ABSTRACT
Recognizing that the changed threats of the twenty-fi rst century demanded a different strategic response and military capability, the United States moved relatively swiftly during the 1990s to transform its military. Over the past 15 years, this has made the US military increasingly more effi cient and effective at carrying out expeditionary combat missions involving air, sea and ground forces, operating jointly. From a force largely trained and equipped for platform-intensive land battles in Western Europe versus a Soviet threat, America’s armed forces have become adept at conducting small, expeditionary operations anywhere in the world. The increased fl exibility, maneuverability and lethality of the US military has included substantial investment in emerging technologies for gathering intelligence, distributing it rapidly to all relevant decision makers and users, and acting upon it. Linked together into a network that ties command to warfi ghting, these technologies are a critical tool for modern military operations.
