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How Did Technology Affect The Development Of Modern Warfare

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The technological changes that characterized modern warfare had their roots in the Middle Ages, however, their progression in the last two centuries are really what caused the increased speed, efficiency, and lethality of modern warfare. As such, the technological advancements can be broken down to a set of components: logistics, communication, efficiency, dimension, scale, reliability, and effectiveness. The reason for there being so many different components so to speak, is that the technology of modern warfare was so revolutionary that singular inventions can fit into a categorization of their own (such as machine guns defining efficiency). Logistics: the transportation of people and materiel from one location to another. In centuries past, …show more content…

The breakthroughs in achieving underwater and aerial capabilities meant that now a vertical dimension had been added to the battlespace. Submarines could be used for a multitude of purposes ranging from bypassing enemy warships for intelligence purposes to actually carrying out stealthy strikes against enemy naval capabilities with a greatly reduced risk of retaliation. Early air power was pretty limited in scope in the sense of combat capabilities. Hot air balloons were used for reconnaissance (observing enemy troop movements) and artillery spotting. From there, they were adapted to drop hand grenades and small bombs. However due to their vulnerability they were replaced by Zeppelins for bombing purposes. With the advent of fixed-wing aircraft, the airpower dynamic shifted greatly. Airplanes were faster, had greater range, were less vulnerable, and had better offensive capabilities than hot air balloons and Zeppelins (especially when amassed into squadrons). Initially airplanes were used as forward reconnaissance elements before early pilots started experimenting with firing rifles and dropping grenades from their cockpits. With the invention of the interrupter gear and metal propellor blades by Anthony Fokker and Roland Garros respectively, forward-facing machine guns could be mounted on aircraft enabling them to shoot at air and ground targets in their line of sight. With the

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