John Cam- Hi Captain Steve Burns. I'm glad you could arrange our visit here at the US army training base.

Capt. Steve- Hi John glad to have you out here where you can see how we use technology to protect freedom loving people from tyrants and terrorists.

J. – Steve, How is warfare different today from previous times?
S. – In days gone by, one of the greatest difficulties faced by combat troops, was how to know what was actually happening on the battlefield. Where is the enemy, what weapons does he have, where is he moving? It wasn't even so simple for the commanders to know the exact whereabouts of our own troops or the enemis! We could lay down a plan based on intelligence, but then the enemy would quietly change position and escape or avoid our attack.

J. – What is different today?
S.- Today our troops are provided with sophisticated reconnaissance and communication gear. We get online broadcasts from frontline command units who are in direct contact with camera toting satellites, manned and unmanned search planes and helicopters and frontline commando units equipped with cameras and lightweight broadcasting equipment. The enemy can't make a move without us hearing about it immediately. Our commanders can revise their plans to meet any change on the battleground because of the realtime continous picture of the battlefield which they have.

J. – What is different from the old battlefield?
S. – About 12 years ago, we were in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, defending Kuwait from Iraqi invasion. The Iraqi mobile missile units could fire at our forces and run. It took hours if not days to relay intelligence across the chain of command and order a retaliatory strike, giving the enemy plenty of time to move elsewhere for the next attack. Today, we have the ability to detect, positively identify and destroy enemy weapons on the ground or in the sky within minutes. Today's "netcentric" army links sensors, communication devices and weapons in a digital network that tremendously boosts military effectiveness.

J. – What are some of the new digital devices that make your armed forces so effective?

S. – Early Surveillance – Digital images from surveillance satellites, U-2 spy planes and Global Hawk unmanned aircraft are in correlated with intercepted enemy radar and telephone signals to identify enemy positions and emplacements.

Airborne Vigilance – An array of manned and unmanned aircraft continuously cover the ground and sky passing on information to command headquarters. Airborne AWACS aircraft with a large external saucer and full of computer servers circles above the combat area to combing the sky for enemy planes and missiles. Fleets of unmanned aircraft circle the areas ahead of the troops, training digital cameras on on any moving objects on the ground, passing on live online photos to command centers and ground troops, providing complete intelligence about targets identity and location.

J. – Captain S., do actual weapons systems also have new digital capabilities?

S. – You bet! Our tanks and armored vehicles are equipped with special computers that transmit position, fuel and ammunition info back to the electronics equipped command post and receive data that allow them to identify vehicles as friendly or enemy. Fighter planes and bombers carry laser and GPS guided bombs and missiles that allow them to home in on targets even after their release producing very accurate hits.
Our ground units also are manned with lightweight communications and computer gear to allow them to receive and transmit an up to date picture of the battlefield.