No one wins wars without skilled soldiers and firepower. But networked information was perhaps the Pentagon’s most striking asset in Iraq, where variations of signature Internet tools and tactics donned military fatigues. Think Napster, instant-messaging and eBay in battlefield khaki. As Internet innovation sprouted in the 1990s, gearhead planners quietly worked to adapt Silicon Valley’s best ideas for the world’s dominant fighting force. Just as in Afghanistan a year ago, swiftly distributed digital data gave the networked Americans and their British allies the edge. Their three-week victory was spurred by internetworked tanks on the ground, satellite-linked robot eyes in the sky and personal intercoms that converted urban fighters into nodes on a footsoldier network. Of course information technology, employed by foes, can bite back. As occupiers, U.S. forces in Iraq will be easy marks. They’ll need to keep ahead of the information curve. Full Story
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