fancy electronic gadgets.
In an even fight fancy electronics may tip the balance in your favour, but first you need flexibility, intelligence* and morale.
*Of course I realise that a lot of what you are talking about is better intelligence, but it only covers a small subsection of intelligence.
Well, if the FUTURE WARRIOR programs are a success, the individual American soldier will become the most lethal soldier ever to stalk the battlefield. A Rifle that fires a 5.56mm NATO round with a composite 20mm exploding-projectile round launcher, infrared, night vision, thermal projection sight attatchment...
"
The XM29 OICW (Objective Individual Combat Weapon) was
the name for a series of prototypes of a new type of battle rifle that
fired 20 mm HE airbursting projectiles. The prototypes were developed
as part of the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program in the 1990s. The term SABR (Selectable Assault Battle Rifle) was also used at certain points, but is less common.
Developed by Alliant Techsystems, with Heckler & Koch as a major subcontractor, the most commonly seen version of the XM29 consisted of a semi-automatic 20 mm smart grenade launcher, an underslung assault carbine (derived from the HK G36 then in its late developmental stage) firing a standard 5.56x45mm NATO round, and a top-mounted computer-assisted sighting system with integrated laser rangefinder, thermal visionnight vision capabilities, and up to 6x optical telescopic sight. Earlier designs used different configurations and setups.
The launcher part has been described variously as a light
semi-automatic 20 mm cannon, a grenade launcher, or an airburst weapon.
It poses a classification problem, in that it does not fit neatly into
any one category. On one hand, it uses much smaller shells and has a
much flatter trajectory than grenade launchers. On the other, while its
calibre and velocity is more similar to light cannon, it does share
traits with other infantry grenade launchers."-Wiki
"Headgear Subsystem
The Headgear Subsystem, described in the Concept by FFW development team at Natick
as Information Central, is the situational awareness hub of the system.
It would include integrated tactical processing by providing maps,
routes, and data with a 180 emissive visor display, high bandwidth
wireless communications, microelectronic/optics combat sensor suite
that provides 360 situational awareness, and integrated small arms
protection.
In the current development program, the FFW Advanced Technology Demonstrator (ATD), this subsytem is labeled Sensors & Communications Vision.
Its current capabilities would provide networked FFW-equipped small
units with robust team communications using JTRS Cluster 5 Soldier
Radio Waveform, state-of-the-art distributed and fused sensors, organic
tactical intelligence/collection assets, enhanced situational
understanding, embedded training, on-the-move planning, and linkage to
other Future Combat System assets.
The FFW project aims to help protect the soldier by providing
full-body bullet and fragmentation protection. In the original concept,
the Combat Uniform Subsystem, also known as Survivability Central, is
subdivided into three layers, the Protective Outer Layer, the Power
Centric Layer, and the Life Critical Layer.
Currently, under the Survivability Vision given by the Army's
ATD, bullet-resistant armor provides protection to the upper arms, the
upper legs and the chest and abdomen. These are currently made from
bullet-resistant fibers such as Kevlar and hard ceramics but a joint Army-MIT subprogram is developing a ferrofluid smart material
composed of iron particles suspended in a silicon oil that harden
within milliseconds when a current is applied. However, the development
team at MIT has said that it will likely take five to ten years before
the substance is made truly bullet resistant. They are also looking
into a material called M5 fiber which is much stronger in the fields of slash, ballistic, and fire protection and is much lighter than kevlar.
In addition, Armor Holdings, Inc.
has developed a product that is similar to the Army-MIT program, a
"Shear-Thickening Liquid" armor additive produced from a mixture of polyethylene glycol,
a polymer found in laxatives and other consumer products, and nanobits
of silica, or purified sand. When struck with a significant impact, the
armor stiffens instantly into a shield, then reverts to its liquid
state just as fast when the energy from the projectile dissipates. The
new armor, originally envisioned to be spread on like peanut butter, is
instead sprayed onto Kevlar in ultra-thin coats. Armor Holdings planed
to begin to promote this new armor in 2007, but it is not sure if this
will be used as a substitute for the Army's Survivability Vision."-Wiki
In effect, you will have individual soldiers (as opposed to units) all digitally connected to the entire US CentCom, able to access all of the military's available intelligence, at a moment's notice. He will be able to call in air-strikes in real-time, access relevant combat databases, constantly broadcast his position due to its GPS signal, coordinate attacks with other soldiers in real-time without communications hindrances, all while constantly relaying relevant battlefield intelligence back to CentCom for access by other soldiers. A fully integrated soldier, in reality, as the Army says, "an Army of one," albeit with the backing of the entire US arsenal at his disposal. As Wiki states:
"Land Warrior is a United States Army program in 2007,[1][2] that will use a combination of commercial, off-the-shelf technology (COTS) and current-issue military gear and equipment designed to:
Also, I wanted to add that tanks outdated, as Pekau insinuated, at least in terms of an occupational force. Light-response vehicles seem to be the way to go in the future, though certainly there will always be a use for mobile artillery platforms.
Now, small task forces, heavily armed and trained, silently move into enemies and wipe them out one by one until the threat is neutralized.
Popski's Private Army?
There are few things certain in warfare. One is the immediacy with which the fog descends. Another is that when it clears, nothing is the same as was expected.
Mucj of this reads like promotional literature for the arms manufacturers or propaganda being used to sell the military budget to the government (not necessarily the US).
Originally posted by IDonT
The PAF knows that and IAF air attack will mostly come in from the West. A prudent commander will put up defenses along this possible line of attack. The IN carrier complecates this defence. By manuevering to the Arabian sea, it creates another threat axis to the south and east.
I don't follow that. Are you getting east and west the wrong way round, or am I missing something?
True, gcle2003. "No good battleplan ever survives contact with the enemy." I posted that lengthy Future Warrior thing to show in which direction military innovations are moving in Western countries. France, Britain, Germany, etc. are all developing similar technologies suited to their militaries. This just shows to what extent that information is becoming a hugely prominent part of the modern battlefield. Not to say that it always wasn't, but rather, to emphasize the fact that it is becoming so highly codified into military doctrine. The Future Warrior, or British FIST programs, aren't important because of their armor or weapons or anything, but because they plug the individual combat soldier into the information databases, creating a multi-faceted, fluid response to battlefield conditions at the individual level.
Modern warfare is now heavily dependent on overwhelming firepower directed on enemy concentrations including WWII carpet bombing techniques except now the bombs used are highly distructive 6-10 ton bombs like the daisy cutter if I got the name right which decimated the Taliban, they killed anyone within 500m from the center if I'm correct. Also the most important developement in my humble opinion is the full utilization and integration of Helicopter gunships in land battles. In the Iraq war the sandstorms that grounded the Cobras and Apaches for several days exposed how effective these weapons in modern warfare since they flattened enemy defensive positions and the only thing the army done was to advance and occupy the area. Iraq effectively utilized them in both the Iran war, where they were the main reason for the victories of the last months of the war, as well as crushing the Shia-Kurdish rebellion in just one week back in March 1991. If Iraq had enough helicopter gunships back in the 2003 war the US would have been in dep trouble though they will win but they would have sustained heavy losses.
GCLE2003, I beleive he got that mixed up. Though it was done for the point of illustration, that is rather off on the PAF battle plan, which revolves around destroying the 4 main IAF air bases in the North.
The one thing everyone seems to have forgotten, is; logistics. Modern warfare is much more about logistics than it is about technology or tactics,far less glamourous, far more important.
Worldwide, what are the doctrines behind modern land warfare? What are the main shifts in focus from the era of the World Wars to contemporary times? How important is the principle of 'combined arms?' How have the developments of asymmetrical warfare and advances in weaponry influenced contemporary warfare?
Discuss.
Caveat: The discussion is mainly to pertain to land warfare, but naval and air warfare ought to be discussed in their respective contexts' wit regards to land-based combat.
Its about yours countrys power projection , as in mobility now days , and net centrick warfare , so you can "autmatic size" the war , any where on this planet , from "home".
Not an big army , but a rapid mobile one.
In other words , unmanned fighting machines , for uz western countrys.
Well, if the FUTURE WARRIOR programs are a success, the individual
American soldier will become the most lethal soldier ever to stalk the
battlefield. A Rifle that fires a 5.56mm NATO round with a composite
20mm exploding-projectile round launcher, infrared, night vision,
thermal projection sight attatchment...
The whole point I'm trying to get at, is that you are only lethal if you aren't scared to death at the bottom of a fox hole. Bringing the IT revolution to the battle field won't help you with the fundamentals.
Originally posted by Tore the dog
In other words , unmanned fighting machines , for uz western countrys.
And thus is invented the only machine able to be defeated by a blanket.
Originally posted by Sparten
The one thing everyone seems to have forgotten, is; logistics. Modern
warfare is much more about logistics than it is about technology or
tactics,far less glamourous, far more important.
Well, if the FUTURE WARRIOR programs are a success, the individual
American soldier will become the most lethal soldier ever to stalk the
battlefield. A Rifle that fires a 5.56mm NATO round with a composite
20mm exploding-projectile round launcher, infrared, night vision,
thermal projection sight attatchment...
The whole point I'm trying to get at, is that you are only lethal if you aren't scared to death at the bottom of a fox hole. Bringing the IT revolution to the battle field won't help you with the fundamentals.
Originally posted by Tore the dog
In other words , unmanned fighting machines , for uz western countrys.
And thus is invented the only machine able to be defeated by a blanket.
Originally posted by Sparten
The one thing everyone seems to have forgotten, is; logistics. Modern
warfare is much more about logistics than it is about technology or
tactics,far less glamourous, far more important.
Definitely true.
Any nation's military trains for a reason; to ensure soldiers are not "scared to death at the bottom of a foxhole." Men have been training to repress their fear in battle since before recorded history. This is a moot point. Sure, some soldiers will always be scared, but with the IT revolution, scared soldiers in a foxhole can individually relay their respective positions and coordinate massive artillery bombardments and airstrikes to neutralize whatever it is that has them so scared down in their entrenchments.
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