With the return of possible confrontations between great powers, the American armies are today in the process of changing. This is characterized by the launch of a large number of Defense programs on a more constrained model and budget, and shorter deadlines, thus breaking with the pharaonic programs of the 2000s such as the Zumwalt destroyer or the F-35 fighter.
But above all, for the first time in 30 years, the United States faces potential adversaries capable of mobilizing forces supported by technologies potentially equivalent, sometimes superior, to their own. It was therefore necessary for the US armed forces to adapt their combat doctrines, marked by 20 years of counter-insurgency and hybrid wars.
To do this, the American General Staff relies on an area that it masters better than anyone, data exchange and network cooperation. This new doctrine, referred to as multi-domain operations, is based on the capabilities of connecting and exchanging data from several networks, so as to cooperate and optimize the actions of land, air, naval, space and cyber forces, whether or not they are in the theater of engagement.
The corollary of this doctrine is cooperative commitment, allowing several combat actors to implement complementary means in order to maximize the result. The typical example is to use a frigate which detects a threat, and which directs the missile fired by another ship.
But the United States is not the only ones to explore the possibilities offered by these new paradigms. Thus, Russian anti-aircraft defense, made up of several “layers” of protection, is now integrated into a single network allowing the best means to be allocated depending on the threats, making it possible to deal with all planes, helicopters in a coordinated manner. , cruise missiles and drones which can saturate a more traditional defense system.
European countries are also working to develop networks enabling multi-domain operations and cooperative engagements. But as usual, we are developing almost as many systems as there are countries.