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Battle Plan Under Fire
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Program Overview
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Note:
This program contains graphic war images that may be upsetting to
students. Please preview it to assess its suitability for your
classroom. Due to the sensitive nature of this program, there will
be no companion teacher's guide.
NOVA reviews the evolution of a U.S. military philosophy known as
"transformation," in which high-tech equipment and highly networked
armed forces are transforming the way America fights wars.
The program:
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profiles the Stryker, a $2 million vehicle equipped with a
state-of-the-art video system, thermal imaging, and live data
connection.
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relates the three key elements of the transformation philosophy:
knowledge, speed, and precision.
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details some of the technologies fast-tracked by the Combating
Terrorism Technology Task Force formed after September 11, 2001,
including new bomb detectors, electronic translators, and a
thermobaric bomb.
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shows the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle to locate and
deliver real-time video of targets that are destroyed by U.S.
forces.
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reviews a key doctrine of transformation known as
"network-centric warfare," a strategy that networks U.S.
military branches as never before.
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summarizes the Millennium Challenge 2002, a $250 million war
game conducted in the summer of 2002.
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explains how the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency created
detailed maps for the mock battle.
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recounts an incident when Blue Force Tracking, which helps
identify battlefield combatants, failed during the Marines move
to take over An-Nasiriya.
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describes a "thousand-pound bomb" that breaks apart into
successively smaller bombs, and shows the munitions destroying a
row of Iraqi tanks.
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questions technology's effectiveness against guerrilla forces
and reviews technologies currently being developed to fight
insurgents.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program
is taped off the air.
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