From newshub.ccs.yorku.ca!torn!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!menudo.uh.edu!sugar!taronga!rivdell!megazone Wed Sep 16 21:23:13 EDT 1992
Article 6897 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: megazone@rivdell.sccsi.com (Megazoner)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.cyberpunk
Subject: Re: 21st Century Soldier
Message-ID: <s3NXqB1w165w@rivdell.sccsi.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 05:52:51 CDT
References: <1992Sep11.041641.9944@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu>
Organization: Rivendell BBS / Hou, TX. / +1 713 941 2236
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rwmurphr@crusader.ecn.uoknor.edu (Robert W Murphree) writes:

> according to an article in the last month or so of new scientist.
> The soldier of tomorrow will carry a laser to blind other soldiers.
> and wear goggles to save his own eyes.  Expect battlefield opthalmalic
> surgery to be a big part of 21rst century MASH units.


 Here's my $2.0x10^-2 worth...

 Having been an infantry soldier, I found that using all sorts of high 
tech didn't help me very much while dodging bullets. Most of it we stored 
in the IFV, which we always expected to blow up when it hit the front 
lines. (Fortunately, this did not occur in Iraq. It's a long walk 
anywhere.)

 All we ever wanted was lighter stuff. Big death rays would be nice, but 
do you want to carry that stuff 30 miles? Humping batteries for the radio 
was a pain as it was, imagine the cell for a portable laser...I routinely 
discarded my flak vest 'cos it was too heavy and wouldn't stop much 
anyway, just grenade fragments. I'm more worried about concussion.

 What can one improve with conventional weapons? All the neat new stuff 
would break down after minimal use, cracked, peeled, dented, abused and 
rattled about. You gonna tell me that the lenses on a heavy laser are 
gonna last mounted on a tank moving in rough terrain? The ranging laser 
on the M1 had those problems, even with turret stabilization.

 Give me lighter night vision stuff, lighter ammo, a bigger rifle that's 
lighter than the last, and heavy artillery support.

 Besides, lasers are active emissions. I used to watch 'em and figure out 
where the tanks were before they saw me. Result, dead tank.


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megazone@rivdell.sccsi.com (Megazoner)
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