Word: airland
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Dates: during 1983-1983
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Although the Pentagon is uncomfortable with much of what the reformers propose, some of the military's doctrines have been evolving in a direction that emphasizes maneuver warfare. An example is the Army plan called AirLand Battle. The idea is for the first line of allied defenders to confront an invading army while reserves counterattack deep into the rear of enemy lines. In addition, long-range air and missile strikes would be used to attack enemy supply lines and reinforcements. The new weapons involved, called assault breakers, include sophisticated self-guided bombs which are designed to home...
...emphasis on troop maneuverability in the AirLand Battle plan is a promising development. But the doctrine still depends heavily on expensive and complex long-range weapons. Although the new assault-breaker munitions have performed adequately in controlled tests, they bear worrisome similarities to such radar-guided weapons as the Sparrow missile, which was supposed to score "kills...
...firings but which critics say has achieved only an 8% kill rate in combat. The Pentagon has long been pushing the high-technology weapons that are involved in the AirLand plan. To some degree, it appears that the desire for advanced weapons has once again dictated strategy, rather than the other way around...