Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

military applications of computers 311TrainingThe use of automated systems to provide training goes backat least as far as the World War II era Link trainer, whichused automatic controls and hydraulics to place traineepilots inside a moveable cockpit that could respond to theircontrol inputs. Today computer simulations with sophisticatedgraphics and control systems can provide highly realisticdepictions of flying a helicopter or jet fighter or drivinga battle tank. The military has even adapted commercialflight simulators for training purposes. Simulations canalso cover Special Forces operations and tactical decisionmaking. Indeed, many real-time simulations (RTS) sold aspopular commercial games and avidly played by young peoplealready contain enough realistic detail to be adoptedby the military as is. For example, the game Rainbow Six,based on operations in Tom Clancy novels, simulates tacticalcounterterrorism operations. In turn, the U.S. Army hasused a simulation game called Full Spectrum Warrior togive young gamers a taste of the military life.OperationsAircraft, ships, and land vehicles used by the military havebeen fitted with a variety of computerized systems. The“glass cockpit” in aircraft is replacing the increasinglyunmanageable maze of dials and switches with informationdisplays that can keep the pilot focused on the most crucialinformation while making other information readily available.Traditional keyboards and joystick-type controllerscan be replaced by touch screens and even by systems thatcan understand a variety of voice commands (see speechrecognition and synthesis). Similar control interfacescan be used in tanks or ships.Robotics offers a variety of intriguing possibilities forextending the reach of military forces while minimizingcasualties. Remote-control robots can be used to clearminefields, disarm roadside bombs, or perform reconnaissance.(The Predator armed reconnaissance drone was firstused successfully in anti-terrorist operations in Afghanistanin 2002.) Armed robots could assault enemy strong pointswithout risking soldiers. The development of autonomousrobots that can plan their own missions, select targets, andmake other decisions is a longer-term prospect that dependson the application of artificial intelligence in the extremelychallenging and chaotic battlefield environment.Battle ManagementBattle management is the ability to gather, synthesize, andpresent crucial information about the environment aroundthe military unit and enable military personnel to makerapid, accurate decisions about threats and the best way toneutralize them.The earliest example, the SAGE (Strategic Air GroundEnvironment) computer system, resulted from a massivedevelopment effort in the 1950s that strained the capacityof early vacuum tube-based computers to its limit. Thepurpose of SAGE was to provide an integrated tracking anddisplay system that could give the Strategic Air Command(SAC) complete real-time information about any Sovietnuclear bomber strikes in progress against the continentalUnited States Descendents of this system were able to trackballistic missiles.The Aegis system first deployed aboard selected navyships in the 1970s is a good example of a tactical battlemanagement system on a somewhat smaller scale. Aegis isa computerized system that can integrate information fromsophisticated shipboard radar and sonar arrays as well asreceiving and merging data from other ships and reconnaissanceassets (such as helicopters). The captain of anAegis cruiser or destroyer therefore has a real-time pictureshowing the locations, headings, and speeds of friendly andenemy ships, aircraft, and missiles. The system can alsoautomatically distribute the available munitions to mosteffectively engage the most threatening targets.Ultimately, the military hopes to give each unit in thefield and even individual soldiers a battle management displaythat would pinpoint enemy vehicles and other activity.Unpiloted drone aircraft such as the Predator can loiter overthe battlefield and feed video and other data into the battlemanagement system.While the ability to transmit and process large amountsof information can lead to strategic or tactical advantage, italso demands increased attention to security. If an enemycan jam the information processing system, its advantagescould be lost at a crucial moment. Worse, if an enemy can“spoof” the system or introduce deceptive data, the military’sinformation system could become a weapon in theenemy’s hands (see computer crime, encryption, informationwarfare and security).Beyond the BattlefieldToday’s military faces the challenge of diverse types of conflict(including counterinsurgency and peacekeeping), theneed to interact with cultures that may be unfamiliar tomost soldiers, and the need to deal with the psychologicalas well as physical casualties of war. A number of innovativeapplications of simulation and information technologyare being developed.In 2006 the U.S. military began to use a game called“Tactical Iraqi” in which soldiers must learn not only conversationalphrases, but the difference between appropriateand culturally insensitive gestures and actions.Another simulation, created at the University of SouthernCalifornia, uses VR technology (see virtual reality)to place soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) back into the combat environment under controlledconditions. The goal is to gradually desensitize theperson to the traumatic sights, sounds, and events.On the information and intelligence front, the need totranslate and interpret massive amounts of material in manylanguages in near real time has led the Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency (DARPA) to begin to develop asystem that would use separate “engines” for translation,interpretation, and summarization.Further ReadingEvans, Nicholas D. Military Gadgets: How Advanced TechnologyIs Transforming Today’s Battlefield. Upper Saddle River, N.J.:Prentice Hall, 2004.