US Infantry. From closing with and destroying the enemy to calling for fire.

via Defense 24.

Advanced defense projects agency DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) revealed that Americans are getting closer to the inclusion of soldiers operating in the land to a computer network, together with aircraft, vehicles, artillery systems, and even ships.
As it turns out the first effects sieciocentryczności programs are in place and are tested in combat. Disclosed, inter alia, that during action in Libya sent the Marines there in minicomputers used the GPS with a special electronic map, a small application KILSWITCH (Kinetic Software Integration Lightweight Individual Combat Tactical Handheld). This software allowed them under fire for easy determination indicating the targets and locate your nearest fire systems and sub-units.

Yeah.

Now I get it.

This is the tremendous firepower that General Mullen was referring to when he said that the combat power of the Marine Rifle Company today far outstripped that of the past.

Note:  I did a comparison of a Vietnam era rifle company's T/O&E versus what we have today.  Organically the Vietnam era unit had more firepower (Quite honestly with certain procurement decisions it can be said that the ORGANIC firepower of the Rifle Company and its ability to put weight of fire on a particular target has been going down steadily since the '80s).

So how are they going to accomplish this? Cooperative Engagement Capability.  The work behind the scenes with the air war by means of the Naval Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air (NIFC-CA) gets all the press but something similar is being done with providing fire for ground forces.

US Infantry is evolving.  We're moving from "closing with and destroying the enemy" to simply calling for fire.  How long before this is seen as an evolutionary dead end though?  I don't think this will work in an urban area.  I don't think it will work in the jungle.  In the desert?  AWESOME!  But there is a whole lot more world out there than just the deserts.

NOTE 1:  Why does it seem like DARPA is simply taking ideas that are already in progress and simply attempting to leapfrog them forward?  That's not DARPA hard...speeding evolution maybe but not advancing the art beyond what would occur naturally.