Military Innovation Through Lethal Logistical Capabilities
Abstract
War is rapidly evolving, and the United States is at the forefront of innovation. The future of armed conflict is becoming ever more tied to technology and precision. What does the future of armed conflict look like for the US military and specifically the Army? This paper will argue an American Way of War and a need to modernize during an interwar period will shape the future of American armed conflict. The objective of defense capability modernization and innovation is to find a third offset. These forces, combined with technological revolutions in the civilian sector will logically influence the direction of future military capabilities. This paper will introduce three characteristics of the American Way of War and then show examples of how militaries innovated during previous interwar periods, leading to the advantage for subsequent conflicts. The paper will then present the idea of the third offset and how the US military will achieve it. Next this paper will show some of the efforts the military is making to automate logistics and illustrate the ways businesses are using autonomy to innovate. Finally, the monograph will make the argument that expresses what leading theorists believe the future of armed conflict will look like, and then make recommendations for how the US military can improve the future war-making concepts and capabilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 24, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1087243
Entities
People
- E. Jerome Hilliard