EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AND MODERNIZING THE ARMY


FROM CANARY TO COMPUTER


Digital transformation and the modern CBRN bat tlespace.


by Vashelle Nino H


umankind has long sought innovative ways to circumvent threats to exis- tence, oftentimes modifying established solutions to suit a prevailing need. An exemplar of this innovation can be found in the evolution of chem- ical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defense from modest


beginnings to the present digital battlespace.


Perhaps the earliest incarnation of modern day CBRN defense traces back to 19th century coal mines, the setting of a vital but life-threatening industry. Te oxidation of coal produced carbon monoxide, a noxious and notoriously undetectable gas. Tis is how the high-flying, bright-feathered canary came to accompany coal miners deep into the mines. Teir sensitivity to (and subsequent death from) poisonous gas alerted their human counterparts to an airborne threat long before they would feel its effects. Tough a crude practice by today’s standards, miners came to see canaries as sentinels and protectors.


Tis primitive early-warning system was soon adopted by Soldiers during World War I, becoming one of our warfighters’ earliest attempts at CBRN detection and defense. Canaries became a highly valued asset on the battlefield—even appearing in war memoirs—and would go on to be used during the 1990’s Gulf War and by Iraqi civilians for potential chemical agent detection as recently as Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Still, canaries as CBRN detection devices had its drawbacks. For one, escape of a canary tipped off opposing forces nearby, compromising defense strategy. Also, many viewed use of these unsuspecting animals as an inhumane practice. But perhaps most crucial, it was a rudimentary solution traversing a landscape advancing toward the digital world and our rapidly changing modern battlespace.


https://asc.ar my.mil 19


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