Posted on Apr 12, 2022
Are we able to adapt to an EMP with out major setbacks on the battle field?
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Are we too dependent on electronics? In this day and age of a pending EMP on the battle field do our soldiers know how to revert to "old school" and drive on? Example:
2003 I deployed as part of V Corps Rear CP, the G3 SGM. The war had kicked off, we were still in Camp Virginia. In the G3 section all unit tracking was now done by electronics. The big screen for briefing the CG was also electronic. About a week or so into the war, it got so hot all the electronics began to over heat and shut down. The CoS came to me and said the CG was pissed because he couldn't keep track of the war couldn't communicate. I calmly replied, "I got a map". He did a double take, "What?". I replied I had a map, then added it was up to date every 12hs, but only to BDE and above (normally we kept every unit tracked on the map). "Get it out here" he replied, so I had my OPS SGT get it out and up dated to BN level. I also told him to break out and hook up the SINGARS, ( I had them set up the OE254 earlier) and get it loaded. As we were setting up the TOC, and everything was going electronic, I told my OPS SGT to keep the map up dated once every 12hs. I had an E8 and my two E7s start to argue as we didn't need them anymore. I did the over ride, saying I didn't care, the map was put together, all they had to do was up date to BDE level once a shift. Afterwards they were glad and understood why I set up as such, along with the radio. The CoS later came to me and told me he appreciated me saving his ass with the CG.
I give this example as are we too dependent on electronics, do we always have plan "B"? I retired in 2006, so a lot has changed. I have seen infantry platoons getting all the hi-tec stuff to operate on, but what happens when the EMP explodes over the battle field, will we be able to cope with and complete the mission or will be be set back?
2003 I deployed as part of V Corps Rear CP, the G3 SGM. The war had kicked off, we were still in Camp Virginia. In the G3 section all unit tracking was now done by electronics. The big screen for briefing the CG was also electronic. About a week or so into the war, it got so hot all the electronics began to over heat and shut down. The CoS came to me and said the CG was pissed because he couldn't keep track of the war couldn't communicate. I calmly replied, "I got a map". He did a double take, "What?". I replied I had a map, then added it was up to date every 12hs, but only to BDE and above (normally we kept every unit tracked on the map). "Get it out here" he replied, so I had my OPS SGT get it out and up dated to BN level. I also told him to break out and hook up the SINGARS, ( I had them set up the OE254 earlier) and get it loaded. As we were setting up the TOC, and everything was going electronic, I told my OPS SGT to keep the map up dated once every 12hs. I had an E8 and my two E7s start to argue as we didn't need them anymore. I did the over ride, saying I didn't care, the map was put together, all they had to do was up date to BDE level once a shift. Afterwards they were glad and understood why I set up as such, along with the radio. The CoS later came to me and told me he appreciated me saving his ass with the CG.
I give this example as are we too dependent on electronics, do we always have plan "B"? I retired in 2006, so a lot has changed. I have seen infantry platoons getting all the hi-tec stuff to operate on, but what happens when the EMP explodes over the battle field, will we be able to cope with and complete the mission or will be be set back?
Command
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 2
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Tl;DR version:
We could still fight and win against any adversary on the planet. But an EMP would make the fight a LOT closer than it would have been.
I retired a few years ago, SGM, and from what I saw, no, we do not have a plan B.
I will grant you that I am an MI guy, so we love us our computers. But Across the board, everything is digitized. I was raised to always have an analog backup. And I tried to install this in my Soldiers, but iw was a massively uphill battle.
I believe at the team through Company level, the Infantry could still fight the fight, and win, against any adversary on the planet, even after an EMP.
At the BN and BDE level, I think there are a number of near peers that could give us serious trouble if our tech goes down. The Command and Control will be seriously hampered, and Commanders who are used to getting automatic digital feeds to battle track (like Blue Force Tracker or whatever it has been upgraded to these days) are going to have to rely on actual SITREPs for subordinate Commands - and those subordinate Commands are going to have to figure out how to send a detailed and accurate SITREP. No longer will the BDE be able to track down to the PLT level. Because they are getting radio reports from BN, they will have only have a truly clear picture of the BN level, and a mostly clear, but somewhat fuzzy picture of the Company level. FiSTers (and their BN/BDE FDC) are going to have to call for fire and artillery is going to have to deliver manually. No more plugging it into computers. I HOPE they can still do the math. Even logistics gets harder, as resupply has to be called in, rather than suitted digitally. And those convoys have to be coordinated - which takes dozens of calls instead of one or two e-mails. Not saying we can't get it done, but the speed of battle - one of our MAJOR advantages - is going to radically decrease.
At the Division and above levels, I just don't know. Not only is Command and Control going to be massively broken, but so many of the assets that assist Commanders - I'm talking your Combat Support folks - are so heavily dependent on tech that they would be paralyzed and next to useless. Even within HUMINT, which is about the most basic it gets within the MI realm, talking to Soldiers about collecting Intel with a pencil and paper, or, Gods forbid! writing an actual report with a pen, my Soldiers looked at me like I had *something* growing out of my forehead. Fully half of the Intel analysts would literally not know what to do. Your cyber folks are useless, as are most of your SIGINT folks. Half of the signal corps has no job. Etc.
If the EMP crashes everything, the top echelons would be paralyzed, but the lower echelons can Charlie Mike with little change, at least for the first day. Hopefully our maintainers and hardworking technical experts have us back up and running within that day. But if stuff is fried for good, then it will take a good solid month or three for those top echelons to relearn how to fight without their tech. That is one to three months that BN and below is having the fight of their life with little support from above. Can they do it? Yes, they can. But it will be far more painful and costly than it would have been.
We could still fight and win against any adversary on the planet. But an EMP would make the fight a LOT closer than it would have been.
I retired a few years ago, SGM, and from what I saw, no, we do not have a plan B.
I will grant you that I am an MI guy, so we love us our computers. But Across the board, everything is digitized. I was raised to always have an analog backup. And I tried to install this in my Soldiers, but iw was a massively uphill battle.
I believe at the team through Company level, the Infantry could still fight the fight, and win, against any adversary on the planet, even after an EMP.
At the BN and BDE level, I think there are a number of near peers that could give us serious trouble if our tech goes down. The Command and Control will be seriously hampered, and Commanders who are used to getting automatic digital feeds to battle track (like Blue Force Tracker or whatever it has been upgraded to these days) are going to have to rely on actual SITREPs for subordinate Commands - and those subordinate Commands are going to have to figure out how to send a detailed and accurate SITREP. No longer will the BDE be able to track down to the PLT level. Because they are getting radio reports from BN, they will have only have a truly clear picture of the BN level, and a mostly clear, but somewhat fuzzy picture of the Company level. FiSTers (and their BN/BDE FDC) are going to have to call for fire and artillery is going to have to deliver manually. No more plugging it into computers. I HOPE they can still do the math. Even logistics gets harder, as resupply has to be called in, rather than suitted digitally. And those convoys have to be coordinated - which takes dozens of calls instead of one or two e-mails. Not saying we can't get it done, but the speed of battle - one of our MAJOR advantages - is going to radically decrease.
At the Division and above levels, I just don't know. Not only is Command and Control going to be massively broken, but so many of the assets that assist Commanders - I'm talking your Combat Support folks - are so heavily dependent on tech that they would be paralyzed and next to useless. Even within HUMINT, which is about the most basic it gets within the MI realm, talking to Soldiers about collecting Intel with a pencil and paper, or, Gods forbid! writing an actual report with a pen, my Soldiers looked at me like I had *something* growing out of my forehead. Fully half of the Intel analysts would literally not know what to do. Your cyber folks are useless, as are most of your SIGINT folks. Half of the signal corps has no job. Etc.
If the EMP crashes everything, the top echelons would be paralyzed, but the lower echelons can Charlie Mike with little change, at least for the first day. Hopefully our maintainers and hardworking technical experts have us back up and running within that day. But if stuff is fried for good, then it will take a good solid month or three for those top echelons to relearn how to fight without their tech. That is one to three months that BN and below is having the fight of their life with little support from above. Can they do it? Yes, they can. But it will be far more painful and costly than it would have been.
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SGM Mikel Dawson
I was 12B many years back in my career. As a squad leader I was issued a pocket calculator to do my demo formulas, but when I took my SQT, I had to do all the calculations by hand. Don't know if they are teaching these skills anymore, just hope so. Good reply.
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