Does every army in every country have a different uniform? Or do they all wear camouflaged suits or something.
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This is indeed a huge problem in warfare. It has been a big problem forever, of course, but especially in modern high-speed dynamic warfare, where there often aren’t clear lines of engagement, where long-range weapons systems are extremely powerful, and consequently camouflage and force concealment is a top priority.
The US military’s solution is called “[Blue Force Tracking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_force_tracking)” (because in traditional military planning, friendly forces are “blue” and enemy forces are “red”). The idea is that you put GPS radio signal markers on all of your friendly units, and then you can track them all on a big ol’ computer system and know where everything of yours is at all times, so you never get confused.
And of course, you track the enemy as well, through satellite and aerial imaging, signal intelligence and analysis (SIGINT in technical jargon), and every other tool to collect battlefield telemetry and intelligence.
When it all works right, it’s amazing and it wins you wars. Not only do you prevent friendly-fire accidents, but you can also coordinate and deploy your forces with much greater efficiency and speed, because you know exactly where everything is at all times. It’s a strategist’s dream.
Every country would like to do something similar, and tries their best with whatever technology systems they have. But of course the US has billions of dollars to throw around to make sure its systems are the best of the best.
Some people think the US is doing all this battlefield intel for Ukraine right now, which would certainly help explain why the Ukrainians have been so much better at coordinating their forces than the Russians have been. Top level people aren’t saying anything publicly about it, of course.
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