It's been a while since I've posted but this article definitely caught my eye.
As one poster has pointed out, computerization and UAV's are
THE ANSWER to managing the modern battlespace. Command,
Control and Communications are key along with ground forces
that can perform, in any weather or operational environment,
tasks that we call:
ORRD (Observe, Record, Report & Direct)
Any small and agile force with sufficient communications and infiltration
capability is inherently a MAJOR FORCE MULTIPLIER and can thus be
the literal pile driver that pounds an enemy into the ground.
Give me 10 men with spread-spectrum communciations,
camouflage, high-tech binoculars, night-vision scopes,
video cameras and mountain bikes, and I can literally
destroy an entire army!
How? Ten sets of eyes and some encrypted email containing
some GPS coordinates and still photos/video footage allows
me to direct aerial based assets to find and kill targets
deader than door nails.
Who needs a stinkin' brigade of vulnerable guys in Humvees,
MRAPS and tanks (no disrespect to the Army intended) when
four Predators with some Hellfire missiles directed by SpecOps
can make my day much easier and definitely NOT make
the enemy's day any nicer!
And just for your information, Al Quaeda is vulnerable to
radio-frequency listening, pinpointing and targetting on
EVEN SHORT SATELLITE or WIRELESS-BASED PHONE CALLS
of less than 30 seconds in length.
With high-CPU horsepower and some simple trigonometry,
the concept of 3D triangulation is not a far fetched fantasy
and IS IN FACT A DAILY REALITY.
I can also mention the fact that motion stabilized lenses
such as those from WESCAM (see following):
www.l-3com.com...
attached to some POWERFUL digital signal processors
can EASILY do facial recognition and matching or
military asset object recognition on the order of tens to
hundreds of faces or objects a second.
See Lockheed Martin Object Recognition Contract:
findarticles.com...
On the audio side, modern movie-making techniques from Hollywood
have given the U.S. military powerful abilities to hunt, find, identify
and then destroy targets based upon mathematically described
audio/acoustic signatures. Object Identification by acoustic characteristics
is a staple of submarine warfare left over from the 1980's Cold War
that has been MUCH IMPROVED with the passage of time.
See civilian equivalent of audio telescope:
www.sciencedaily.com...
See Gunshot locationing and targetting:
en.wikipedia.org...
In addition we can combine audio detection with Night Vision
www.gs.flir.com...
to obtain heat signatures at night in order to target the
bunkered down enemy. Combine Infra-red and Starlight night vision
with Seismic-based Personnel Detectors:
See Microwave-based Seismic Detectors
www.freepatentsonline.com...
See pressure-sensitive seismic sensors:
ieeexplore.ieee.org...
and we can then find those who dug-in way underground!
Add all this INFORMATION to a time-stamped ACTIVE DATABASE with
real-time on-screen maps and satellite photography and we can record
and track the enemy so as to reasonably PREDICT where
he/she is going to be within specified period of time.
See Automated Target Tracking System:
oai.dtic.mil...
Now I can DIRECT aerial/ground forces to enter the kill-zone
and then destroy both enemy warfighters and their tangible
assets OR order SpecOps to retrieve those who we call
"Meatspace Managers" for interrogation in order to
get MORE INFORMATION which is the most valuable asset of all!!!
It's NOT ROCKET SCIENCE - IT'S THE TIMELY AND CORRECT
MANAGEMENT OF PERSONNEL, TANGIBLE WARFIGHTING ASSETS
AND THE TRACKING OF INFORMATION AND ENEMY POSITIONS
that allow us to effectively SHUT THEM DOWN!
And on a final note, NOTHING that I have written here
is any BIG SECRET OR RESTRICTED ONLY TO THE BLACK-WORLD!
It's all about using commercially available resources in the most
"Time-Sensitive" and "Biggest-Bang-For-The-Buck" manner possible!
Hope this post helps in showing that information
is the MOST VALUABLE MILITARY ASSET OF ALL !!!!!