An MLRS firing line pounds Iraqi concentrations during Operation Desert Storm. Our force structure is becoming increasingly dependent on the ability to employ just the right amount of combat power at the right time and place. Force redundancy and multiechelonment are things of the past. IT can offset the impact of shrinking force structure, allowing us to more quickly and efficiently employ the resources available to us at the right place and time. However, if overly relied on, our information infrastructure can become both vulnerable and fallible.
Prudence is the watchword.
Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power. 9 Information, under ideal conditions, can move at the speed of the electron. Although slowed somewhat by human interface, the speed at which intelligence can be gathered, synthesized and turned into meaningful combat information would dazzle warfighters from bygone eras. Having this near-instantaneous situational understanding confers a decided advantage. This advantage represents an opportunity that must be quickly exploited to be of any tactical or operational value.