Stardate 20030322.1200

(On Screen): Many have pointed out that this war is not being fought like any other ever before. A lot of expectations have been shattered.

One, for instance, was the certainty that there would be some sort of air preparation; the only debate was how long it would be. In 1991 it was six weeks; the consensus this time was that it would be somewhere between 3 and 10 days, with the most daring suggesting that perhaps the first ground movement would coincide with largescale bombing.

I don't recall anyone actually suggesting the possibility that the main phase of the bombing would begin two days after the first major ground attack.

Information-age war is something really new. And the thing I've seen which best epitomizes just how different, is the fact that CNN is keeping a running chart on their page here showing the number of surrenders.

That's important, but what may turn out to be even more important but difficult to monitor during the war will be desertions. Men who leave the ranks, and flee into population centers to hide. When you're running into units out in the field, there's little opportunity for that. But as we get closer to various cities, that will become more of a factor because there will actually be someplace for those men to go.