A picture is worth a thousand words. It is not too much to say that even the lieutenant in the cockpit must be aware of the overall picture and the implications of his actions on the highest political level.
Tactical considerations tend to blend with strategic implications.
Recent military operations clearly illustrate the need for quality, visual confirmation of targets before engagement with new sophisticated stand-off weapons. Operations of coalition forces in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia demonstrated the value of confirming targeting information with real-time imagery. In 1999, DERA and the UK Royal Air Force successfully demonstrated the IDM on board the Jaguar. Responding to hostilities around the world, the international community looks to coalitions of multi-national forces to address any crisis. Those forces must be equipped to 'communicate with understanding' and efficiently share sensor and tactical data, without regard to nationality, language or platform.