Historical Guideposts for a Revolution in Military Affairs.
Abstract
The United States Armed Forces are in a period conducive to a Revolution in Military Affairs(RMA) and have developed operational concepts for implementing this RMA. However, all services are constrained in this implementation by limited resources. A historical look, from the operational level of war, at previous attempts to realize a RMA provides relevant 'lessons learned' for contemporary military leaders. An analysis of the French inter-World War and Soviet Cold War experiences provides several important insights to U.S. decisionmakers. First is the need to develop an overall operational concept that can be fully implemented with the resources available. French resources did not support implementation of their operational concept and led to defeat in 1940. The Soviets fully resourced their concept and it became an operational catalyst for the U.S.. Second is the need to educate military leaders at all levels to master innovative concepts and technologies. French close-mindedness in technological adaptation contrasts with the Soviet's effective manipulation of technology and force structure to maximize the possibilities of their concept. Third, is the importance of developing a command and control system that supports the operational concept. The French system sid not support their concept and was a major factor in their 1940 defeat. The Soviets recognized the inadequacies of their system and made the necessary changes to support their concept. These historical "lessons learned: can serve U.S. military leadership as decisionmaking guideposts in avoiding the mistakes of the past while realizing the benefits of a Revolution in Military Affairs.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA312161
Entities
People
- Frederic E. Abt
Organizations
- Naval War College