Multi-domain Operations

Communicate First, Shoot, Then Move

- 2nd Lt. Daniel Osika

As the United States military moves past a decade of counter-insurgency operations, service members sit in a state of strategic limbo. Confronted by an enemy with minimal electronic warfare abilities, artillery or aviation assets, the United States has struggled to modernize tactics for future conflicts against a near-peer adversary. While current military doctrine and technologies have left shortcomings exposed, the country has been fortunate that groups such as ISIS have not had the capability to exploit those weaknesses. However, future wars will most likely evolve into a combination of military engagements on land, sea, in cyberspace or from the air, resulting in what is known as a multi-domain operation.

Adversaries who have the ability to leverage such assets are the same nations who would be able to identify and target the aforementioned weaknesses in U.S. systems. As other nations now possess modernized tactics and equipment on par with the U.S., the tactical capability between them has narrowed significantly. In order for the artillery to widen this gap, it is vital to analyze the communication methods the United States is exploring to more successfully integrate Fires into multi-domain warfare.

As participation in the War on Terror continued, nations around the globe have analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of U.S. field artillery. Conducting fire missions from well emplaced forward operating bases has been the norm for most artillery units throughout the majority of fighting in the Middle East, which is an advantage that cannot be relied upon during a near-peer conflict. With counter-battery operations presenting a much more prevalent threat from developed nations, stable communication methods have never held a more vital role. The M119A3, M777A2 and M109A6 howitzer platforms have gotten progressively more mobile, accurate and efficient, making communication the focal point of improvement for the artillery community.