Tech

What a “converged battlefield” means to the future of air… I mean, joint warfare

Enlarge / A three-ship flight of F-22 Raptors. As one of the US Air Force’s most sophisticated fighters, it might see combat in the future not against insurgencies, but against technologically sophisticated adversaries like China or Russia. (credit: Stocktrek Images / Getty Images) With the war in Afghanistan in the rearview mirror, US military planners […]

Tech

The connected battlespace, part two: The fault in our (joint) stars

Enlarge / Artist’s impression of some kind of cool integrated battlespace AR/VR interface kind of thing. (credit: Jackie Niam / Getty Images) Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld famously (or infamously) said in 2004, “You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a […]

Tech

The history of the connected battlespace, part one: command, control, and conquer

Enlarge / Believe it or not, this fictional version of NORAD shows off the idea of the “connected battlespace” even better than the reali thing. (credit: MGM/UA) Since the earliest days of warfare, commanders of forces in the field have sought greater awareness and control of what is now commonly referred to as the “battlespace”—a […]