Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid DominanceUllman, Harlan
History
Shock and Awe — Achieving Rapid Dominance
Ullman, Harlan
Rapid dominance (Military science)
In future environments, and short of all-out war, it is clear that
political and military decision making will have to establish close
control of the actionable information distributed to shooters in the
field. It is legitimate to ask why Israeli forces that had air
superiority, UAV surveillance, and extremely accurate firepower
capabilities in the most recent incursion into Southern Lebanon
against Hezbolla terrorist attacks had to respond with an artillery
barrage to one Kaytusha rocket fired from close to a known UN
encampment. When this artillery response resulted in killing more than
100 refugees fleeing the Israeli operation, the result was a public
relations disaster and mission failure for the stated limited Israeli
objectives. This represents a case of ill-conceived application of
Rapid Dominance that resulted in counter-productive Shock and Awe
generating adverse public opinion focused against Israel. This was
also a case of applying high technology and state controlled Rapid
Dominance against a low-technology guerrilla warfare force. Clearly
the Hezbolla appeared to win more than they lost in this exchange. The
lessons learned from this tragic incident as well as the applicability
of Rapid Dominance techniques in this environment need further study.
The massing and movement of refugees in large numbers is a reality and
a planning factor that must be dealt with up front. The fact that the
value of life itself is viewed differently by warring factions must
also be considered. If one side willingly uses refugees as a shield
and the other is trying to protect their lives, then operations to
achieve Rapid Dominance require clear (and perhaps restrictive) rules
of engagement in the field. The rapidity of response may not always be
the right tactic and an escalation of targeting different centers of
gravity rather than responding directly to events in the field
promises to be more effective. The theory of Rapid Dominance clearly
needs further development, gaming, and simulation. Each decision to
apply Rapid Dominance will be unique, complex, risky, and different
than the previous one. Knowledge and information on the battlefield as
well as that concerning center of gravity targets will be incomplete
even with a goal of total situational awareness.
Instruments to Achieve Shock and Awe
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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