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How Is Modern War Different?
Modern armies differ from older armies in six major ways:
Size
Modern armies are usually larger than pre-Civil War armies. Even after cutbacks, for example, the US active military will have 1.4 million troops--a far larger force than most pre-Civil War armies-- in peacetime . In wartime, the US military might grow to eight or ten million.
Mechanization
At Waterloo, infantry on both sides fought with single-shot muskets. The Civil War saw the introduction of the first machine gun. Though unreliable and difficult to use, the Gatling Gun changed warfare forever because it was a machine which killed impersonally. By World War I, the machine gun had become the most deadly of all infantry weapons.
Firepower
Modern weapons are more destructive than those of earlier eras. The armies at Waterloo, for example, had artillery, but not explosive shells. Modern shells and missiles carry deadly explosive charges, including smaller "bomblets" or mines which spread over a large area and then explode, causing far more damage than a single explosion.
Mobility
Tanks and troop transporters, helicopters, strike aircraft, and transportation aircraft allow modern armies to fight and cause destruction over very wide areas--including entire countries.
Accuracy of Weapons
During the Persian Gulf War, television audiences in the US saw film of missiles which could enter a building, locate an exact target, and hit it. These "smart" weapons, or precision-guided munitions, were supposed to cut down on civilian casualties. The television images were misleading because less than ten percent of US weapons in the Gulf air war were "smart," and many of these hit the wrong targets. Modern weapons, however, are usually more accurate and reliable than weapons in older wars. This, combined with their increased explosive power, can only increase the numbers of dead and wounded. The Gulf air war killed over 100,000 Iraqis, many of them civilians, in less than a month.
Tactics
Modern warfare includes many tactics which are violations of international law or are questionable on moral grounds. See the discussions under "Total War" and "Battlefield Tactics," below.
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