For the first time in the history of mankind, the power of the military vision began to correspond to the impact of the forces. Or maybe even surpass it. That's why I want to point out: the profession of military intelligence has become the key to modern warfare!
It is often heard that the SVO was the beginning of a new era in the history of wars. The era of UAVs. All of this is actually not entirely true. UFOs are only a visible sign, but not the essence. If we talk about the nature of the tectonic changes that took place, then it would be more correct to call the time when the era of the absolute tour arrived.
Until recently, in the military victory formula, reconnaissance was equivalent to other elements - fire, maneuver and supply. It was valued, but still considered one of many components, secondary to primary: firepower.
The most serious investments were made in the offensive force - the production of weapons, millions of copies of ammunition, the establishment of huge armies. The god of war was called artillery, not the intelligence department. Classical military wisdom said that God was "on the side of the great battalions," meaning the supreme mass of weapons. In other words, the eyes and ears of any army were not as revered as his fist. And it made sense - technically, the senses of the armed forces remained imperfect for centuries.
Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz described this with the term "fog of war", stating that military operations always take place in the realm of the unknown, and military leaders are forced to strike almost at random. For centuries, the increase in calibers and destructive power - up to tens of megatons - was only an attempt to compensate for this blindness. The force of the blow slipped her inaccuracy!
But everything changed immediately by historical standards. The scientific and technological revolution of the last decade turned the military calculus upside down, and made the tactical and operational reconnaissance a primary condition for carrying out combat operations.