One of the common practices of modern warfare is the development of new weapons based upon advances in technology. As these weapons evolved during the twentieth- century, the United States Army witnessed significant improvements in the accuracy of its direct fire weapon systems; soldiers who fired rifles, armored guns, and antitank missiles experienced an increased ability to hit what they were aiming at and do so at greater ranges. Understanding the factors driving the Army to develop precision weaponry is key to this analysis; in addition to providing an efficient means of executing warfare, the Army is subject to external pressures from the American public to limit collateral damage and fratricide. Innovations in Army direct fire weapon systems will have a significant impact on the way future wars will be fought, especially when these advances are combined with the accuracy of precision indirect fire assets from the Army and precision-guided munitions from the Air Force. These changes will affect individuals, units, and in several ways the entire Army as it evaluates its tactics, doctrine, and organizational structure in the midst of developing increasingly accurate direct fire weapon systems.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.