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Article 6898 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: mfriedma@uucp (Michael Friedman)
Subject: Re: 21st Century Soldier
Message-ID: <1992Sep13.064805.16276@oracle.us.oracle.com>
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References: <4SEP199212055495@dstl86.gsfc.nasa.gov> <1992Sep10.172333.4545@oracle.us.oracle.com> <11SEP199212055913@dstl86.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 06:48:05 GMT
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In article <11SEP199212055913@dstl86.gsfc.nasa.gov> olson@dstl86.gsfc.nasa.gov (Paul Olson) writes:
>In article <1992Sep10.172333.4545@oracle.us.oracle.com>, mfriedma@uucp (Michael Friedman) writes...

>>Given that very little fighting today is done hand-to-hand why do you
>>think this is an important feature?  Today artillery and tanks are two
>>of the biggest killers on the battlefield.  The infantry system
>>described will let US soldiers fight better especially in certain types of
>>terrain, for example places with lots of obstacles like forrests and
>>cities, where tanks and artillery are not as useful.

>O.K., give the infantry all kinds of high-tech electronic equipment.  Train
>them on it.  Make them dependant on it.  Then put them up against a
>third world 
>army who is medium or low tech, but has a number of cheap tactical nukes made
>from materials supplied by Iran who bought their nuclear capabilities from
>China (see the news from this last week).  The high tech soldiers
>move in, only 
>to have all of their electronics (visual, audio, communications,
>cooling vests, 
>etc.) wiped out by an electromagnetic puslse from a nuke which was detonated
>overhead.  It doesn't even need to drop on them.  They are now back to
>hand-to-hand combat against a foe who has been trained to fight that way.

Doc, two questions...

1.  Why the heck do you think it will be hand to hand even then?  Even
in Vietnam there was very little hand-to-hand combat.  

2.  What on earth makes you think that those electronics aren't
hardened against EMP?  It seems like a pretty obvious system
requirement.
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