High Tech Warfare – This Is Not Your Fathers Military

The philosophy and basic strategies are still the same but the days of Sun Tzu and Carl von Clausewitz are out the window as the modern battlespace takes shape. Sure there are still tactics such as use of decoys, deception and the element of surprise, but today the SAM sites, mobile missile launchers and anti-aircraft systems are some of the most sophisticated technologies on the planet. But then again so are our stealth fighters.

Indeed, all this maybe new to you, but it is all too familiar with me due to my upbringing as the son of a US Naval Aviator, Captain, Commanding Officer of a Squadron. Thus I should thank my father for his many stories about his 250 combat missions in an A-4 in Vietnam, while I was growing up. My father also taught me how to fly in our family private aircraft propelling my fascination in aeronautics and thus my interest in all aircraft, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs.

Today, it is fascinating how things have changed in that short 3-decade period. And it has changed quite a bit since my Grandfather (DK Winslow) made his contributions in research working with on the cutting edge technologies of his day: Radar, Ultrasound, Infrared, Microwave, Acoustic Transducers, etc. with more than 70 research papers in all.

Currently my brother is a Pilot in Command of a C-130 in the USMC and thus my thoughts on his safety and our Nations Security are constant. The future of robotic warfare comes next and it is coming fast too. Robots killing robots and unmanned vehicles seeking out enemy combatants and killing them – high tech war is every bit as serious as it has ever been, its just now the high-tech capabilities are out of this world.