CDR Salamander is wondering if the armed forces are prepared to fight in an environment where most of their networked shit does not work.
As I've wondered before, are we in a situation where our military is mentally unprepared to fight an enemy with roughly equivalent capabilities? We haven't fought a war against a competent enemy at sea in seven decades and it's been four decades since the airdales have had to operate in an environment against hostile air defense and enemy fighters. They've spent almost two decades fighting enemies for whom an IED is high-tech.
Does anyone really believe that all of those drones will be allowed to fly over the battlefields unmolested? That all of those networked comm systems will function? That GPS will be accurate, if even functional?
Can we prevail in a combat environment in which a lot of those high-tech toys will be unavailable?
This is why I think that the MQ-25 aerial tanker is a very bad idea. If I were one of the honchos of a possible adversary, I'd make it a priority to figure out how to disrupt the fuck out of MQ-25s.
We Also Learned About Assumptions Today!
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Relevant article on Slashdot: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/18/04/28/0210207/russia-is-attacking-us-forces-with-electronic-weapons-in-syria-general-says
Was told by a major general that my skills as map reader and ability to navigate by compass were obsolete. He was a former pilot and thought my fac experience was like something from the stone age. He also said he knew what it was like to serve with an infantry company as he had inspected their forward bases, my response you didn't spend the night or walk any sweeps or set an ambush, but what do I know, being a lowly nco. Maybe he was full of crap.
I've been using USGS Contour Maps and a Compass since I was maybe 10. I never ever thought about how old school that is now. I even have a complete set for the river drainage I live on now, up here in the 'woods'.
I can't imagine how the Military, especially, ever got away from training that.
Scary how the Rooskies have stepped up to EW. Makes me wonder what the US has in that department too?
A not quite fossilized
w3ski
While on the subject of technologies left behind, my dad did road location for the Forest Service, and during the rainy season he worked up his survey plans using stereo aerial photography, which the Forest Service had for the entirety of the National Forests in a card catalogue-like file room.
-Doug in Oakland
Map reading and using a compass are necessary skills I teach my student pilots. Too often they want to use their IPad with Foreflight to navigate to the airport 25 miles away (15 minute flight).
I find it remarkable that the military has gone so 'hi-tech', that an EMP, satellite outage, radio interference, or light pulse can render the troops inert. I guess things like that can happen when you put all your eggs in one basket (looking at you, FAA).
Dale
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