Wednesday, January 27, 2021

We Only Rented the Night

Our forces have boasted that "we own the night." No lead lasts forever.

Enemies catch up

While US forces operated at night with near impunity during the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, potential enemies have rapidly closed the technological gap. ... 

A near-peer adversary is not the only concern. Commercial technology has proliferated a host of near-military-grade infrared and thermal devices that could be used by insurgents[.]" 

That happens. We need to adapt.  

This essay on the Naval Institute Blog is my effort to think ahead to after precision weapons reach our infantry. Enemies will close that assumed technological gap, too. And I wrote that even militias and terrorists would get good-enough versions of the technology to challenge our infantry. 

I proposed troop quality superiority rather than hope for a new technological edge. Although that wouldn't be bad, too.