The conflict in Afghanistan had been primarily centered around the actions by the U.S. military. A significant number of targets have been destroyed and efforts are under way to nab the prized catch – Osama bin Laden. The primary mission of the coalition was to ensure the capture of him and his associates. The tactic being followed is the German style “blitzkrieg” followed by a possible land intervention, once the targets have been softened. However, even after one month of relentless bombing, the target remains as elusive as ever.
In the meantime, a significant number of civilians have been killed either because of an error on the part of the target guidance system or because they have been caught in the line of fire. All of this leads to the conclusion that perhaps the bombs that were meant to be smart are not smart enough. It seems there might be some discrepancies still left in their perfection.
The Gulf War heralded a new generation in the history of warfare. For the first time bombs, specifically targeted for military installations”were used. They won the adulation of the public because they could avoid the random slaughter of civilians previously taken for granted during times of war. The cruise missile became an effective weapon, in contrast to the capricious Scud missile. It also helped the military in terms of casualties, since accurate targeting of military facilities reduces the need to put soldiers in danger. For military planners, killing civilians is pointless and they would prefer the surgical removal of hostile targets rather than large scale destruction. And so the horrors of Vietnam were avoided during the Gulf War.
However, the cruise missile and other precision-guided weapons have become the staple diet of the military since the end of the Gulf War. The bombs being used today, though claimed to be brilliant, are not revolutionarily different from the ones used in the previous war, barring a few minor fine tunings. The frequent misses and civilian deaths reflect that they have not been as accurate as they were supposed to be.
One of the reasons for the phenomenal difference in the sophistication of the weapons used in the Gulf War and those used during the Vietnam War was the enormous military expenditure that was carried out during the Reagan administration. The policy to build more arms to bring peace and the star wars program, though controversial, helped develop new technologies, the results of which were clearly visible during the Gulf War. However, since the end of the Cold War, the weapons have remained much the same. The victory in Kosovo has further increased the dependence on these weapons.
As I’ve mentioned before, the technology has to be tailored to the needs of the day. While cruise missiles have been good enough against conventional armies, they are proving to be less effective against terrorists. Terrorists have no fixed locations or huge facilities, which can be considered potential targets. So large scale bombings are not that effective against terrorists. The unfortunate fallout is that civilians get killed. Not only is it expensive to use massive bombs against minuscule targets, they also cause considerable embarrassment because of inevitable casualties.
I guess the time has come to push bombs to the next generation of development. Bombs even smarter than those available today must be considered. Size alone will not be that important for these bombs. What matters more is their reach and accuracy. Sometime ago I came across a magazine article that described a new type of bomb. It consists of explosives embedded into a small flying robot which could be controlled remotely. Maybe bombs like these which can destroy specific targets and not civilians are the need of the hour.
Jay Mukherjee is a graduate student in electrical engineering. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
