The Role of Science in the Development of Warfare

1. The Role of Science in the Development of Warfare

2. Brief History • The vast scale of military funding of science since World War II has led to a debate among historians about its effect. Some argue that military funding of science caused a shift in direction towards applied research and that, inevitably, it also affects the focus of basic science. Others, however, believe that military funding has dramatically expanded opportunities for research without seriously undermining the autonomy and independence of scientists.

3. FIDO • On May 12, 1944, a torpedo from a Royal Air RAF heavy bomber based in Northern Ireland struck and crippled a German U-boat in the dark waters of the mid-Atlantic. The next day, other Allied forces located U-456, still wallowing on the surface, and sank it. Another torpedo, this time dropped by an Iceland-based US Navy Catalina, sank a U-boat a day later. These were the first successes for the new torpedo, code-named Fido. Fido was the top secret, first-ever, air-launched, anti-submarine, acoustic homing torpedo and it arrived at a critical time in World War II, helping to turn the tide in the Allies’ favor in the hard fought battle for control of the Atlantic sea lanes.

4. FIDO con’t • These were the first successes for the new torpedo, code-named Fido. Fido was the top secret, first-ever, air-launched, anti-submarine, acoustic homing torpedo and it arrived at a critical time in World War II, helping to turn the tide in the Allies’ favor in the hard fought battle for control of the Atlantic sea lanes.

5. The Developers… • Conceived, developed, and manufactured in America, Fido was the joint creation of engineers at the Bell Telephone Laboratories (BTL) and scientists at the Harvard Underwater Sound Lab (HUSL). The HUSL team was led by Harvey Brooks, a young physicist with an interest in underwater acoustics but no prior experience with torpedoes or, indeed, weapons of any kind. This was the norm for civilian scientists engaged in war work during World War II. In just under a year and a half, along the way mastering new science, these novice weaponeers produced an effective new device for anti-submarine warfare.

6. Success • The rapid and successful creation of Fido demonstrated the strengths enjoyed by civilian research labs and their unexpected potential for applying basic research to the development of naval technology. Scientific and technological breakthroughs by civilian scientists occurred in many fields during World War II involving every branch of service and altering the course of the war. For the first time, success on the field of battle depended to an unprecedented degree on advanced science-based technologies, making World War II a turning point in the relationship of the military to science.

7. History Con’t • Whichever view you take, it is undeniable that since the Second World War both the military and scientific establishments have been irreversibly altered by their many intertwining interests and shared preoccupations. The stimulation continues to work both ways.

8. New Technology & War • How Rail Guns WorkUsing a magnetic field powered by electricity, a rail gun can hit a target 250 miles away in six minutes. Rail guns leave gunpowder-based weapons in the dust. So why isn't the military using them now? Find out how rail guns can be used and learn about the limitations of this technology.

9. Bunker Busters • How Bunker Busters WorkOrdinary bombs can take out surface facilities; but when the target is underground or otherwise embedded, the job requires a bomb with penetrating power. That's where bunker busters come in.

10. Smart Bombs • A "dumb bomb" is a bomb with only these elements, dropped from an airplane (such as the B-2 bomber). The bomb is considered "dumb" because it simply falls to the ground without actively steering itself. "Smart bombs," by contrast, control their fall precisely in order to hit a designated target dead on. In this article, we'll find out how the major types of smart bomb accomplish this.

11. E-Bomb • Electromagnetic weapons attack not by killing, but by destroying the electrical devices militaries and governments depend on. In the near future, these weapons could play a major role in U.S. operations. Low-tech versions might be used in devastating terrorist attacks on U.S. soil.

12. Land • Land-based Operations • Today's soldier is being integrated within the battle space under what is referred to as the "Land Warrior" program. Beginning in 2009, soldiers began to carry integrated short-range digital radios, plus inter-squad voice/data systems, while squad leaders began carrying inter/intra-team radios plus keyboard/mobile display packages connected directly to higher-command nets.

13. Sea • Naval operations utilize similar integrated network approaches between individual ships, aircraft or entire seaborne units. In the case of unmanned vehicles, however, the Navy also uses what are referred to as Unmanned Underwater Vehicles or UUVs. These digitally controlled vehicles handle a variety of jobs ranging from underwater surveillance and intelligence gathering, to weapons delivery.

14. & Air • Unmanned Air Operations • There are a range of fully-networked unmanned surveillance and combat aircraft operating today. These include the Air Force's micro-aircraft the Wasp, the Gnat long-endurance variant, MQ Predator and Reaper tactical aircraft, and strategic platforms such as the Global Hawk. Unmanned naval and land-based forces operate similar aircraft tiers. Read more: Modern Technology in Warhttp://www.soyouwanna.com/modern-technology-war-34866.html#ixzz1cHKcvFXA

15. C4I • Putting It Together - C4I • C4I stands for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence. The concept's premise is based on the creation of a seamless situational fabric for the war fighter, regardless of service, command, unit, or individual participant. In order to do this, all networked systems/people must adhere to complete operational interoperability. The doctrine has been in-work since the late 80's, and particularly once low-intensity conflict became more fashionable, after dissolution of the Soviet Union.

16. Current Events Technology at Hand

17. Suspected U.S. Drones Kill 6 in Pakistan • Suspected U.S. unmanned aircraft fired six missiles at a vehicle in Pakistan's tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday, killing six alleged militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said. • Oct. 30th, 2011

18. Army unit synchronizing complex technology now essential for war. • Washington (CNN) -- It's a daunting assignment for an Army combat brigade at Fort Bliss, Oklahoma -- get all the military's high-tech software, uplinks, phones, drones and computers to talk to each other. • The goal of the Army is to fine-tune a global network to provide everyone, from commanders to frontline soldiers, the same information, quickly and seamlessly. • "The network will literally redefine how we fight in the same way that social media has changed the way we interact and communicate in our personal lives," Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said Monday. "The network will change how we operate on the battlefield."

19. The UN’s Role??? • The Security Council resolution, antiseptically, authorizes the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libyan airspace. As senior airmen involved in the enforcement of earlier no-fly zones told Danger Room last week, there is no such thing as an antiseptic no-fly zone. The council’s call for “all necessary measures” to ground Gadhafi’s warplanes and helicopters and to “protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack” means that countries enforcing the U.N. mandate are at war with Gadhafi. Nothing less.

20. Really? • The U.N. Security Council was poised on Thursday evening to pass a U.N. resolution authorizing U.S., European, and Arab states to impose a no-fly zone over Libya and to use force to prevent Muammar al-Qaddafi's forces from capturing the rebel stronghold of Bengazhi and attacking civilians. It remained unclear whether the resolution will set the stage for immediate military intervention in Libya, but if passed, it would provide wide authority to Western and Arab powers to confront Qaddafi's forces.

21. And they Did! • the Security Council has unanimously passed Resolution 2016, terminating the protection of civilians and no-fly zone authorizations that were contained in historic Resolution 1973. This has been quite an extraordinary period of activity for the Security Council, as well as for the United States, NATO, and Arab partners who participated in the enforcement of Resolution 1973.

22. Should the UN be in the Business of War???? • The strangest aspect of the United Nations' "no-fly zone" war over Libya is the involvement of the United Nations itself. While Congress' approval was all but an afterthought, the Obama administration devoted intense diplomatic energy to winning the approval of the United Nation's Security Council. No one asked: Why the U.N. is in the business of approving military actions at all?

23. The UN’s Role • The United Nations, created to end wars, now prolongs and enlarges them. It is time to take a hard look at the U.N.'s war-ending, peace-making record. After all, the promotion of peace is supposed to be its main duty. • In the wake of World War II, political leaders looked out on a devastated world. They saw in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas new graveyards spring up filled with millions of young men. In the richest parts of Europe and Asia there were bombed and burnt cities. Fearing that another global war would spell the end of civilization, they built a global institution that was supposed to stop small wars from getting big and end big wars altogether.

24. HHMMMMM! The End