Posted on Mar 10, 2023
What civilian education and Army MOS do you think will be fighting on the frontlines of modern warfare and why?
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I would like to hear the opinion of my fellow servicemembers on this topic. What civilian education and Army MOS do you think will be fighting on the frontlines of modern warfare and why?
The military has evolved significantly in recent years. Space Force is actually a thing. The Air Force has established a new Special Operations role called Special Reconnaissance. The Army is direct commissioning Cyber Warfare officers up to Colonel. Now the Marine Corps has disbanded their Scout Sniper PLTs, believing those skills are not relevant to future conflict.
What path should someone take to achieve a relevant position against current and near future threats?
The military has evolved significantly in recent years. Space Force is actually a thing. The Air Force has established a new Special Operations role called Special Reconnaissance. The Army is direct commissioning Cyber Warfare officers up to Colonel. Now the Marine Corps has disbanded their Scout Sniper PLTs, believing those skills are not relevant to future conflict.
What path should someone take to achieve a relevant position against current and near future threats?
Warfare
Conflict
Terrorism
Intelligence
Cyber
Posted 2 y ago
Responses: 10
Define "frontlines of modern warfare"? Remember that conflict is defined over a continuum that starts with peace on one end, through direct physical conflict and ending with peace operations and return to stability.
If you're talking about the "dominate" phase and direct physical conflict, then obviously the answers given by CPT Lawrence Cable and 1LT (Join to see) are applicable.
However, space, cyberspace and information operations will play the biggest role 'pre-dominate' phase which is where we are with many of our major adversaries.
The 'frontlines of modern warfare' are being fought currently in the bowels of buildings at Ft. Meade (NSA and CYBERCOM) as well as other locations around the globe where not many 'physical' altercations are occurring.
If you're talking about the "dominate" phase and direct physical conflict, then obviously the answers given by CPT Lawrence Cable and 1LT (Join to see) are applicable.
However, space, cyberspace and information operations will play the biggest role 'pre-dominate' phase which is where we are with many of our major adversaries.
The 'frontlines of modern warfare' are being fought currently in the bowels of buildings at Ft. Meade (NSA and CYBERCOM) as well as other locations around the globe where not many 'physical' altercations are occurring.
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MSG (Join to see)
Whatever happened to the pursuit phase where you hunted down and eliminated the survivors of the initial assault?
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COL Randall C.
MSG (Join to see) - That's Phase IIIa, "beat the snot out of them" ;)
If you were asking a serious question, then it occurs within Phase III of Joint doctrine (Dominate), but is one of the phases of offensive operations defined within Army doctrine as forms of the tactical offense (contact, attack, exploitation, and pursuit).
If you were asking a serious question, then it occurs within Phase III of Joint doctrine (Dominate), but is one of the phases of offensive operations defined within Army doctrine as forms of the tactical offense (contact, attack, exploitation, and pursuit).
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MSG (Join to see)
COL Randall C. semi-serious. Historically there were only 4 phases and Pursuit was phase IV. Americans have never been good at it. We expect that the whooped guy should just recognize that he's been whooped.
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CSM William Everroad
COL Randall C. I also see the replies that double down on the concept of "frontlines".
Not a recent phenomenon, but the increasing number of operational domains and asymmetric warfare have made the term "frontlines" moot. There is no FLOT anymore. Maybe in a standup war against a peer adversary, but even then I have my doubts; we would have to be pushed to that strategy.
The advent of Air Calvary showed a force can project across the battlefield, seize or destroy an objective, and then disappear. What the horizon holds will continue to be strategies that carry out the mission with less physical "boots on the ground" type force projection. There are probably 14 Generals working on that with DARPA right now. There will always be a time and place for artillery, calvary, and infantry, but modernizing our doctrine is happening on a continuous basis.
Not a recent phenomenon, but the increasing number of operational domains and asymmetric warfare have made the term "frontlines" moot. There is no FLOT anymore. Maybe in a standup war against a peer adversary, but even then I have my doubts; we would have to be pushed to that strategy.
The advent of Air Calvary showed a force can project across the battlefield, seize or destroy an objective, and then disappear. What the horizon holds will continue to be strategies that carry out the mission with less physical "boots on the ground" type force projection. There are probably 14 Generals working on that with DARPA right now. There will always be a time and place for artillery, calvary, and infantry, but modernizing our doctrine is happening on a continuous basis.
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That's easy, Infantry and Armor. Despite all the claims since WWII about the death of the Infantry and Armor, they have been in the front line in every conflict since. As Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrate, having complete control of the air space does not mean control on the ground.
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On the front lines? Same as always: 11B and 0311.
The question you are asking is really about who will be supporting the Infantry.
There will always be some form of artillery support, medics, and logistical support. Hopefully some decent intelligence support, and air support, as well. So the question is REALLY *how* that support will unfold.
In a full-spectrum battle against a near-peer threat, I would expect a lot of cyber preparation of the battlefield, as well as heavy cyber defense. Cyber will take on the role that artillery had back in WWI and WWII, namely "softening" enemy targets. Especially as artillery is less useful against many targets due to civilian collateral damage considerations. Fire bombing Dresden just is not acceptable today.
After softening targets via cyber, the next phase will be claiming air superiority by reducing/eliminating AA capability (which has hopefully been temporarily disabled by cyber), and then reducing air threats (fighters, bombers, helicopters, in that order).
Once air superiority has been established, the ground war can begin. Again, we prep with cyber, then move under cover of artillery (where possible) and CAS (where available). We establish medical and logistical hubs as we go.
I see armor having less utility as a maneuver unit, because battles are going to be increasingly urban. And armor runs into the same collateral damage problems as artillery.
So, ultimately:
Infantry
Generalized logistics (supply clerks and truck drivers)
Specialized logistics (Ammo handlers, maintainers, and supply chain management)
Medics / doctors / nurses
Intel collectors, with a focus on enemy technical (cyber) capabilities and weaknesses.
Intel Analysts
Cyber attackers
Cyber defenders
Aviators of all stripes
And there will be many many more, like Chaplains, psych doctors, cooks, personnel clerks, etc. that help sustain the force. But the "forefront" will be the above. IMHO.
Now, all of that is for a land war. I got no clue about a sea war.
The question you are asking is really about who will be supporting the Infantry.
There will always be some form of artillery support, medics, and logistical support. Hopefully some decent intelligence support, and air support, as well. So the question is REALLY *how* that support will unfold.
In a full-spectrum battle against a near-peer threat, I would expect a lot of cyber preparation of the battlefield, as well as heavy cyber defense. Cyber will take on the role that artillery had back in WWI and WWII, namely "softening" enemy targets. Especially as artillery is less useful against many targets due to civilian collateral damage considerations. Fire bombing Dresden just is not acceptable today.
After softening targets via cyber, the next phase will be claiming air superiority by reducing/eliminating AA capability (which has hopefully been temporarily disabled by cyber), and then reducing air threats (fighters, bombers, helicopters, in that order).
Once air superiority has been established, the ground war can begin. Again, we prep with cyber, then move under cover of artillery (where possible) and CAS (where available). We establish medical and logistical hubs as we go.
I see armor having less utility as a maneuver unit, because battles are going to be increasingly urban. And armor runs into the same collateral damage problems as artillery.
So, ultimately:
Infantry
Generalized logistics (supply clerks and truck drivers)
Specialized logistics (Ammo handlers, maintainers, and supply chain management)
Medics / doctors / nurses
Intel collectors, with a focus on enemy technical (cyber) capabilities and weaknesses.
Intel Analysts
Cyber attackers
Cyber defenders
Aviators of all stripes
And there will be many many more, like Chaplains, psych doctors, cooks, personnel clerks, etc. that help sustain the force. But the "forefront" will be the above. IMHO.
Now, all of that is for a land war. I got no clue about a sea war.
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