What technology tends to do is create a series of information bottlenecks. While it has the capability to greatly increase optempo, it also has the ability to slow actual reaction time greatly. This is because as information becomes easier to gather, higher levels develop a greater need to "see" everything. As more information flows up the chain, it quickly overwhelms the capability of people to absorb and evaluate it, so it lingers and often doesn't get to the people who need it.

With the increased flow of information comes the "need" of some higher formation commanders to try to control everything they can "see." The great anecdotal example of this is the Vietnam "charlie-charlie" bird. You have guys on the ground slogging through terrible terrain and the Brigade CO running the show from 500 feet yelling that the troops should "move faster" because it "doesn't look that bad from up here." All this combines to create Saint Carl's "friction," and results in units reacting much slower than they might otherwise.

But it doesn't have to happen that way. If you want some good examples of fairly fast turnaround enabled by technology, take a look at some SOG operations from the same period. Here the focus was on getting the job done, and often tech was used as a tool for that and not the master.

Technology makes it easier for the process to become the end instead of the process serving the end. And that's my take on that...for whatever it's worth...