U.S. Army over-reliance on technology

Is the U.S. Army becoming over-reliant on technology? There is no doubt that one of our greatest strengths in the military is our outstanding technology. We have precision weapons that help us hit our intended target while minimizing unintended casualties. We have vehicles that can transport us farther, faster, and with improved survivability in case of an improvised explosive device (IED) or another form of attack. We have command and control systems that allow us to have better situational awareness on the battlefield. We have improved medical capacity that can save lives and limbs that we would have not thought possible 20 years ago. In short, our technology in the U.S. Army is amazing and improving everyday.

However, I think the same technology that allows us to do so much more, is also becoming our Achilles heel. To be more precise—the extent that we depend on technology is becoming our Achilles heel.

My name is Colin Williams. I am an Army Major attending the Command and General Staff Officer’s Course at Fort Gordon, GA. I am taking advantage of this opportunity to reflect on my personal and professional life. It is the story that a peer of mine told me that caused me to start thinking about our over-reliance on technology. He told a story of preparing to start the ground offensive into Iraq. He was a field artillery officer who was a battery commander. He had trained his men hard in preparing for the war. They were ready to fight. When it came time to start the advance towards Baghdad, the battery left some equipment behind, which primarily consisted of non-essential gear. His battery started the offensive and found themselves tasked to conduct a fire-mission in support of another unit in their area. The Soldiers initiated the fires computer that they had used hundreds of time in training. A fault message came up. After several reboots, they realized the computer had problems, likely due to the extreme heat. After a look for the manual fire tables, the computer-less way to make the necessary calculations for the fire mission, the commander realized they left their tables behind with the ‘non-essential gear’. My peer and his entire unit became over-reliant on technology. The very technology that allowed them to place accurate artillery fire very quickly failed and cost them a real mission.
I saw this over-reliance happening last week on Fort Gordon. A Soldier was conducting navigation training. Instead of a map and compass he carried, you guessed it, a GPS receiver to get from point to point. I talked with the soldier who knew how to operate the GPS receiver very proficiently. He had found all his points so far and could show me his digital map on the receiver he was using. I asked him if he also carried a compass and a map. He did carry a map, which he kept in his back pack. He did not, however, carry a compass. He explained that his GPS receiver had a compass and that he calibrated the compass before starting his navigation course that day. I asked the soldier what he would do if his receiver failed. He explained that he had more batteries and that the receiver was water- and shock- resistant. The soldier explained that he was not required to practice navigating with a map and compass, but he did receive familiarization training with them.
While I see the benefits of technology, I prefer to plan for the contingency for when the technology fails. For example, in the past I have carried an M4 with an Aimpoint sight, which has an electronic red dot. This sight is fantastic. It allows me to more quickly acquire a target and shoot more accurately than the old iron sights. However, the electronic sights require batteries, which I could run out of. On bright days, the red dot is much less visible than on cloudy days. So, to plan for the contingency that my Aimpoint fails, I like to carry flip-up iron sights on my M4. I have the best of both worlds and I train with both. Similarly, when I am navigating through the woods or in a city, I like to use the GPS, but I also like to carry a map and compass in case the GPS fails. I train with both. While I realize it takes much more effort to train with both, I think it’s important enough.

Back to the basics?

Our Army has an incredible technological advantage. It allows us to more efficiently accomplish more. We must plan for the contingencies that our technology could fail us. We don’t need to ensure we don’t forget the basics. It just makes good sense.
Thanks for reading my blog entry. I am anxious to hear if you agree or disagree. Or, even better yet, I would like to hear an example you may have that is relevant to this topic.

Disclaimer: The opinions I expressed above are solely mine. They do not represent the Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government.