ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that technology made a difference in the Gulf War because it allowed those who designed and implemented the Coalition's strategy to control important political dimensions of the war. An understanding of the links between technology, friction, counter measures, and politics should caution those looking for lessons from the Kuwait War for policy. Despite wide attention in academic scholarship and the popular media to the phenomenon of "technology," what technology actually is, and the role it plays in military conflict remain shrouded in myth and misinterpretation. To evaluate whether technological advances played a crucial role in the Coalition's victory over Iraq, it is helpful to look at each phase of the war: the air campaign, the ground offensive, and post-war developments. During the course of the air campaign, the combination of forward-looking infrared radar sensors and imaging infrared missiles proved particularly devastating to Iraqi army units, especially Iraqi armor.
