America has led the war against terrorism over the last two decades. The country sent thousands of soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight against the al Qaeda and Taliban respectively. The military encountered many challenges in Iraq due to complexity of al Qaeda’s operations that were spread all over the country, thus the need to develop an effective network to combat the problem. The military became increasingly reliant on technology to accomplish missions, and advancement in technology significantly improved the quality of operations. Technological development revolutionized war against terrorist organizations after 9/11.
How the Battle against Terrorist Organizations/Insurgencies Changed After 9/11 and Strength Factors
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Technological development reduced the number of steps in the targeting cycle used by the security agencies. The delays in communication due to the long information cycle affected the intelligence activities and raids. However, technology adoption reduced the time of passing the information from one agency to another leading to prompt actions. The game of sharing information through the phone was associated with a slower delivery of information, and the information was corrupted. Reduction in the steps of the communication cycle led to quicker operations and made it easier to decentralize the decision-making process. The decentralization of the decision-making process was integral in enabling the soldiers to make ten raids in a night. The simultaneous raids made the soldiers stronger, and it was difficult for the insurgency groups to regenerate.
Technological development enhanced tactical and operational development in the military. The tactical and operational changes led to strategic effect in the special operations of the forces. The forces became more active and managed to attack their conventional counterparts more effectively, for example undertaking more than 300 raids simultaneously. McChrystal used his technological expertise to conduct successful missions in Iraq and facilitated the growth of the Afghan police in Afghanistan (Stanley McChrystal Biography). Notably, the incorporation of technology significantly reduced the military’s operational costs, thus reduced the overall tax burden on Americans.
Technological Methods Used In Afghanistan and Iraq and How Have They Been Used Tactically and Successes
Various technological methods were used in Afghanistan and Iran to ensure that counterinsurgency was successful. Global positioning systems were used to make sure that people were in the right place, and the system was successful because people were in a position to easily navigate from one point to another. Besides, night-vision glasses were used by soldiers to conduct night operations without the use of visible lights The purpose of the night vision glasses was to give soldiers a high superiority of seeing things better in the dark as compared to the enemies. The technology was successful because the soldiers were able to dominate night firefights and operations. The soldiers applied the technology of predators where aerial vehicles were unmanned (McChrystal & Rose, 2013). As a result, the army had situational awareness of the battlefield even though they were standing on the ground or in the mud. Also, good situational awareness ensured that the forces maneuvered efficiently and facilitated the simultaneous execution of raids.
Risks
However, there were several risks of using technology in military operations. Foremost, the enemies can respond to the developments in an equivalent measure. For example, an enemy can react to a drone attack with a suicide bomb. Secondly, reliance on technology leads to the killing of people instead of taking care of them and helping them establish stable governments.
Undoubtedly, technological capabilities significantly improved the quality of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through technology, the military established a strong network of operations resulting in an increase in the number of raids carried out in both countries. Moreover, night vision googles and aerial vehicles gave the US army a strong leverage over insurgents. More importantly, technology reduced the cost of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan by improving operational efficiency.
References
McChrystal, S., & Rose, G. (2013). Generation kill: A conversation with Stanley McChrystal. Foreign Affairs , 92 (2), 2-8.
Stanley McChrystal Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/stanley-mcchrystal-578710 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
