Defeating Insurgents with Technology

S THE United States military looks to the future, two themes dominate most projections. The first is ad ­ vanced technology. Underwritten by A the microchip, the technologies of war are changing rapidly. Weapons with microprecision accuracy, supercomputers linked by unlimited bandwidth, platforms providing continuous sur ­ veillance of practically any spot on the digitally mapped earth—all are coming into view. These emerging technologies are combining to produce orders-of-magnitude increases in military capabilities. Adm William Owens, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, calls this " The Emerging Sys ­ tem of Systems, " spawning a new revolution in military affairs. 1 Understanding the ramifications of this revolution is an immense challenge for US military planners. The second trend facing the US military in ­ volves insurgencies. For the past 50 years, in ­ surgencies have been the most common type of war. nam, and many similar conflicts pitted insurgent groups against established governments. This course will likely continue. Trends in demo-graphics, economics, and technology all indicate continued worldwide instability as many nations grapple with exploding populations, stagnant economies, and centuries of ethnic hatred. Although conventional aggression (such as the Korean War and the Gulf War) will continue to threaten US interests, insurgencies will probably persist as the most likely form of conflict in which US military forces may be called upon to fight.