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Russian troops are proving that cell phones in war zones are a very bad idea:
It’s been a nightmare scenario for U.S. commanders for years: An amphibious readiness group sails stealthily towards its objective, one reckless Marine or sailor goes topside and uses a personal cell phone to check Facebook, revealing the position of the assault ship. The Chinese or Russians quickly detect the cell phone signal in the middle of the ocean and realize they can’t miss. The enemy fires its anti-ship ballistic or cruise missiles at Pfc./Seaman Schmuckatelli as he posts a meme and suddenly the entire ship along with thousands of sailors and Marines are lying on the ocean floor.
To some, this type of scenario may seem as hyperbolic as warnings that wearing white socks in combat could give away your location to the enemy, but Russian troops in Ukraine have shown the perils of using cell phones in modern-day warzones.
The Ukrainians claim to have killed 12 general Russian officers since late February, in part because the Russians have resorted to using cell phones when their communications systems break down.
“It is not hard to geo-locate someone on a phone talking in the clear,” retired Army Gen. Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. Army Europe, told the New York Times.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 16 2022, @05:30PM
I was thinking the same thing at the beginning of March. But what is happening on the ground now doesn't really support that conclusion. Russian troops, who were always poorly prepared for this fight, are now refusing to attack and fragging their officers. Meanwhile, their officers seem committed to throwing any troops they can actually get to fight into doomed offensives. Something has gone wrong in their chain of command that not only doesn't allow them to admit defeat, it doesn't even allow them to regroup until they are better prepared. If they keep going this way, their army will completely shatter.