BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE

BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE
By 2020, real-time responsiveness of sensor-to-shooter
systems must become a reality . For the first time in history,
this responsiveness will allow the striking force to maneuver
fires rather than forces over long ranges, and allow direct and
simultaneous attack on many of the enemy's centers of gravity .
This warfare area is currently being driven by advances in
technology . The key improvements that are now occurring are
in broadening the environmental conditions for wide area
surveillance and precision targeting ; security and countermeasures
; data processing and communications ; delivery
platforms ; precision munitions ; and positioning/locating
devices . The advances needed to exploit our lead in this warfare
area include continuous situation awareness and improvements
in data fusion, mission planning, and battle damage
assessment (BDA) .
At the same time, we need an equal effort in developing new
operational concepts and organizations for the application of
precision strike . As in other new warfare areas, it may be that
the greatest military payoff will come from operational
approaches and organizational adaptation-not from systems .
Information Warfare
Another revolution under way in warfare is that associated
with information systems, their associated capabilities, and
their effects on military organizations and operations . We call
this new warfare area information warfare, which we define as
the struggle between two or more opponents for control of the
information battlespace .
At the national level, information warfare could be viewed as
a new form of strategic warfare, one of the key issues being the
vulnerability of socio-economic systems, and the question is
how to attack the enemy's system while protecting yours . At
the military operational level, information warfare may contribute
to major changes in the conduct of warfare ; therefore,
one of the key issues is the vulnerability of command, control,
communications, and intelligence systems, and the question is
how to attack the enemy's system while protecting yours .
As we increasingly assimilate information capabilities into
our military structure and focus more and more on
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