Military Transformation and Strategy: Revolutions in Military Affairs and Small States

by Gow; James

• ISBN13: 9780415421102
• ISBN10: 0415421101
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-10
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book examines the current revolution in military affairs (RMA) that is underway as a result of rapid changes in information and communications technologies, looking at how the US experience can benefit smaller states' military transformations. It is important to note that to a large extent, the existing RMA literature remains an America-centric literature. Military Transformation and Strategy establishes an intellectual framework that can assist other, smaller powers in their respective approaches to this putative RMA. In as much as the RMA thesis is correct, this book will proceed on the assumption that all states will eventually have to address their respective RMA-driven military transformation agendas. But for all states outside of the US, how this transformation agenda looks like ? what its objectives are, how states are to undertake this process of transformation, the sorts of problems that they will likely face ? are difficult questions that the existing literature fails toprovide sufficient answers. This edited volume addresses this lacuna by establishing a body of literature that can address the peculiar conditions facing small states, and how the RMA literature can be adapted to suit their needs.

Table of Contents

Notes on contributors	p. xi
Introduction: revolutions in military affairs - theory and applicability to small armed forces	p. 1
Transformations and strategy	p. 13
Change and transformation in military affairs	p. 15
Biotechnology, military transformation and the future of war	p. 27
Managing the revolution in military affairs	p. 44
Transformations and operations	p. 63
The essentials of effects based operations	p. 65
The transformation of special operations forces in contemporary conflict	p. 80
Unmanned aerial vehicles: missions, challenges, and strategic implications for small and medium powers	p. 101
The RMA and "military operations other than war": a swift sword that cuts both ways	p. 114
Small navies and network-centric warfare: is there a role?	p. 129
Impediments to transformation	p. 143
Organizational culture and change: the revolution in military affairs, counterinsurgency, and the US Army	p. 145
Officer attitudes toward the revolution in military affairs	p. 167
Transforming organizational culture: lessons learned from a systems perspective	p. 179
Index	p. 197
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