Local war in the US has a long history, but the army has come a long way from bows and arrows to modern machine guns and radar-guided missiles. The advances in modern technology have led to the development of unmanned vehicles and laser-guided missiles. For instance, the use of combat drones enables the US army to deploy weapons in the battlefield while keeping a safe distance to reduce casualties (Edworthy 34).
The evolution of technology has enabled the US military to gain global recognition because it has enabled them to conduct combat missions where other armies have failed. For instance, modern technology has helped the Army to develop a Tomahawk missile that travels at very low altitudes at subsonic speed. The speed of the missile enables it to attack ground targets. These technological advances proved effective in the Afghanistan war.
Today, military technology is the equalizer and separator in the battlefield. New technologies have rejuvenated the ability of the army to use precision-guided missiles on its battle tanks and bombers. The Army uses laser-guided technology on all its bombers to pinpoint targets. However, during the Vietnam War, the US army relied on dumb bombs that were not effective at pinpointing targets on the ground. Today, technology has improved missile accuracy on a ground target. Moreover, it has enabled the army to be able to eliminate an enemy bomber using anti-aircraft technology that uses radar-guided missiles (Rubright 67). The Army has also developed the anti-aircraft batteries that can destroy enemy aircraft with radar-guided missiles.
The use of modern technology revived US Navy because it enabled them to develop new submarines. After the World Wars, the US needed advanced technology that would allow its Navy to develop nuclear-powered submarines. Using modern technology, they developed the Los Angeles submarines and Virginia class submarines. These vessels use new technologies such as missile defense to protect the US against ballistic missiles (Fridell 17).
The Los Angeles attack submarines are the world’s powerful submarines that use modern technology such as Harpoon anti-submarine missiles and Tomahawk ground missiles (Polmar and Moore 15). The development of these submarines enables the US Navy to dominate both in the sea and on land. Although most of the submarine fleets have been upgraded to Virginia attack submarines, it has played a critical role in maintaining the US Navy capability in the global arena (Schank 123). The Los Angeles submarines were stronger than the Soviet diesel attack submarines. Although the Soviet submarines were lethal, US submarines are manufactured using advanced technology that makes it difficult for anti-submarine aircraft to track them. Moreover, the army has developed intelligence-gathering submarines that are difficult to track.
The limitation of using modern technology is that it causes mass destruction and loss of life. It also exposed the weaknesses of the US Army in the Vietnam and Iraq Wars. Irrespective of the US army having modern weapons, its revival is still being challenged on the battlefields such as the Iraq war where the US Army suffered heavy losses while using modern battle tanks (McBride 56).
In summary, technology has improved the capability of the army by introducing more advanced missiles, bombers, and submarines. By acquiring these capabilities, the army has been able to undertake special missions on the battlefield with fewer casualties. The global community recognizes the US Army as the best army in the world due to its ability to use modern technologies in the battle to fight against insurgency.
Works Cited
Edworthy, Niall. Main battle tank. London New York: Penguin Books, 2011. Print.
Fridell, Ron. Military technology. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co, 2008. Print.
McBride, William M. Technological change and the United States Navy, 1865-1945. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. Print.
Polmar, Norman, and Kenneth J. Moore. Cold War submarines the design and construction of U.S. and Soviet submarines. Washington, D.C: Potomac Books, Inc, 2004. Print.
Rubright, Richard W. The role and limitations of technology in U.S. counterinsurgency warfare. Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books, An imprint of the University of Nebraska Press, 2015. Print.
Schank, John F. Sustaining U.S. nuclear submarine design capabilities. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp, 2007. Print.