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Captain John W. Bodnar, U.S. Navy Reserve
Naval War College Review. Summer 1993. Vol. 46 pp.7-21
The conduct of war has has changed dramatically from World War II to Operation Desert Storm. The major differences have come through a revolution in military technology. As we look to the world of the year 2002 we need to address the Military Technical Revolution (MTR) to be able to project how much the next war will be different from Desert Storm as the MTR continues.
An analysis of technological changes since World War II indicates that the MTR has had three distinct phases which started at different times, are at different stages, and, therefore, should continue or end in the future at different times:
1)A military engineering revolution which changed weapons, platforms, and military hardware. This phase of the MTR began during World War II and virtually ended during the 1980's.
2)A military sensor revolution which began with the advent of computerized sensors and weapons control systems in the early 1970's and multipled the capabilities of individual platforms by increasing the ability to sort data effectively and control weapons at long ranges. This phase of the MTR is in its last half and will likely wind down in the 1990's.
3)A military communications revolution which began in the late 1970's through new C3I capabilities and increased education and again multiplied the total force but this time through coordinated air/sea/land operations. This phase was most evident during Desert Storm and will continue as the lessons learned of that war are applied.
Therefore, the effectiveness of any military fighting force in the year 2002 will depend on hardware, sensors, and communications in ways that are totally different than even ten years ago. By projecting changes in these three areas since World War II, it is likely that force structures in the year 2002 will be most different from those of today in their abilities to integrate sensors and communications.