[LINK] What are the new frontiers of war?

[Kate Lance]

You probably know of the amusing article by the War Nerd (John Dolan/Gary
Brecher) from 2006, U Sank My Carrier!, about a war game that did not turn out
as expected, but if not there's a copy at:

https://www.shiachat.com/forum/topic/84806-u-sank-my-carrier/
(last time I looked the original was behind a firewall).

'But what van Ripen did to the US fleet...that's something very different. He
was given nothing but small planes and ships - fishing boats, patrol boats,
that kind of thing. He kept them circling around the edges of the Persian Gulf
aimlessly, driving the Navy crazy trying to keep track of them. When the
Admirals finally lost patience and ordered all planes and ships to leave, van
Ripen had them all attack at once. And they sank two-thirds of the US fleet.'

regards,
Kate


On Fri, Oct 01, 2021 at 08:31:20AM +1000, Tom Worthington wrote:
> On 29/9/21 8:31 pm, Stephen Loosley wrote:
> > > From: Frank O'Connor Sent: Tuesday, 21 September 2021 1:49 PM
> > > 
> > > Drones, and ever ’smarter’ drones are in all probability the way
> > > of the future. And in 40 years time ...
> 
> Drones have already changed the way wars a fought. We will see dramatic
> changes in the next 10 years, not 40.
> 
> > > ... aquatic smart drones ... would deny that stretch of water  ...
> 
> Yes, in WWII, one significant contribution Australia made to the war in
> the Pacific was mining. Mines were placed by submarines, flying boats and
> ships. Mines, which look like torpedoes, and can position themselves, are
> now available. Lithium batteries made for cars will allow a new generation
> of low cost smart mines. These could remain on station for extended periods,
> report passing ships, attack on command, or return to be serviced and
> recharged. The students at an Australian university could design such a
> weapon and a small local company build them in a shed.
> https://blog.tomw.net.au/2021/09/new-generation-of-underwater-drone.html
> 
> > There’s more than subs in the AUKUS technology-sharing pact with the US
> > and the UK - AI, cyber, quantum, hypersonic missiles ...
> 
> What is missing from this analysis is the grey warfare element. If the
> target is a large warship, then a hyper-sonic missile could be used. But
> if there are hundreds of what look like fishing boats, possibly from a
> commercial port leased from a third country, it is not financially, or
> politically, feasible to attack them all with expensive hyper-sonic
> missiles. What is needed are a lot of small boats, each with a flashing
> light, a loudhailer, and a machine gun. These can be crewed, or remote
> controlled.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Tom Worthington, MEd FHEA FACS CP IP3P http://www.tomw.net.au
> +61(0)419496150
> TomW Communications Pty Ltd. PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia
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> 
> Honorary Lecturer, Computer Science, Australian National University
> https://cecs.anu.edu.au/research/profile/tom-worthington
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