Mosaic Warfare

| March 24, 2020

A DARPA illustration showing Mosaic warfare in action. (DARPA)

Even before joining the military, many of us were familiar with the race to develop better weapons and tactics. America’s performance and victory during the Gulf War surprised/stunned our enemies and adversaries. A few years later, a couple of Chinese colonels wrote a book called “Unrestricted Warfare”. In the book, they cover topics on how a weaker nation could defeat a stronger nation. The authors credited the United States’ ability to use a form of “unrestricted warfare” during the Gulf War.

However, the Chinese and Russians have studied our actions during the Gulf War, and during the wars in the 21st century. As expected, they developed and evolved their own military and tactics to attempt to counter our advantage. However, the United States is not standing still. In one of the latest efforts to stay ahead, the US is developing a new concept of warfare.

Here are a couple of videos explaining the concept. The first one is a short video from The Infographics Show on YouTube, and the second one is from DARPA.

From The Infographics Show (YouTube):

From DARPA:

Additionally, DARPA has a PDF document as well as a detailed article on Mosaic warfare.

Category: Military issues

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Skippy

What the Russians did in Crimea with a few
Special warfare operators to me was a wake up
On the power of a well trained SF units
And tactics and sowing existing discord

Jus Bill

I sense yet another Contractor Pot O’Gold…

Combat Historian

This may be a JAG/SJA’s dream come true. Only the mil lawers will know the complex situational ROEs involved in this automated hodgepodge, and will probably demand full control of the password and push button controls to operate and execute anything and everything…

JAG empire building Uber Alles…

Ret_25X

trust me, the SJA types are less than useless in this doctrine…

Forest Green

The JAG office should be the first drone target.

Roh-Dog

JAGoffs are near the lower rungs of POGdom, ranked lower than a PAC clerk that loses bonus paperwork.

rgr769

The only rung above the JAGoffs is the one for Civil Affairs officers.

Roh-Dog

One of these days Operation Ball of Soccer will be a success, Op BS LXVIII had some issues, the next one will leave a good taste in everyone’s mouth!
Fucking CA…

Toxic Deplorable Racist SAH B Woodman

Above? Or below?

rgr769

Actually, slightly below a jag, cuz we need JAGoffs for court martials and to draft wills.

Ret_25X

it’s only airlandbattle dressed up as a transgender clown

Roh-Dog

I went through Stryker refit/reorg with 2 BDE 25th ID. During the brief the Big Army General said something to the effect, “the Stryker MTOE will lead to better battlefield implementation of forces by flattening Command during critical Operations through enhanced connectivity”. Stupid new-Sergeant me thought, “Wow! We’ll be put on ad hoc HTV/door kicking SF/Ranger-type shit! That’ll be bad ass!!!”
What it really happened? Getting yelled at by Brigade Command for speeding, taking black/red routes, and ‘not patrolling enough’.
Always be careful of what you wish for.

The Other Whitey

That’s a lot of big words said by the Big Army general. Did they actually mean anything?

Roh-Dog

Yeah, PCC/PCIs went from checking pen, paper, mags and radio to hours of filling nonoperational battlefield trackers and days of PMCS on tin cans.
Technology and Gruntery don’t mix.

The Other Whitey

“But this thing was supposed to be idiot-proof!”

“Yeah, but it obviously wasn’t firefighter-proof.”

—Commonly-heard refrain in fire stations, service centers, and chief’s offices across the land.

SFC D

I used to think nobody could fuck things up like a Soldier.

Then I retired and went to work for the Border Patrol. Holy shit.

A Proud Infidel®™

“But this thing was supposed to be idiot-proof!”

Every time that’s said, the World comes up with a bigger idiot!

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Some dudes take that phrase “idiot proof” as a challenge my friends…

Don’t ask me how I know…

timactual

” flattening Command during critical Operations through enhanced connectivity” ”

Which means the Brigade commander can give orders to platoons, whose commanders assume said order has been communicated to their company commanders, but that is the battalion commander’s job and he is busy with his S-3 making his own plans for what he thinks of as “his” companies.

SFC D

Hey! I worked in that S-3 shop!

Grunt

Golden Dragon, by chance?

Roh-Dog

Gimlet. B, C and HHC 1/21 IN, 2002-2009.
Castle Greyskull is a prison with no walls and all the guards are sadists.
I miss it.

11B-Mailclerk

Gimlets!
HHC 2-21 86-87.

Roh-Dog

Bore Brother Bore!

5th/77th FA

Here’s a novel idea, while we’re talking about novel ideas. Tell any potential enemy that if they attack us, we will bring every weapon in our arsenal to bear. Every. single. one!

Remember too, when we talk about cheap imitation knockoffs; quantity is often a quality in itself. Our enemies do not want to destroy our land, they want to conquer the land…and the people. One reason why missile fields and major bases were placed in the ‘breadbaskets.” The ChiComs can turn out copied products all day, but are still having problems feeding their people. I agree with other comments, some of this is a Defense Contractors wet dream. The only ROE should be; there is NO ROE. Take the fight to the enemy, kick him til he’s down, then kick him again. There is no time for half measures in warfare and give the warrior the unfettered use of every weapon you have.

SFC D

Is that you, GEN Patton? Is this me?

5th/77th FA

I’m back you Magnificent Bastards! I read Rommel’s book. And then I made the corrections to it. Don’t make me slap somebody! signed…George Smith Patton!

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Oderint Dum Metuant as the Romans used to say…..

Let Them Hate, So Long As They Fear

26Limabeans

You can’t go outside the wire on a laptop.

Roh-Dog

You’re being rayciss ‘gainst REMFs?
This is ‘current year’ bro.

rgr769

But years later, many a REMF/POG can pretend he did.

SCPO USN Ret.

And turn up on this site as a Phony (fill in the blank).

SFC D

I ran a shitload of fiber out the gate at Speicher, does that count?

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Sounds high speed from here…

Sapper3307

Is mosaic warfare anything like Pixel videos from japan?

Devtun

There was an article I saw in the UK Sun about Chinese gov’t officials complaining that all Chinese boys want to do is eat, sleep, play video games, and watch Japanese pr0n… er, erotic videos.

timactual

Meh. I am sure it is very transformational. Oh, sorry, I am a bit out of date. That was a few fashion seasons ago.

Slow Joe

Make everything unclassified, so our enemies can read it all.

11B-Mailclerk

On the other hand, think of all the classified Good Idea Fairy crap we could inflict on -them-!

Let’s start with “Pentomic Division”. Re-label it as “BattleBastion” and de-classify it from TS/SCI.

That would probably class as a war crime, but C’est la Guerre.

Combat Historian

Is this just another iteration of “Effects Based Operations” (EBO)? Back in 2005-06 when I was assigned to USJFCOM before my Iraq and PACOM tours, EBO was all the rage at JFCOM as the new paradigm for future operations for U.S. and western military forces and doctrines. Problem was nobody really understood what the heck it really was, including those at JFCOM who crafted the whole thing. The Israelis tried to apply EBO against Hezbollah during the 2006 war in Lebanon and ended up with an ugly clusterfuck before tucking their tail and ending the mess. Turns out the Israeli Chairman of the General Staff at the time (the first Air Force guy to be IDF chief) really had no firm idea what EBO was either, and was soon canned and relieved of his job. When Gen Mattis took command of JFCOM in late 2007, he got rid of the whole EBO doctrine, and eventually got rid of JFCOM as well…

Ret_25X

It looks like it. I have been reading about some of this stuff over the past year and the base is still the airlandbattle doctrine employed down to squad/team level where possible.

AW1Ed

A Zoomie, a Squid and a Doggy walk into a bar, and the contractor bar keep asks “What’ll it be this time, gents?”

Roh-Dog

Is there a punchline? Where is the Marine and his crayons?

AW1Ed

“Same old shit in a new glass, barkeep. Don’t mind the Jar Head, he’s trying to figure out why the blue crayons taste the same as the green ones. Just keep your hands clear.”

Roh-Dog

I was hoping for a Zoomie covered in some sort of bodily fluid while two Grunts have their way with the Squid’s lady.
“What do you call this act?!”
“The Aristocrats!”
Next time I guess…

AW1Ed

Oh just great. Another one in the “WTF am I gonna do with you” locker with the Gun Bunny.
I hope you two make a happy couple.

*grin*

MI Ranger

The Marines are hoping on the “New Way of Doing Things” bandwagon. Looking to a HIC in the Pacific:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/23/marines-shut-down-all-tank-units-cut-infantry-battalions-major-overhaul.html
While some will say WTF, I think this is the Marines taking a deep look at how a HIC will play out in the Pacific, and realizing they are not the Army. They need to fill the gaps the Army does not do, and the Navy can’t do to hold ground. Specifically they need something more agile than a tank, that can really reach out and touch someone. Helos are slow and easy targets, and drones are the way of the future, but they do need something to quickly jump from island to island! Ecronoplane like? Obviously not as big, but the ground effect idea. And Anti-ship missiles to hold the fort.