Military Change & Transformation

Transforming Defense Dr Conrad C Crane Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This collection regroups papers and presentations from the conference into three categories: Historical Overviews of Transforming Defense, Transformation Plans and Barriers, and External Views of Transformation. Each section contains an introduction describing the essays that follow, as well as summarizing other relevant conference presentations and discussions bearing on the topic. If presenters did not produce a formal article for publication, their key arguments are still described in the introduction."

Rapid Decisive Operations: An Assumptions-Based Critique Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Technological innovation plays a paradoxical role in military transformation. With each problem it solves, technological innovation tends to introduce new challenges or complications. Operational concepts can partly reconcile these tensions by finding the optimal balance between technological strengths and weaknesses. In so doing, they perform two vital functions (integrating and stimulating) for military transformation."

AC/RC Integration: Today's Success and Transformation's Challenge Dr Dallas D Owens Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In the following monograph, Lieutenant Colonel Dallas Owens analyzes current integration programs and initiatives and evaluates them for their potential to resist transformation’s possible threat to AC/RC integration. His two-part analysis first addresses the continuity, logic, and effectiveness of the Army’s integration efforts and then turns to an examination of how historical experience with integration should direct future efforts."

W(h)ither Corps? Dr D Robert Worley Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Army transformation should not be a “one size fits all” process. Each of the Army’s surviving corps has a unique origin. Relevance to present and future conflict environments requires multiple destinations. Ultimately, separate transformations are required to move from distinct origins to diverse destinations."

The Information Revolution and National Security Mr Thomas E Copeland Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The current era has seen more rapid and extensive change than any time in human history. The profusion of information and the explosion of information technology is the driver, reshaping all aspects of social, political, cultural, and economic life. The effects of the information revolution are particularly profound in the realm of national security strategy. They are creating new opportunities for those who master them. The U.S. military, for instance, is exploring ways to seize information superiority during conflicts and thus gain decisive advantages over its opponents. But the information revolution also creates new security threats and vulnerabilities. No nation has made more effective use of the information revolution than the United States, but none is more dependent on information technology. To protect American security, then, military leaders and defense policymakers must understand the information revolution."

Technology and the 21st Century Battlefield: Recomplicating Moral Life for the Statesman and the Soldier COL Charles J Dunlap Jr Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Air Force Colonel Charles Dunlap starts from the traditional American notion that technology might offer a way to decrease the horror and suffering of warfare. He points out that historically this assumption is flawed in that past technological advances, from gunpowder weapons to bombers, have only made warfare more—not less—bloody. With a relentless logic, Colonel Dunlap takes to task those who say that the Revolution in Military Affairs has the potential to make war less bloody."

Nonlethality and American Land Power: Strategic Context and Operational Concepts Prof Douglas C Lovelace Jr, Dr Steven Metz Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Within the U.S. Army, this is a time of both excitement and challenge. As immense change takes place in the global security environment, American land power must be adapted to assure it can continue to protect and promote national interests into the 21st century. This requires the development and integration of a range of new technologies, concepts, and organizations. Among these, nonlethality—using armed force in a way that minimizes casualties—shows promise for specialized applications."

Evolutionary Technology in the Current Revolution in Military Affairs: The Army Tactical Command and Control System Ms. Elizabeth A. Stanley Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Ms. Elizabeth A. Stanley analyzes developments in the Army Tactical Command and Control System as a vehicle for assessing the U.S. Army's strategy for exploiting information age technologies. Her analysis will be of great value to those interested in several dimensions of military modernization, in particular whether we are amid a revolution in military affairs (RMA) or something less profound. If it is an RMA, then how well are we in the Army seizing the opportunities it presents?"

The Strategist and the Web Revisited: An Updated Guide to Internet Resources LTC James Kievit, Dr Steven Metz Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "For analysts or planners attempting to craft appropriate, timely solutions to strategic problems, the ability to collect information rapidly and to evaluate its relevance and validity is a crucial skill. Computers linked via the Internet can offer timely access to millions of documents and files on a vast range of topics, and the number of documents available increases on a daily basis. But to make maximum use of the Internet as a research tool, researchers must understand it. And analysts trained in library, archive, and word-of-mouth research must learn where to look for salient electronic information."