Compensating for Smaller Forces

Introduction

by Anthony H. Cordesman

There is no question that technology can have a critical impact on the need for force size and the outcome of war. Advances in weaponry have reshaped the balance of power since the beginning of history, and anyone who watched television coverage of the Gulf War is aware that technology had a massive impact on this conflict.

Superior technology gave UN Coalition forces superior firepower, maneuver, and sustainability. It destroyed the cohesion of the Iraqi air defense system in a matter of hours, and made the Iraqi air force and land-based air defenses ineffective in a matter of days. It broke up much of the Iraqi command and control system. It permitted all-weather and night operations, and a major increase in the tempo and intensity of military operations. It provided a decisive superiority in intelligence, targeting, damage assessment, and battle management. It provided superior range at virtually every level of land and air engagement, and a level of lethality for many types of weapons that was far superior to that of Iraqi forces.

With the break-up of the Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union, the United States may be able to enjoy similar advantages in many future conflicts. Rather than fight against developed states with a high degree of technological parity, it is likely to fight against far less sophisticated forces that have trouble using the level of technology they do possess, and even more problems in integrating it into effective combined arms and combined operations.

Under the right conditions, this means that the United States can cut its force structure and still maintain a decisive military edge over most threats in the Third World. It can exploit the heritage of four decades of arming to fight a far more sophisticated and combat ready enemy so that it can fight under conditions where it is outnumbered or suffers from significant operational disadvantages.

Compesating for Smaller Forces Continued

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