LAT: Technology Cuts 'Friendly Fire'

[DeepModem Mom]

Technology Cuts 'Friendly Fire'
Unmanned aircraft and careful planning gave U.S. Marines in Fallouja last fall real-time knowledge of their comrades' location.

By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer


FALLOUJA, Iraq — Improved technology and better planning before November's battle for Fallouja helped U.S. forces avoid the "friendly fire" casualties that have plagued other large-scale military operations, Marine Corps commanders say.

Col. John Coleman, chief of staff for the Camp Pendleton-based 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said new technology, rushed to Fallouja within days of the battle, allowed air and ground units to know the precise location of U.S. forces in real time. Among the improvements was better intelligence gathering by ScanEagle, the unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that circled Fallouja and continuously beamed back information on U.S. forces and the location and movement of insurgents.

"I know of no blue-on-blue incidents," said Coleman, using military parlance for cases of members of a military force mistakenly killing their own fighters.

In Fallouja, the chances for friendly-fire deaths were significant, as more than 10,000 Marines and soldiers and dozens of warplanes were involved in a crowded, fast-moving battle in an area roughly the size of a Southern California suburb.

The U.S. used several unmanned aircraft during the battle. Unheard and largely unseen, they broadcast information to forces on the ground, air units and top brass at a command post....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-friendly18jan18,0,7920975.story?coll=la-home-world

[Stella_Artois]

1. Shame about the civvies

Plenty of blue on brown.