What is the important military advantage of information technology??

Answer 1

I'm guessing you mean what advantages do information technology give the military.

In war, lack of information and/or communications can be the kiss of death. Some of the greatest innovations in war have been communication advances. Armies that can collect and quickly dissiminate information can move and react quicker than their opponents - taking favorable positions, setting up favorable battle conditions, etc.

Examples:
1.) In WW2, the British managed to grab an Enigma machine and learn how to decrypt many German communications. This allowed them to know where units were going to be posted, where their submarines were deployed, and what they were planning to do. In contrast, the Germans had poor intelligence on the Allies (especially after the Double Cross operation, where the British managed to turn every single agent the Germans had in the UK). Many historians believe that this helped the Allies end the war 2 years early - they had an enormous information advantage over their enemies. Many of the functions here would now be considered with IT (especially since it involved intercepting and then dissiminating communication information).

2.) The US military uses an IT system that allows them to link information from many sources. For example, a ship in the Pacific can use the same satellite data that is being looked at in Washington. When the units on the ground have the same information as HQ, then everyone can make decisions using the same information.

3.) Another use of IT for the military is taking complex tasks and making them easier to perform. For example, the M1A2 Abrams tank has a computerized firing system that takes into account wind, current tank speed, speed of the target, distance, and even the number of shots fired by current barrel - so that all the gunner has to do is point the sights at his target. This means that each shot counts - in older model tanks, many shots would have missed. Having 10 tanks that hit 100% of the time is equivalent to having 30 tanks that hit 33% of the time.