Accession Number : ADA441518

Title :   US Wars and the CNN Factor

Corporate Author : NATIONAL WAR COLL WASHINGTON DC

Personal Author(s) : Al-Allaf, Mohammed

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Report Date : 20 APR 2001

Pagination or Media Count : 19

Abstract : The invention of the radio at the turn of the 19th century led to substantial changes in the conduct of war at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. Strategically, it allowed the concept of "strategic bombing" to emerge. Operationally, it offered new approaches to military navigation and electronic warfare. Tactically, it opened new horizons for command and control in the battlefield. At the outset of the 21st century, uninterrupted, real-time global TV coverage is poised to carry out a similar function with even broader options and scenarios. The extensive engagement of international media in modern warfare has made it an influential component of armed conflicts, significantly affecting the conduct of US military campaigns. The news media today, equipped with the most sophisticated communications technology, is capable of performing even more powerful functions, and may well force dramatic changes at the national security, military strategy, and operational levels of war. The purpose of this paper is to examine the implications of the CNN factor on US national security policy, national military and operational strategies and to highlight the requirement for policy makers and military strategists to accommodate the CNN factor in planning their future military campaigns. I will briefly trace the history of the military media relations, examine the evolvement of media's powerful technological capabilities in a fast-paced, information-intensive, wartime environment, and then address the CNN factor in relation to its ever-growing role in US wars.

Descriptors :   *ELECTRONIC WARFARE, *MILITARY STRATEGY, *COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS, *STRATEGIC BOMBING, *MILITARY APPLICATIONS, NATIONAL SECURITY, NAVIGATION, MEDIA, INTERNATIONAL

Subject Categories : MILITARY OPERATIONS, STRATEGY AND TACTICS
      FIRE CONTROL AND BOMBING SYSTEMS
      RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

Distribution Statement : APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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