| Popis: |
Compared to the “sexier” kinetic weapons, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) is a less appreciated aspect of the forces build-up in the South China Sea. Yet its importance cannot be overstated. In the contemporary era of full-spectrum operations ranging from peace to war, ISR constitutes an indispensable force multiplier. Especially when armed services contend with the need to do more with fewer assets—and may even have less instead—ISR facilitates the deployment and employment of limited platforms which in today’s context have become more flexible and mobile yet may also be equipped and threatened by long-range standoff weapons. Simply put, ISR relates to not just the ability to detect, identify, track and engage targets of interest, but also allows the synthesis and sense-making of time-sensitive data, thereby contributing to decision-making from the strategic down to tactical levels, while denying the same to adversaries where applicable. ISR is multi-dimensional, dealing with not only the terrestrial elements: air, surface, and underwater; but also other domains such as space and increasingly, the cyberspace. And ISR is not merely confined to the electromagnetic spectrum because human intelligence (HUMINT) in particular also complements technical intelligence sources. That said, while kinetic assets are already costly to begin with, building the necessary ISR supporting infrastructure remains a complex undertaking. Unlike kinetic assets, the capability asymmetry between contending parties in the ISR realm can potentially be wider and more varied than expected, fraught with surprises and uncertainties. |
