The coalition Iraq operation in March-April 2003, fashionably called as Shock & Awe, had several unique factors. The conflict had never ceased after the 1991 Gulf War, when the country was virtually divided into three parts – the ‘no-fly zones’ of the autonomous Kurd region in the north, the southern Shiite zone and central Iraq. These ‘no fly zones’ had trisected the country. It became a battlefield for the British-American force where they used new weapons, especially new aircraft, with new armaments and information warfare against Iraq for a full decade.

One of the important lessons of this war was a full-fledged demonstration of the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA), another name for the military technological revolution and the assimilation of technology into the art and science of war. The central tenet of RMA envisages that advances in technology must lead to significant changes in military organization, including equipment and training. It seeks to update tactics and overall strategy for the successful conclusion of a conflict. RMA, therefore, focuses on achieving long range precision strikes by combining Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Systems. Its final goal would be to neutralize the enemy’s command and control, and adversely affect its operations.       

The American leadership became conscious of its strategic role as the sole superpower soon after the culmination of the Cold War. Its economic power gave it a natural edge. It has always followed the dictum that diplomacy without adequate strength is hollow. Soon after the 1991 war, the US began to review its military policy. The Basic Force 1991, the Bottom Up Review 1993 and the Quadrennial Defence Review 1997 began to transform its ‘Regional Defence Strategy’ into ‘Shape Respond Prepared Strategy.’ These progressively envisaged a transition from an armed force of the industrial era to one of the information era. This process of continuous upgradation culminated into The Joint Vision 2002, which gave a further impetus to the RMA.

Observe another change in the American military paradigm – the shift from capability based on threats to an emphasis on strategic flexibility. Consequently, US future capability was to be based on multiple threats rather than catering for specific adversaries. Its military significance in terms of quantum, quality and nature of the futuristic US Armed Forces is enormous.  So is the concept of Joint Forces Command and Organization cell “MC-02” tasked to generate knowledge about diplomatic, economic and cultural aspects of the known and imagined adversaries with a view to use them as diplomatic tools. A Crisis Group has been created after 9/11 to manage national resources. A global strike force is also being contemplated.

The conceptual emphasis has shifted from what some analysts call Rim to Nucleus. In its defensive shape, it envisages protection of crucial areas to thwart attacks on its own vital areas. In its offensive role, it combines ISR with C4 (command, control, communication and computers) against the nucleus of the enemy’s vital mobile and fixed targets. Annihilation, rather than attrition, is the objective.

The vastly superior C4 ISR provided Americans success in Afghanistan and Iraq, unlike the reverses in Korea and Vietnam. They continue to transform their weapons systems and integrate organizations to create a global strike force.

In Afghanistan, RMA was fully exploited for Operation Enduring Freedom. Of interest to us are the new weapon systems and the ISR characterized by high-tech systems. The world was witness to pilotless aircrafts – predators locating and engaging the enemy; long range bombers flying from US and UK; stealth aircraft like F-117 striking from sea platforms; light and heavy tanks rolling over the Iraqi deserts under the American supremacy of the air space. What struck out prominently was the increased accuracy of the PGM, although some did go astray. Cyber warfare striking at the enemy’s information and control system proved, at least experimentally, successful. So was the Psy war in the battle for the hearts and minds of the civil population, although their ‘civil affairs’ often went awry.

If the ISR has done wonders with long range targets and objectives, the man behind the gun and the soldier on the battlefield, especially the Special Forces, represented the imagined robotic soldier. A Private equipped with body armour, hand held communication systems, vector-VI binoculars, laser Range Finder, XM-107 Long Range Sniper Rifle along with a laptop is the pride of the US Army. It is best equipped to do this task, survive and be available for any special task in any battlefield scenario. The formations equipped with digitized terrain maps and enemy evaluation systems enabled them to see 50 to 100 km ahead. This is what a dream organization would be for the Indian Army – or for that matter any army.