Getting the message through: chapter eleven analysis

¶ … history of warfare, armies will adapt to the overall nature of the threat that they are facing. Where, everyone is searching for ways of effectively incorporating the latest techniques, (with the most state of the art technology), in an effort to improve the operational effectiveness of their organization. Such is the case with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, as they have evolved with the different changes, to become a vital part of the mission. To fully understand this overall changing role requires: examining how the responsibilities of the Signal Corps have evolved over the last 35 years. This will provide the greatest insights, as to how this MOS is changing, with the new operational objectives and needs of the Army.

The Changing Nature of Warfare

In 1976, the Signal Corps would undergo a tremendous transformation. As the 1973 Arab Israeli War would highlight, how future conflicts would be decided based upon an organization's ability effectively communicate. This is because improved communication, gave the Israelis an advantage over their adversaries, as this allowed them to coordinate and adapt to changes on the battlefield (in real time). At which point, Israeli Defense Forces were able to outmaneuver their Arab rivals, resulting in a favorable outcome from the conflict. This is important, because it would highlight how the U.S. Army needed to embrace the principal of improved communication, to remain one step ahead of the Soviet Union.

As a result, a long process of improving communication would occur throughout the 1980's and into the 1990's. At first, some of these changes would take time to see implementation. Then, after a series of obvious oversights, the various shortcomings were addressed to improve communication. A good example of this occurred during Operation Urgent Furry in 1983. As American forces would run into numerous communication issues when securing the island of Grenada. This is important, because it would highlight how the Signal Corps need to improve communication among every segment of the Army.

At which point, communication would advance dramatically, with the use of various systems that could incorporate numerous solutions into one standardized protocol such as: MSE. This is the equivalent of a modern day cell phone that unit commanders carry with them on the battlefield. If they need to communicate with headquarters, they can be contacted through an individual telephone number or make a direct call. The use of this new technology would improve the ability of combat brigades, to be able to coordinate a host of different operations on the battlefield. At the same time, there would be an emphasis on recruiting officers who have technology-based backgrounds. The idea was to create communications units that could work alongside other soldiers (during the middle of an operation). As a result, this would become a vital part of the all military strategy moving forward, with independent communications teams landing in combat zones at the same time as regular units. This is significant, because the use of this overall doctrine would become a part of all battlefield strategies moving forward. Where, the Army would increasingly coordinate all communication, to improve battle readiness and allow soldiers to correspond with friends / family on deployments. This had an impact upon the way all future wars would be fought, by underscoring how effective communication must be incorporated with the latest technology.