Don't Be Seen

Decades ago, at the end of the Vietnam War, we used precision bombs to knock down a North Vietnamese bridge that had withstood lots of conventional bombing runs. The chapter in a book I read a few years after that war said we were in an era where if you could see it, you could hit it, and if you could hit it you can kill it.

Today, we're getting darn close to being in an era where you can see it, you will hit it, and you will kill it.

And today, everyone can play--not just the expensive planes flown by the college guys and gals:

American Soldiers conducted a live-fire exercise, May 27, at Combat Outpost Terra Nova, using the new 120mm Precision Guided Round, or PGR.

It was mortarmen with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, who tried out the new weapon. The new round equips the mortarmen with a unique capability that can deliver more accurate fires support for their fellow Soldiers.

The accuracy itself is great. But don't forget that these outposts won't need resupply as often which means less risk to troops moving supplies. And even that job might be done by robotic helicopters or from smart parachutes or even specially designed boxes designed to survive impact.

I often wonder if this will make Lanchester's Square Law a useful tool for analyzing future battles.

And if that's the case, we're going to need armed robots on and over the battlefield to make sure high-speed attrition is wrecking machines and not killing troops.

And as an aside, the outpost name is pretty funny. From the picture accompanying the article, their perimeter defenses are way better than the original.