Right Target, Right Weapon, Right Time - Can We Do It?

摘要

Former chief of Army LTGEN Peter Leahy spoke frequently about the new operational paradigm of 'war among the people', a phrase coined by a British Army general, Rupert Smith. This construct places conventional forces in an asymmetric struggle against insurgents who frequently use terrorism as a tactic; these insurgents try to fight on ground of their own choosing, in cities and suburbs, towns and villages, concealed among the civilian population and protected to a greater or lesser degree by the unwillingness of a conventional force to cause civilian casualties by using traditional weapons and tactics. The asymmetry negates the advantages of mass, mobility and firepower enjoyed by conventional forces. So critics question the ADF's investment in things like precision-guided air-launched weapons, 4th generation and stealthy 5th generation aircraft, medium artillery with guided projectiles, and heavy armour such as main battle tanks and infan-ry fighting vehicles with highly capable 3rd generation imaging intensifying and thermal imaging weapon sights.