Defining critical technologies for special operations
By: by Lawrence W. McLaughlin
Publisher: Naval Postgraduate School; Available from National Technical Information Service
Published: 1999
Place of publication: Monterey, Calif; Springfield, Va
Language: eng
Number of pages: 95
Description: As the military forces of the United States continue to draw down, Special Operations Forces (SOF) are playing a greater role across the entire spectrum of conflict. In order to maintain its relative advantage, SOF is using technology as a means to leverage limited resources - sometimes to the point that mission accomplishment depends critically on a technology's availability. Adversaries will attempt to challenge our advantages. Whether Special Operations Forces are prepared to operate in a degraded environment could determine success or failure. This thesis examines the issue of critical technologies in special operations. Critical technologies are defined according to three variables - level of dependence, degree of vulnerability, and substitutability. By examining technologies against these three variables, SOF can gain a better understanding of the impact to SOF operations if a technical capability is lost. Three technologies are examined to illustrate the model - the use of Radar in the Battle of Britain, the Global Positioning System, and UHF Satellite Communications. By applying the model to actual cases, I hope to encourage SOF decision makers to closely examine our growing reliance on vulnerable technologies as a force multiplier and provide recommendations to prevent undue reliance on those technologies.
Notes: "December 1999"

Thesis advisor(s): Gordon H. McCormick, Anna Simons.

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1999.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-91)

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

Also available online.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.

US Air Force (USAF) author.

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