Russia Can’t Fight Ukraine at Night Because it Can’t Afford Night Vision

A U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. adjusts his night vision goggles on April 10, 2014 at Fort Dix, N.J. The New Jersey Army and Air National Guardsmen took part in a joint training exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Matt Hecht/Released)

In 1945, U.S. military scientists sent the first-ever American “night vision” devices to soldiers and Marines in the Pacific theater.

Parallel development of night vision systems occurred in Germany, but these devices, like many German technological advances, arrived too late to meaningfully change the outcome of the war.

For American soldiers in the Pacific, these clunky, infrared sniper scopes — also called “snooper-scopes” — were put to good use repelling Japanese assaults at night on Okinawa. Because only 300 were made available, they often went to the best snipers in a given unit.

By 1954, U.S. Field Manual 100–5, Field Service Regulations, Operations devoted considerable attention to night combat, discussing tactical and technical strengths and weaknesses of night operations, as well as special considerations for attack and defense.

Since WWII, the U.S. military has dominated night warfare — the Army even adopted the unofficial motto “We own the night.”

When I joined the Army infantry in the late 1990s, the unit I was assigned to in the 101st Airborne Division only performed operations at night. We used to have to run obstacle courses while wearing the now-ancient AN/PVS-7 night vision devices (NVDs).