Case: Can Technology Save Soldiers Lives in Iraq?

MEMO

To: From: Subject: Group Assignment 3 Date: 6th March, 2013

Summary

Effective Information System is like a vital weapon in Warfield. Ineffective communication and information systems are not just misuse of money; they can even endanger the lives of soldiers. When The U.S. headed for the war with Iraq, they had many technological advantages. Still the U.S. military force encountered difficulties as they didnt have accurate flow of information and better safety. As U.S Military used long chain of command and control process, there were time delays and gaps in flow of information. This strategy was not suitable for Iraqs environment. So they developed new horizontal technology strategy called TIGR which is a combination of Google Maps and Wikipedia. It helps soldiers access and distribute necessary information about the geographic locations of Iraq including all other information related to it.

Case Study Questions

Q1. What features of organizations are relevant for explaining the performance of information systems during the Iraq War?

A1. The features relevant in explaining the performance of information systems during the Iraq War include - organizational culture, organizational environment, and organizational structure.

Organizational Culture: Experts analyzing the flaws and downsides in the system pointed out that the military system depended on an old-fashioned culture that involved following a chain-of-command. This was detrimental to the effects of the information system because all the field information that was fed into the system was first sent to the chain of command where the commanders interpreted the information and made decisions which were then transmitted back to the troops. This caused considerable time delays and flaws in the information sent to the front line officers.

Organizational Environment: The situation in Iraq at wartime meant that communication was made difficult by the slow download speeds, buggy software and 10 to 12 hours lockups. This posed as major flaws to the system because, inspite of having a wealth of high-end technology, the military could not take full advantage of them in such situations. This led to information lapse and many a times the information would not even reach the troops on ground.

Organizational Structure: The structure of the military units had similar issues to that of the culture. The troops had to follow a chain of command which made it difficult to make decisions based on the horizontal information. Information was usually relayed through the command post which served as the center for the information transfer. There was no direct information sharing causing the process to become more time consuming and flawed.

Q2. What difficulties did U.S. military forces in Iraq encounter with information systems? What management, organization, and technology factors contributed to these difficulties?

A2. The U.S. military forces encountered a number of both internal and external difficulties relating to their information systems. The military faced problems with the internet speed and low connectivity. There were information lapses where the relevant information did not reach their destination due to network issues. Sometimes the software in use were buggy and so posed problems for data transfer. Such technological issues caused major problems for the information system. Moreover, the chain of command system caused a lot of time delays and gaps in information transfer due to its information relay system. Information was mostly sent through the command centers where the commanders interpreted the data and followed through with decisions. This meant that there was a significant degree of time lapse in this situation. The chain of command system of management contributed to one of the major difficulties in this situation. The entire military organization itself had its own culture that was based on its chain-of-command. A culture as such acts as a major restraint on change. This made it difficult for the organization itself to accept the change in information systems.

Q3. Describe TIGR and explain why it has been so beneficial to U.S. patrol groups in Iraq.

A3. The TIGR (Tactical Ground Reporting System) is like a cross between Google Maps and Wikipedia. It basically allows the user to access and share information and intel on routes. The TIGR served as an application that allowed the troops to update the most recent information about their patrols. It included all information about the place and any other information relevant to the location could be found as clickable icons. It supports a variety of media formats including pictures, audio and video recordings, backgrounds of the people and places related to the location, etc. This application served as a very beneficial platform for the U.S. military to store and disseminate important information without having to carry volumes of data and spreadsheets and etc. The information was always up to date with patrol information about which areas were clear and which areas posed any threats or malicious activities.

Q4. Why is TIGR an example of a horizontal technology?

A4. Horizontal technology refers to the transfer of technical knowledge and hardware from one geographical location to another. TIGR was used for exactly that purpose. The TIGR stored all the up to date information about patrols and the information related to all the locations covered by the troops. These information was then available to all other TIGR users of the U.S. military spread across Iraq. Therefore, because of this availability of information over a wide geographical area it is called a horizontal technology.

Q5. How helpful will TIGR be in future military campaigns? Explain your answer.

A5. The TIGR is a possible solution towards reducing the time gap between the sender and receiver of information. Since TIGR has somewhat reduced or so to say made everything more easier, so it will have a greater demand and will thus be used by others for war purpose in the future. With its successful GPS and capacity to update relevant data, it will soon overtake the previously used technologies. The soldiers who have used it earlier have praised it because it enabled them to monitor areas that has experienced IED activity previously. Hence taking all these into account, TIGR would be helpful in locating areas under attack previously, providing important and detailed information about those areas that was collected by others, as well as giving details of the experiences of the soldiers there.

MIS in Action

Q1. What is DARPA? What role does it play in developing U.S. military systems? A1. DARPA stands for Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. It is an agency working for the United States Department of Defence that is responsible for developing new

technologies to be used by the US military that would help them in warfare. The DARPA has played many important roles in developing some great technologies that have enabled the US to achieve much of the things that it has so far. Computer networking and the NLS would be a few of such technologies introduced by DARPA. Hence it wont be wrong to state that the role of DARPA is indeed great, and without which the US military might not have been as strong as they are today.

Q2. Pick out five different DARPA programs and write a brief description of how each would enhance the capabilities of the United States Armed Forces. If these projects are completed, what will be their impact on future US military operations?

A2. The five different types of DARPA programs are: a) Stealth Combat Aircraft: It makes difficult for conventional radar to detect its presence, hence this increases the odds of being attacked. b) Bio Sensors: DARPA is planning to build Biosensor Defense Systems that will be robust, autonomous, fast, and sensitive to any known bacterial or viral organism, as well as to novel natural or engineered biowarfare agents. Examples of two such are the TIGER and BioTOF. c) Arsenal Ship: The ship is envisioned to be a highly automated, missile-laden forwarddeployed platform which will be capable of providing not only fire support for ground forces ashore, but also theater air defense, and theater ballistic missile defense. d) DD-21 Zumwalt- Class Destroyer: It will be created with the focus on land attack. It is planned to feature a low radar profile; an integrated power system, automated firefighting system and many more. e) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: These have several uses such as electronic attack, strike missions, suppression and destruction of enemy air defense, network node or communications relay, combat research and rescue and many more.
References. No need to rummage through the mess in one's pockets.