Military Technical Revolution: A Structural Framework
Abstract
The new security environment has a number of distinguishing characteristics. The formerly dominant bipolar power structure now exists only artificially, in the nuclear balance. By every measure of usable power, economic and political as well as military, the world is at a thoroughly multilateral stage, albeit with a single and unquestioned lead actor: the United States. But more and more states in the developing world have the ability to challenge U.S. and allied military forces, a fact demonstrated repeated by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. From an intense focus on a single global threat, Western defense planning has moved to the more complex and varied task of analyzing and preparing for regional crises and wars involving a kaleidoscopic variety of potential aggressors and victims. In part it has done so because such operations may be more likely today than during the cold war, when the risk of escalation to superpower war lurked in all regional conflicts. This shift demands, among other things, forces that are more flexible and agile than those deployed during the cold war. It also requires better intelligence on the developing world, where most immediate military missions lie.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA263426
Entities
People
- Benjamin Ederington
- Jeffrey Shaffer
Organizations
- Center for Strategic and International Studies