The Future of Ground Fire Support Systems
Abstract
Many argue that military operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, coupled with technology advancements have established a new paradigm for United States military operations. That the recent successes achieved through the employment of air power and smart ballistic and cruise missiles have set a new warfare precedent. The potential of these and future systems, such as armed Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and micro-robotic platforms, signal the demise of at least ground fire support systems if not conventional ground forces. What's not in doubt is that the world remains a dangerous place full of authoritarian regimes, rogue states and criminal non-state interests whose combined influence will continue to extend the envelope of human suffering. The spectrum of likely operations mandate a need for land forces in joint, combined, and multinational formations for a variety of missions, extending from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to peacekeeping, peacemaking, and major theater of wars, too include conflicts involving the potential use of weapons of mass destruction. Major leaps in automation, intelligence, lethality, standoff ranges, stealth and speed, precision weapons, miniaturization, and information dominance will certainly transform the conduct of land warfare, and just as certainly transform fire support systems and tactics. However, these revolutions in military affairs do not necessarily portend the demise of ground fire support systems. In fact, paradoxically they could witness a substantial improvement in terms of ground fire support systems capabilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 09, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA402013
Entities
People
- Robert C. Beckinger
Organizations
- United States Army War College