Fratricide and the Operational Commander: An Appraisal of Losses to Friendly Fire.

Abstract

The fog of war may very well establish the conditions for losses due to friendly fire. Whatever the cause, incidents of this type pose a significant challenge for the operational commander in terms of his ability to conduct continuous operations on today's battlefield. Research has shown that some weapon systems rely on human judgment under conditions and distances where such judgment is degraded or even faulty. The gap between technology and human capability is approaching a level where human beings may not be able to employ these systems without significant risk to one's own forces. This limitation does not absolve leaders of the responsibility to incorporate methods to reduce the risk of losses from fratricide. Fratricide is a joint issue that must be addressed in a multi-service manner. Commanders and staff officers alike must understand the problem and be familiar with steps to limit its awful cost.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 07, 1997
Accession Number
ADA325165

Entities

People

  • Douglas A. Wild

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combat Operations
  • Families (Human)
  • Friendly Fire
  • Lessons Learned
  • Management Personnel
  • Mental Processes
  • Military Operations
  • Navigation
  • Risk Analysis
  • Situational Awareness
  • Standards
  • Students
  • Task Forces
  • Vehicles
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapon Systems

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.