Murray State's Digital Commons Integrated Studies Center for Adult and Regional Education Fall 2017 The volutE ion of Communications in the Military as it Relates to Leadership Palmer Lipscomb [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/bis437 Recommended Citation Lipscomb, Palmer, "The vE olution of Communications in the Military as it Relates to Leadership" (2017). Integrated Studies. 90. https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/bis437/90 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Adult and Regional Education at Murray State's Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Integrated Studies by an authorized administrator of Murray State's Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 1 The Evolution of Communications in the Military as it Relates to Leadership By Palmer Lipscomb Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the Bachelor of Integrated Studies Degree Regional Academic Outreach Murray State University August 30, 2017 Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 2 Historical Project Proposal This project proposal will follow the “Design for a Historical Research Project” found in the BIS 437 Senior Project Guidelines. 1. This historical project will focus primarily on the United States military, but reserves the right to reference militaries of other nations throughout time. 2. The project will span a large amount of time in history. The intent is to show how military communications have evolved over time. To fully show the evolution of communications in the U.S military, this project will span from the inception of the U.S Army, as the oldest branch of the U.S military, in 1775 to present. 3. The most important questions that will be answered in the project are how communications have evolved over the history of the U.S military and what the relationship and effects communications have had on military leadership. The research will involve tactical communications as well as communications in leadership. 4. Primary sources will be from history books initially and as the project reaches into the modern era, i.e., the twentieth and twenty-first century, reference will come from peer- reviewed journals, writings from various U.S Army institutes of higher learning and military field manuals. The questions of how communications affect leadership in the military will be addressed. 5. Secondary sources will be individuals that have first-hand knowledge of communications in the military and have experienced the effects of leadership. 6. The sources will provide the necessary information to validate the evolution that has occurred in military communications since inception. Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 3 7. Due to the scope of time involved in the project, approximately five chapters will be needed. There will be four chapters dedicated to each century since the inception of the U.S military in 1775. There will also be a chapter dedicated to reflection and comparison of the evolution of communications and how effective or ineffective communications were in these different eras. Notes: Project formatting will include a Table of Contents, a references page, and appendices as required. MLA style was used for this proposal due to ease of format and space. ___________________________________ _____________ Palmer Lipscomb Date Advisee ___________________________________ _____________ Mrs. Regina Arnold Date Senior Project Adviser Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 4 Abstract The evolution of communications in the military as it relates to leadership will review the different means and methods of communications that have been used throughout U.S military history. This will be accomplished using a chronological format. Starting in the Revolutionary time when horseback riders and written communications were the primary means for commanders to relay orders to subordinates, through the invention of the telegraph, that was one of the most significant communications methods developed during the first one-hundred years of United States history. From the telegraph to wireless technology and finally to present day and the widespread use of satellite communications. A comparison of the effectiveness between interpersonal communications and technological methods for communicating will be made. Although it is hard to quantify, the effects on leadership will be discussed. This project is a learning experience in military history and technology. It will be interesting to see how communications within the military evolved. Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 Communications of the Eighteenth-Century Military 6 Chapter 2 Nineteenth Century Military Communications 14 Chapter 3 Twentieth Century 24 Chapter 4 Twenty-First Century 36 Chapter 5 Comparison and Reflection 49 References 57 Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 6 Chapter 1 For as long as there have been militaries, communications have been key to the success and failures of these militaries. The earliest recorded war was in Mesopotamia between Sumer and Elam in 2700 BCE. Records of this war were discovered carved in stone, so this would be a very early example of communications (Gabriel & Metz, 1992). Verbal communications would have been employed as well, but this civilization had just learned to write. Communicating with hand and arm signals would also have been used to control formations. To give a historical account of how militaries communicated back to ancient times would require much more time and space than is allotted. This chapter will focus on communications within the United States military from the time of inception in 1775, the beginning of the American Revolution, through the end of the century. The different means and methods of communications will be discussed and then determined if there was one method that was more effective than the other. The effect that different methods of communication had on leadership will be looked at also. This time frame will encompass several wars that the United States participated in, including many wars with France and Britain. The Industrial Revolution occurred during this period also, from approximately 1760 to 1840. The telegraph was invented in the 1830’s and 1840’s by Samuel Morse (Staff, Morse Code & the Telegraph, 2009). The span of time, the Industrial Revolution and experience in war contributed to the way communications in the military changed during this period. As tensions intensified between the colonies in the Americas’ and the British government abroad, the militias began to have clashes with the British soldiers. Eventually, this led to full- Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 7 scale war as the 13 colonies sought their independence from Britain (Staff, American Revolution History, 2009). General George Washington led the Continental Army against the British. Means and Methods The industrial revolution greatly enhanced the colonist’ ability to utilize resources that were abundant in North America. Coal was the fuel of choice and mining for coal started increasing dramatically. Coal use in 1700 was 2.7 million tons and by 1850 had increased to 50 million tons. Oil was being used for electricity while coal was used for heating and lighting. Once it was determined that oil could be extracted from the ground instead of from whales, oil production skyrocketed. Steele and iron were used to advance the capability of machinery which increased transportation, construction of bridges and better tools (Simmons, 2014). Better tools enabled craftsman to build items used in communications at a much greater pace. The effect of the industrial revolution on communications will be discussed later in chapter two. Before many technological advances were developed, there were other means of communications that have been used to communicate in the military. Voice. Voice communications have been and always will be the primary means to communicate with other military units. At a time when there were no telegraphs, telephones, computers, or satellites, people had to talk or write to relay information. Voice communications during the Revolutionary War may have appeared simple except for the fact that the colonies were being settled by not just the English, but also the French and Germans. The French fought primarily on the side of the colonist while the Germans were allied with the British. In one instance from the Battle of Brandywine, a German officer, Captain Johann Ewald wrote, that in the army’s advance, were sixty jaegers on foot, fifteen mounted jaegers, a company Highlanders, and a company of British light infantry. These units protected the army from Running head: THE EVOLUTION OF COMMUNICATIONS IN THE MILITARY. 8 ambush and cleared the way for the advance. There was no explanation of how this could be effective despite the language barrier. (Dunkerly, 2016) Societies have used hand gestures to communicate for thousands of years. Hand gestures are used to enhance or emphasize what is being communicated. Sign language was developed as a means to communicate with the deaf community in the 1500's. Hand and arm signaling. Hand and arm signaling are a means of communications that has been used since the beginning of warfare. Hand and arm signals can be used by themselves or in conjunction with voice communications. During the din of battle, soldiers cannot always hear commands from their leaders or between one another. In this instance, hand and arm signaling are used in concert with voice communications. When the need Figure 1 for stealth arose hand, and arm signaling would have Hand and Arm Signals been the preferred means to communicate between individuals and military units. This form of communications is especially effective when conducting reconnaissance missions or laying in ambush positions, and the need for silence is critical to the success of the mission.