Transformation and the war in Afghanistan / Alexander Salt.

Abstract

During the 1990s and early 2000s the US military was largely shaped by the concept of the revolution in military affairs (RMA) and subsequent force transformation process, which integrated new information and communication technologies, precision strike capabilities, doctrine, operational approaches, and force structures to allow the military to overcome new strategic challenges. Significant questions, however, have emerged regarding the utility of the RMA and transformation during hybrid wars, where the lines blur between conventional and irregular threats. This article examines the utility of transformation during the war in Afghanistan. It argues that a transformation-influenced "light footprint" of special operations forces and airpower has clear relevancy during present and future hybrid conflicts. This relevancy is enhanced when the use of the light footprint is paired with a clear and achievable war aim. 1 ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵ ✵A scrimmage in a Border Station-A canter down some dark defile Two thousand pounds of education Drops to a ten-rupee jezail. . . . Strike hard who cares-shoot straight who canThe odds are on the cheaper man. -Richard Kipling "Arithmetic on the Frontier" Alexander Salt is a PhD candidate at the University of Calgary's Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies. He holds an MA in political studies from the University of Manitoba (2014) and a BA with honors in history and political studies from Queen's University, Ontario (2010).