This book explains how the US military reacted to the
'Revolution in Military Affairs' (RMA), and failed to innovate its
organization or doctrine to match the technological breakthroughs
it brought about.
Many called for the transformation of the US military in the
years after the end of the Cold War, seeking the changes in
organization and doctrine that would complete the RMA innovation
and a commitment to counter-insurgency, peace keeping and nation
building missions. This volume describes the origins, uses, and
limits of the RMA technologies, examines how each of the five US
armed services (categorising the Special Operations as a separate
service) made their adjustments both to the technologies and the
use of force, and how the role of the civilian officials and the
defense industry altered in this process of change and avoidance of
change.
The book examines the internal politics of the services as well
as civil/military relations to identify the external pressures on
the services for significant change in their doctrine and weapons.
Many have noted the failure of the services to innovate in what can
be called the 'Second Inter-war Period' (the years after the Cold
War). This book offers explanations for this failure and arguments
about the possible range and desirability of military innovation in
the post-Cold war era.
This book will be of great interest to students of strategic
studies, US defence politics, military studies, and US
politics.
Harvey M. Sapolsky is Professor of Public Policy and
Organization in the Department of Political Science at MIT and
former Director of the Security Studies Program. Benjamin H.
Friedman is a Research Fellow in Defense and Homeland Security
Studies at the Cato Institute and a Ph.D. Candidate in Political
Science at MIT. Brendan Green is a Ph.D. Candidate in Political
Science at MIT and an affiliate of the Security Studies
Program.
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