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Recognizing and Understanding Revolutionary Change in Warfare: The Sovereignty of Context

Authored by Dr. Colin S. Gray.

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+[Change in Warfare] +[Gray] +[Irregular Challenges] +[Force Management] +[Transformation]

Brief Synopsis

The author provides a critical audit of the great RMA debate and of some actual RMA behavior and warns against a transformation that is highly potent only in a narrow range of strategic cases. He warns that the military effectiveness of a process of revolutionary change in a "way of war" can only be judged by the test of battle, and possibly not even then, if the terms of combat are very heavily weighted in favor of the United States. On balance, the concept of revolutionary change is found to be quite useful, provided it is employed and applied with some reservations and in a manner that allows for flexibility and adaptability. The contexts of warfare, especially the political, determine how effective a transforming military establishment will be.

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Also by the Author/Editor:

Making Strategic Sense of Cyber Power: Why the Sky Is Not Falling
Categorical Confusion? The Strategic Implications of Recognizing Challenges Either as Irregular or Traditional
Hard Power and Soft Power: The Utility of Military Force as an Instrument of Policy in the 21st Century
Schools for Strategy: Teaching Strategy for 21st Century Conflict
After Iraq: The Search for a Sustainable National Security Strategy
The Implications of Preemptive and Preventive War Doctrines: A Reconsideration
Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt?
Transformation and Strategic Surprise

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Military Change and Transformation