Summary
Disadvantages of revolution in military affairs
Revolution in military affairs (RMA) has several drawbacks despite its offer of US military supremacy. It does not sharpen the judgment of military leaders so that problems to which high technology is inapplicable, may remain unsolved. A miscalculation of conflicts could result in a possible confrontation with giant powers such as China and Russia. Policymakers should therefore be wary of possible but unexpected effects of RMA.See the full content of this document
Extract
The downside of the cutting edge.
The American military loves organizational tradition at the same time that it hungers for technological progress. Notwithstanding the stereotype of hidebound Colonel Blimps refusing to recognize revolutionary changes - army officers clinging to horse cavalry for decades after the invention of tanks, pooh-poohing the combat potential of aircraft in the face of Billy Mitchell's sinking of the Ostfriesland, and all the rest - military leadership is usually enthusiastic about technological innovation, as long as it is an add-on for which they do not have to give up other cherished equipment and doctrine.
This conservative progressivism, let us call it, is often quite sensible. It is alwa...See the full content of this document
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