Technology Empowers Information Operations in Afghanistan

摘要

Satellite communications, Web services and imagery have come of age in the battlespace of operation Enduring Freedom. This first network-centric war has revealed an explosion in capabilities that has been matched by information demands at all levels of command. Many of these capabilities represent the fruits of technology investments and developments begun years ago. Both military and commercial satellites are whipping digital streams of voice, data and imagery between the United States and the theater of operations, as well as among units on the battlefield. Web messaging has all but rendered the venerable pencil and map obsolete, even at the individual warfighter level. National technical assets and tactical surveillance and reconnaissance platforms provide imagery for distribution to the full range of command and control nodes.