Telecommunications for Defense

Abstract

Telecommunications evolutions have always influenced battlefields, and the rhythm has recently accelerated. Between 1853 and 1856, during the Crimea War, telegraphy allowed armies to coordinate their movements and inform the political power. In 1905, admiral Togo is informed of every movement of the Russian fleet and wins a decisive victory in the Tsushima straits. In 1940, the tank and plane tandem communicate and coordinate themselves, thus providing an advantage to German troops and panzer divisions. Those three examples illustrate the fact that telecommunications have always given an advantage, from the tactic to the strategic level, to the party that could use it better or earlier than the opposite force.