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![](http://www.weeklystandard.com/Utilities/get_galleryfile.asp?idOLG={7B4C5DDD-F440-4BFA-8D8D-CA0F8D6E8DA7}0")
Christian Lowe, contributing writer
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WHEN IT COMES TO WEAPONRY, America's prowess is unmatched. Precision-guided bombs and missiles that can target a specific window in a specific building in downtown Baghdad have become the symbol of U.S. combat power. But America's greatest military advantage lies in its unparalleled ability to command its forces and control them during wartime. This may sound intuitive, but a closer look reveals just how amazing the U.S.'s capability in command and control (what military types call "C2") really is. America's enemies may have weapons that can match or even beat ours in some cases. They may have systems that can counter some of our best surveillance. But no one else on the planet has the ability to keep tabs on thousands of aircraft and tens of thousands of vehicles and hundreds of thousands of troops at the same time--during battle. And no one else has the technology or the training to do this from thousands of miles away. Consider April 1, 2003: In 24 hours, more than 1,000 air strikes were launched against strategic and tactical targets all over Iraq. In one night of operations, the Air Force controlled B-52 Stratofortress bombers, B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers--the three types of bomber aircraft in the U.S. inventory. All went to separate targets across the country and each came from bases spread throughout the world. The B-52s flew that night's mission from an air base in Britain; the B-2s likely flew from the remote Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, or from their home base in Missouri; the B-1s came from a base in the Persian Gulf. All of these sorties were meticulously planned and timed and "deconflicted" from other aircraft filling the Iraqi skies that night and U.S. troops swarming the sands below. They were able to do it using America's technological edge in airborne C2, the workhorse E-3 Sentry Airborne Early Warning and Control plane (AWACS). Built around a Boeing 707 passenger jet, the AWACS can track and coordinate aircraft movement from more than 250 miles away, all while flying with hostilities at arm's length. Meanwhile the entire aerial ballet is commanded by air planners in a remote base in the Saudi desert. Without the AWACS, the high-tech command center, and the highly-trained airmen behind the mike, an air war this vast would have been impossible. The C2 edge isn't confined to the air. In Iraq, ground commanders had new systems tied to GPS emitters that could track the position of friendly forces and plot those of the enemy. The system, which can be mounted in a Humvee, can be updated by anyone in the field. So if a Marine tank unit takes a bridge in al Kut, an Army unit miles away can see that they've achieved the objective, and can adjust their plans accordingly. At sea, America's armadas bristle with radar and sensors that can track the sea and airspace for hundreds of miles. Satellite communications and relays from high-flying AWACs and the Navy's E-2C Hawkeye allow commanders to see and communicate with their units hundreds of miles ashore. No longer are Marines, SEALs or naval aviators far from help when they need it. The Iraq war was a showcase of America's ability to strike precisely and with stunning speed. New strategies allow the military to win a war without demolishing the enemy's country and decimating its military. But none of this could have been done without the grunt work of air, land, and sea "traffic controllers." If America truly has an insurmountable edge, it's in the military's ability to coordinate and manage her vast martial resources so deftly and from such great distances.
Christian Lowe is a staff writer for Army Times Publishing and a contributing writer to The Daily Standard. |
