Fratricide: Incorporating DESERT STORM Lessons Learned.
Abstract
Death on the battlefield as a result of friendly fire is not new. In those cases prior to DESERT STORM, where good data was available, it has been estimated historical friendly fire casualty rates were comparable to the fratricide rate of DESERT STORM. Fratricide, historically considered an insignificant contributor to overall combat losses, may not have received the proper level of attention in doctrine, planning, training, and fratricide reduction technologies it deserved. This paper will show that fratricide has been, and will continue to be, a major source of casualties unless near-term efforts are taken to incorporate the lessons of DESERT STORM into doctrine, planning, and training, with a long-term commitment to fratricide reduction technologies. It will explore the causes of fratricide and asserts the lack of combat identification is the primary cause of fratricide. Finally, this paper will review current efforts to avoid fratricide in the near-term, offer a 'partial solution,' and conclude that the long-term solution requires the synthesis of near term steps in addition to the application of new technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 20, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA312216
Entities
People
- Danny L. Waterman
Organizations
- Naval War College