War technology encompasses a broad range of equipment, vehicles, structures and weapons that have been designed specifically for use in combat. This technology allows the military to use it to harm or kill opponents, communicate, move troops and weaponry around, coordinate their operations, detect forces, and transport troops.
The relationship between war technologies and tactics is critical, as they both affect the success or failure of any military organization. In the past, hoplite infantrymen and knights of the late medieval period fought in close-knit groups because of their technology. In World War II, Germans took advantage of the superior firepower that tanks provided.
The technology used in warfare has changed over the centuries. Everything from the shape and size the battlefield, to the way the soldier himself or herself conducts the battle have been affected. Most significant are the new weapons, better ways of organizing and training soldiers, and improved methods of commanding and controlling.
In war, technological changes are often a result of several factors. These include advances in technology, political shifts, and a desire to enhance military capabilities. This can also be a result of the necessity to defend against threats to national security such as weapons that cause mass destruction or advanced missiles.
The modern nations are always looking for new technologies to increase the capabilities of their armed forces. These capabilities will be most efficient when developed, deployed and used by experienced, professional armed force.
New technologies will have a major impact in a variety of fields, such as the ability to combat weapons of mass destruction and air and land war, communications and space warfare. These new technologies form part of an overall trend towards knowledge-based combat that is happening in many places around the world. They are likely to lead further changes in both military strategy and tactic.
Defending against weapons of mass destruction requires improved sensors that can detect the presence of chemical, biological, or nuclear facilities and monitor their output and movement. This will require better wideband radars, multispectral electro-optical sensors, and laser radars. These systems will also be required to detect and discriminate against ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, silent submarines and potential targets.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are also being used more and more by all branches of the Armed Forces. The military needs these capabilities to monitor the environment, spot possible terrorist targets, and detect and track the movements of enemy ships and aircraft.
New advances in technology are made daily. These technological advances are influencing the future of warfare, and our military can respond more effectively to new threats.
Note that technology is not the answer to all war problems. The importance of good leadership, quality soldiers and cohesive units is crucial.
The military can improve its abilities to fight and win in the future by identifying those technology enablers that will most likely disrupt the status quo, and by integrating these findings into a broader framework for predicting the outcome of conflict. We can avoid hyperbole, by not cherry-picking the technological possibilities that seem most promising at this time.