How is modern warfare different? (1 Viewer)

[larso]

It's occurred to me that WW2 is seventy years ago, roughly the same as the Franco-Prussian, Zulu war or the Plains Indian wars were before it. A lot of changes between those two eras - so what's changed to the present from WW2? A lot of scope obviously, helicopters and missiles for instance but I'm keen to see what the topic might kick up. For starters - I don't think we have anti-tank guns or dedicated tank-destroyers anymore (the Swedish S-tank seems to have been the last).

 

[Poppo]

Yes, those heavy weapons are over as there won' t be any traditional wars anymore so just some tanks are made.The end of cold war and the starting of world economy has ended the fear of traditional wars.

New weapons are the drone planes as modern public opinions don' t accept casualties, and very sophisticated soldier engines and gadgets like the bulletproof vest or the night vision. Today s wars are guerrillas or terrorist attacks,no more front lines, so in Afghanistans armored transport vehicles are very useful to save troops from mines and rockets ( often).And tanks are not used anymore over there. A few years ago Israel attacked Lebanon fronteer and their tanks were vulnerable by the attack of a single man with a portable rocket, so everything has changed in the warfare from WW2.


PS:also the nuclear aircraft carreers and submarines didn't exsist in WW2

 

[TomB]

It's occurred to me that WW2 is seventy years ago, roughly the same as the Franco-Prussian, Zulu war or the Plains Indian wars were before it. A lot of changes between those two eras - so what's changed to the present from WW2? A lot of scope obviously, helicopters and missiles for instance but I'm keen to see what the topic might kick up. For starters - I don't think we have anti-tank guns or dedicated tank-destroyers anymore (the Swedish S-tank seems to have been the last).

Just a quickie for what's it's worth....Lighter weapons... light wt ammo...light wt rations.....belt fed....light wt... lightmachine guns...give the modern infantry soldier less weight to carry and triple the fire power...the old larger .303 and Nato 7.62 (I think ..a .32 is 7.65) are heavy rds..100/150 of them are quiet heavy....the 303 Enfield was not that heavy but the SLR was heavy and cumbersome in the jungle....M16's and variants...are light and a much better length....though ....with the personal auto wpns the infantry have today they would need to carry more ammo as you would be blasting away instead of the ...quick ...aimed...single shot.....of the Endfield and semi auto SLR..(The ordinary SLR could be converted to fully auto with the removal of the sear ...from memory ...but ..it resulted in one.. huge bust... of a full mag and it need Arnie to control it...Infra red ...cant hide in the jungle no more....not on the surface anyway....forgot a really deadly ambush weapon... the Claymore mine.....add that to the extra fire power and I think the modern soldier is better equipt and would be more capable than the 1939/1970 soldier ...thats my 10 cents worth...I'll leave the ATK wpns to the more modern diggers...cheers TomB

 

[semperrandyfi]

How about commo fellas?PRC-26+77's made life miserable for the enemy and the"lucky" grunt who had to hump "the Monster".Nowadays fireteam leaders& above have radio hookups for immediate response times.

 

[OzDigger]

What country can afford a another modern war, imo it's become too costly in every respect.

 

[jules118]

I think that the thing which has really changed and made modern war different is not so much the weapons and technology but the attitude.

Stricter and more tightly enforced ROE. Scrutiny and accountability in an age where virtually anybody has the ability to record what is happening to, or around them. And, for the 'West' the will to wage war itself. We go in half cocked, our politicians send other people's kids off to fight conflicts that most people may have an opinion on, but very few actually have any connection with, through family members being involved etc. So, few have a direct stakehold in the outcome which means that we fight with one armed tied behind our back (see my earlier points) and doing only as much as is politically acceptable... And as soon as our politicians sniff a change in attitude that may affect their own position, they shift the goal posts and create new 'benchmarks' that indicate 'victory' so that we can get out of the mess that has been created, because. We don't pursue victory through a set of defined goals that are adhered to... and that has a trickle down effect to how war is conducted at the sharp end regardless of the technology being used.

jules

 

[TomB]

I think that the thing which has really changed and made modern war different is not so much the weapons and technology but the attitude.

Stricter and more tightly enforced ROE. Scrutiny and accountability in an age where virtually anybody has the ability to record what is happening to, or around them. And, for the 'West' the will to wage war itself. We go in half cocked, our politicians send other people's kids off to fight conflicts that most people may have an opinion on, but very few actually have any connection with, through family members being involved etc. So, few have a direct stakehold in the outcome which means that we fight with one armed tied behind our back (see my earlier points) and doing only as much as is politically acceptable... And as soon as our politicians sniff a change in attitude that may affect their own position, they shift the goal posts and create new 'benchmarks' that indicate 'victory' so that we can get out of the mess that has been created, because. We don't pursue victory through a set of defined goals that are adhered to... and that has a trickle down effect to how war is conducted at the sharp end regardless of the technology being used.

jules

How true...regards TomB

 

[larso]

Finally some time to get back to my thread! Insurgencies aside, long wars are finished. Large, conscript armies too (Nth Korea aside). I don't know whether it's possible to survive modern shelling just by being dug in either. I think modern artillery rounds are designed almost to find you and then to shatter the ground for quite a ways anyway. Also what equipment you start the war is it. There's no reacting to your enemies better fighter by updating your own. Everything takes years to make. So unless you can buy some new stuff from elsewhere, once it's sunk or shot down, that's it. It's all a bit sobering....

 

[Arnhemjim]

In my personal opinion there has been a revolutionary change in the battle space, i.e. time, space/proximity, and environment. A preponderant impact has been made by computer and space technology. Rather than going into detailed and excruciating discussion here (which could be boring to some) would personally recommend you read two books, one non-fiction and one "fictional". The books are Max Boot's, WAR MADE NEW, Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History 1500 to Today, and Tom Clancy's, THREAT VECTOR. Hope those two books will provide you with a current, as well as near-term future, perspective on the subject.
Regards,
Arnhem Jim
Arizona Territory