40 SECTION 10 : IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON OPERATIONS AND THE REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS “Information Warfare has the potential not only, to be a force multiplier, but also to be a force equaliser”. – Michael Loescher, Cyber War, 2000. Impact of Technology on Operations 3.29 Emphasis on IW. With the induction of better communication systems and the creation of a networked environment, our ability to collect, collate and analyse diverse inputs received from various agencies has been greatly enhanced. However, the vulnerabilities of such systems to disruption by the enemy have also increased and its resultant impact on conduct of operations would be magnified in proportion to the dependence on it. Due to the dependence of military forces on such systems, the role of technology in future warfare has expanded considerably, thereby enlarging our earlier concept of EW to C2W, which incorporates all functions of command dependent on communications and computers. Thus in a network-centric environment, the emphasis will shift to IW and the various active and passive measures which form part of it. 3.30 Increased Battlefield Transparency and Situational Awareness. Today newer and better systems are available for the conduct of surveillance, identification and monitoring of the enemy and these have improved situational awareness. The nature of sensors and their platforms have extended the range of observation and enhanced the resolution thereby providing greater accuracy and detail in a shorter timeframes. The overall aim is to create a technological asymmetry so as to be in a better position to see, locate and monitor enemy forces and to plan for their destruction, degradation or disruption. In such an environment newer techniques or methods would be required to achieve surprise and deception.