CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Weapons technology has progressed within the last century. Munitions can now be delivered with unprecedented precision; surveillance and reconnaissance systems can provide amazingly detailed information about hostile forces, structures and locations. A combination of data analysis and distribution systems can allow this information to be rapidly exploited. Most military analysts agree that the advances in military technology require a fundamental reappraisal and revision of operational concepts to ensure that full advantage is exploited. This combination of technological advances and revisions in operational concepts represents a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA).1
RMA is a major change in the nature of warfare brought about by the innovative application of new technologies. This leads to dramatic changes in military doctrine, operational and organisational concepts. It will fundamentally alter the character and conduct of military operations.2 Such revolutions have occurred many times in history for a variety of reasons. The most obvious cause is the technological thrust which started with the industrial age. The invention of gun powder, the steam engine, submarine, internal combustion engine, aeroplane, aircraft carrier and the atom bomb are some of the most obvious innovations which led to changes in the conduct of modern warfare.
Some of these technological advances originated in the civil sector. Other forms of RMA were brought about by social military revolutions such as the development of railways, which enabled military forces to be moved and supplied over great distances.4 RMA has changed the spectrum of warfare in today’s dynamic battle space. The effect has been demonstrated in recent wars after WW II. The Gulf war was characterised by digital battle fields with state-of-the-art Precision Guided Missiles (PGMs), cruise missiles and an exceptional display of air power among others.
Advances in technology have created a global environment with relatively unrestricted flow of information. Thus there is now a gradual shift from the centre of gravity of traditional methods of force and means of combat towards non-traditional methods, including information. The ability to access the right information at the right time has made tremendous impact on command and control. Nowadays, information communications technology (ICT) tools are becoming real weapons, not just in a metaphoric sense but in the direct sense as well.5 The drivers of the current RMA are the PGMs, sensors, fibre optics and the miniaturisation of microchips, global positioning systems (GPS), satellite technologies and simulators. These are all products of ICT and components of network-centric warfare (NCW). Therefore, the appropriateness of information could make a difference in the outcome of a war.6