The revolution in military affairs: Its driving forces, elements, and complexity

Abstract

The current concept of a ''revolution in military affairs'' (RMA) mainly characterizes the transformation of the US military to smaller, more lethal forces. It is driven by structural changes in the international system, the high investment in R&D and military expenditures by the US government, the dramatic advancements in information and communication technologies, and the integration of these military, doctrinal, and technological factors into new military structures and tactics. This current revolution in American affairs has been a capital-intensive evolution, and while these innovations have lead to tactical victories over opposing forces on the battlefield, it is not yet clear that they have contributed to stability in the larger strategic context. Indeed, even the tactical advantages are eroding as potential and existing opponents retool their own military doctrines. The strategic response runs the length of technological spectrum, from the development of countermeasures such as in the proliferation of WMD to the development of effective low-tech warfare strategies and tactics like IEDs detonated by cell phone. The proliferation of conventional weapons combines with the adaptation of new asymmetric tactics to offer a particularly grim forecast of the future. The Iraqi war demonstrates that the fog of war is not overcome, nor are wars fought with precision-guided munitions necessarily ''clean.'' In short, the sophisticated weapons and communications platforms of RMA are no panacea for the ills of the modern world. The key task for the globalized world is first and foremost to develop strategies to win the ''hearts and minds'' of people in zones of violent conflict. The inclusion of civil society is a basic element, and armed forces should seek the dialogue with the civil society before it comes to war. Moreover, efforts must be redoubled to develop new methods for effective arms control.

Critical Geopolitics and the Control of Arms in the 21st Century

“…The long-standing arguments about innovation and technologies with potential weapon uses remain unavoidable in the discussions of security. 34 People remain essential in warfare and where counter insurgency campaigns are concerned the RMA cannot provide a technical fix, neither can arms control regimes prevent the spread of potentially dangerous technologies. This is now becoming an ever more difficult issue given the rapid expansion of the use of robotic devices by military forces, and the potential for many dual use technologies.…”

Communication Analysis of Network‐Centric Warfare via Transformation of System of Systems Model into Integrated System Model Using Neural Network

“…The objective of this case study is to demonstrate how much the proposed method improves the accuracy compared to the existing method while conducting the transformation of the SoS-based NCW [42,43]. Also, this paper compares the simulation speeds before and after the transformation.…”

Simulation‐Based Optimization on the System‐of‐Systems Model via Model Transformation and Genetic Algorithm: A Case Study of Network‐Centric Warfare

“…That is, without proper communication, the combat commander cannot obtain detection information and forward appropriate attack orders to combat entities. Such a battlefield environment based on communication systems is called network-centric warfare (NCW) [1,2]. Many researchers in the defense modeling and simulation (DM&S) domain have recognized the importance of NCW and have tried to analyze combat systems using war game simulators reflecting the effects of communication.…”