Both the Army and Marine Corps have moved away from an attrition - oriented, firepower-based doctrine towards the technology - intensive doctrine dubbed " air - land battle ". The shift began in the late 1970s to maximize NATO's technical edge as a counter to the Warsaw Pact's numerical superiority. Operation Desert Storm witnessed the transplant of the air - land base plan from the plains of Europe to the desert of Kuwait and Iraq with stunning effect.

          With the start of the ground war, entire divisions sliced across the Iraqi desert at sustained high rates of speed, some traveling 100 kilometers within the first 24 hours. Massive columns of armor and mechanized infantry eventually sealed off escape routes and pressed in on entrenched Iraqi units, systematically defeating them. Operation Desert Storm will likely serve for generations as the textbook example of what well - executed maneuver tactics can accomplish.

          High tech also enhanced ground forces' standoff capability. Spotting, targeting and engaging the enemy from distances beyond the range of his sensors allowed U.S. forces to operate safely with lethal effectiveness. The thermal sensors on M 1 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles and the sensors on Army AH - 64 and OH - 58D helicopters targeted the enemy day and night as well as through the thick smoke of the battlefield and oil well fires. Army tank crews said Iraqi units looked skyward and blindly fired their antiaircraft guns, thinking they were under air attack. In another telling example, captured Iraqi soldiers revealed that many Iraqi units had no idea they were under attack from U.S. ground units until their tanks were hit by cannon fire and missile shots.

          Another benefit of high tech for ground forces is precise navigation. Knowing how to navigate in a featureless desert avoided even by Iraqis provided U.S. forces with tactical advantage. A number of systems contributed to this capability, but the Global Positioning System ( GPS ) was the most important because it provided precise navigational information down to the squad level in a highly portable and low - cost package.

          According to many ground commanders, the critical " Left Hook " maneuver would have been impossible without GPS. As a result of GPS, artillery placements, logistical resupply and battlefield mapping were all accomplished with increased accuracy.

          It is somewhat disconcerting to note that many of the GPS receivers used in Operation Desert Storm were not obtained through the normal military procurement process but rather bought off - the - shelf from companies selling them for small boat navigation and other civilian uses.

          A final benefit of high tech is night vision. Years of training with specialized equipment gave the Army a night vision capability that permitted relentless attack. Around - the - clock assaults overwhelmed the Iraqis, denying them the opportunity to regroup or resupply out of harm's way. Night vision proved equally useful in fighting in the midday dusk caused by smoke from the massive oil well fires in Kuwait.

U.S. Troops Most Qualified Ever

          While equipment and hardware has garnered much of the post - war praise and attention, in the final analysis it was U.S. military men and women who made the real

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