Negative Aspects of Technology Reflected on War
Sophistication of the Human Race:
I watched a documentary. In the documentary, they talked about the decrease in the size and capacity of the brain in parallel with the development of human beings in science and technology. This claim is debatable because there is a huge difference between the level of development of people 1000 years ago and today's people. Moreover, the pace of human development is accelerating day by day.
However, the points presented as evidence for the claim made in the documentary were quite logical. For example, it was said that the development of human beings with an increasing momentum in science and technology, despite the gradual decrease in their brain capacity, was due to the increase in communication opportunities of billions of people.
Since the world population is constantly increasing, although we have the capacity to produce less information on an individual basis, the information produced is increasing in total. Since this information was made available to people living in different parts of the world, thanks to advanced communication networks, this lump of information consisting of small pieces of information reached everywhere and grew like an avalanche.
Technology and Talent Relationship:
I do not know whether the human brain shrinks biologically as claimed, but it is possible to say that the development of technology has caused a decrease in people's abilities. I observe this best in military matters, which is my own profession. When we look at the wars that have taken place recently, this furum is clearly visible. At least recently, there are many signs of this in the wars in which the states with the most advanced technologies in the world actually participate.
When we look at the military operations that took place after the Cold War, it is clearly seen in the videos broadcast on television screens and social media that the developments in technology brought with it the reduction of military capabilities at the individual and small unit level, especially in the countries that led these technological developments. As a result, military success is achieved not by the skills of well-trained and skilled soldiers, but by technological superiority. But this victory does not provide the desired results in the long run.
"Where are you getting that from?" some might think. Let me tell.
Reflections from the US Operation in Iraq:
While the USA was entering Iraq, the whole world watched the war for the first time in history on television screens with simultaneous interpretation. As a soldier, I followed the footage conveyed by the cameramen who were moving with the military units. While watching these images, I was very surprised on the first day of the war. Because when I watched the footage of an infantry unit landing in Basra, I saw that the individual skills and training levels of the American soldiers were very bad.
This American military unit, which appeared to be the size of a team, was advancing on a sand-covered field. Suddenly, a gunshot sounded from ahead. At that moment, the team, which was walking in desert camouflages, being careful to look confident and a little cool in front of the cameras, suddenly became active. While some of the soldiers fled in surprise, one soldier threw himself behind a small pile of dirt just in front of him and made a full trench.
While we were waiting for this soldier to take a position and return fire to the place where the fire came, the other soldiers who saw him started to throw themselves behind the same soil heap. Since the small mass was not enough to hide that many soldiers; The soldiers who jumped later formed a larger pile of soldiers than the pile of earth when they lay down on the first soldier.
Novices That Shouldn't Be in Combat:
The American soldiers did not change their status as a target that could be destroyed en masse with a rocket launcher, although the Iraqis ceased fire when an American tank fired at the target. Seeing this, with the fellow officers we watched the footage together; “These Americans inflict a lot of casualties in Iraq. Even if they take over Iraq, they cannot dominate the country completely.” I remember we talked. As a matter of fact, the American army suffered more casualties in Iraq than it had ever expected. Moreover, it could not hold on neither in Iraq nor in Afghanistan, which they occupied later.
The same situation is not very different in the wars in which Russia, the second largest military power in the world after the USA, participates. Even worse. For example, these days, a war is taking place in Ukraine due to Russia's aggressive policies, and almost every stage of this war is broadcast on television screens and social media. These images are also discussed by “experts” on television every day.
Publications Describing the War:
Naturally, I also follow these publications. During my military training, we used to think about how to stop the armored divisions that were said to attack our front after intense artillery and missile fires with strong armored divisions and advance into the depths of our country. We had lessons on this subject both at the Military Academy and at the Military Academy, and we solved the problems. But the news and images reflected from Ukraine
From what I understand, we worried for nothing. Because it seems clear that the Russian army is in a pitiful situation both in terms of planning, execution and training level of military personnel, let alone advancing with thunder and speed.
The Russian army looks so bad that it can't even follow some of the most basic military rules. For example, armored vehicles cannot enter a residential area without infantry. The armored vehicle neither enters the built-up area nor moves in the terrain alone. They teach this in the first lessons in military schools. But the Russians don't seem to be aware of this. This is the result from the images in the videos.
In one of the videos I watched, an armored combat vehicle entered a residential area alone, the Ukrainians are burning this vehicle with molotov cocktails. If only that was it anyway…. We watch many events such as comedy films, from the tank crew asking for gasoline from the Ukrainians when their tank runs out of fuel, to the soldier who fell out of the tank, to the tank left alone with its crew when it broke down on the road, and to the Ukrainians stealing the Russian armored combat vehicle.
Personal Training Level of the Russian Army:
The explanation for this situation is quite simple: the level of individual training in the Russian army is zero. Moreover, the small unit training and the commanding qualifications of the small unit commanders are also very insufficient. I cannot find any other explanation for a tank or armored combat vehicle to leave its unit and act alone, unaware of the platoon and company commander.
The problem isn't just at the individual and small troop level. The management and administration of large units at the operative level is also a complete fiasco. For example, a convoy of hundreds of tanks and vehicles moved from the Belarusian borders towards Kiev. Many “experts” who commented on the war on television screens began to comment on this situation. Some said that this convoy would advance rapidly and besiege the city, while others said that it would enter the city directly. But then strange things happened.
Local and National Commentators were also surprised:
This unit, which was in a state of war and had to make a tactical transfer, made moves that should not have been done even in the administrative transfer. He started to move slowly, keeping a distance of two meters between the vehicles. The column was advancing so slowly that military commentators from different NATO countries, like our local and national "interpreters", had a hard time making sense of it. Although the days followed each other, the arm could not accelerate and could not come to Kiev.
Kyiv Standing in Place:
I guess the Ukrainians did not expect such an oddity either. Because they did not attack the convoy formed by this devolved Russian unit, which was understood to be deprived of the basic notion of military service, neither from the air nor from the ground. Our “commentators” on television couldn't make sense of this either, and they put forward different ideas and even criticisms.
Actually, there was nothing to understand. The probable reason why the Ukrainians did not initially attack the Russian convoy was that they, like everyone else, thought that this convoy would come quickly in front of Kyiv. For this reason, they made their defense plans according to the defense of the residential area and were prepared accordingly. As a matter of fact, with the help of the people, they were building barriers on the streets of the city and preparing Molotov cocktails. But when they saw the state of the Russian troops, I think they modified their plan of action.
Operational Plans Are Changing:
They started to inflict casualties by attacking the convoy with SİHA and artillery/rocket shots. They sent the tank destroyer teams and set up ambushes in the convoy at different points. They seem to have been quite successful at this. Thus, they further slowed the movement of the convoy. In this way, they took advantage of the time they gained and strengthened the defense preparations of the city.
Meanwhile, tank destroyer teams equipped with portable anti-tank guns in the throw-and-forget style destroyed a large number of Russian tanks and vehicles in different regions. They also shot down a large number of helicopters and planes with portable guided air defense weapons such as the shoulder-mounted Stinger. As a result, the huge Russian army, equipped with the most advanced weapons and equipment, which was said to seize Ukraine in 2-3 days, was able to capture only one city after almost four weeks.
Have Putin's Demands From Ukraine Changed?
This led to significant changes in Putin's speeches and Russian goals. While Putin previously implied that there was no such thing as Ukraine and a nation called Ukrainian, that he would invade the whole country and tie it to Russia, he said that when things started to go wrong, the Ukrainian administration, which he claimed was a special operation and racist, would come to an end.
But when things continued to go wrong and the images that the Russian army was a complete fiasco, he gave up on this claim and downsized his targets. Now, he says that if Ukraine promises not to join NATO, accepts Crimea as Russian territory, and recognizes the independence/autonomy of Donbas, it will halt military action and withdraw its troops.
If there is no change in the war situation in favor of Russia, the next day
It will not be a surprise if Putin gradually abandons some of these claims in the future. Because, despite the amount of soldiers and weapons and technological superiority (For example, Russia uses hypersonic missiles in 2-3 countries in the world). The Russian army has created a complete disappointment in the eyes of the experts following the war. It is clear that the most obvious reason for this is that, contrary to its superiority in technology, the education levels, intellectual abilities and fighting capacities of the Generals, officers and soldiers of the Russian army dragged on the ground.
Technology Causing a Decline in Human Capacity:
This confirms the claim that advances in technology cause a reduction in human capacity. Of course, this decline is not due to a biological change that occurs in the brain in a short time. This situation; This is due to the fact that the Russian army, which is overconfident in its superiority in weapons, equipment and technology, does not provide good soldiers as in the past and does not train the soldiers it provides seriously. The same disease is found in Americans, and they have had to suffer the consequences of this disease in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Conclusion:
As a result; The military actions of the USA and Russia in recent years show that success in wars does not depend only on technological superiority and numerical superiority. Successful armies are not armies with the most advanced weapons and equipment, but armies with the most trained officers, non-commissioned officers, non-commissioned officers and privates. Because in the last instance, it is not the gun that brings success, but the person who knows how to use the gun. As expressed in a song; “Your tank is neither strong nor strong; but people want to use it.”
Unless there are well-trained soldiers, specialist privates, non-commissioned officers and officers, weapons do not matter much. Armies that do not train their military personnel well by relying on technological or numerical superiority will definitely pay the price. As a matter of fact, in the recent wars, the USA had to pay this price; Russia, on the other hand, continues to pay the price in the ongoing wars in Ukraine. Let alone the current level of technological development, this situation will not change even when wars are carried into space in the future.
