Extract

‘Remote warfare’ is a term which can denote a variety of forms and techniques of warfare and which can be defined in a number of ways. It can refer to the use of long range artillery and strategic bombing in 20th century warfare, to the use of weapons systems which allow the selection and engagement of targets by an operator far removed from the traditional battlespace in contemporary and emerging military practice. It is in the latter sense that this term will be used in this chapter. Such weapons and techniques have in common that they need not be and usually are not controlled from the traditional area of operations, and are capable of being used against targets which are themselves not necessarily located on or near a ‘hot battlefield’. This is a relatively new phenomenon in warfare which, until the middle of the last century, was generally characterized by a relatively clear geographical demarcation between a front line, or in any case an area of operations, where opposing forces manoeuvred and engaged each other in head on encounters and a ‘rear area’, which was generally far removed from actual fighting. For centuries warfare was waged between opposing armies which employed weapons which were capable of being used only over a distance of several miles at most, were dependent upon direct visual contact and involved concentrating forces and firepower at close range in order to achieve maximum effect.