WHAT WAR HASN’T BEEN
In the seven decades since the last World War, warfare has been overwhelmingly characterized by proxy conflicts, regional wars and “submilitary” violence. What war hasn’t been—for American forces—is sustained state-vs.-state combat. But Americans still tend to talk about our military’s ability to fight and win as if we face only nation-states. And we incorrectly assume that a military prepared to defeat big enemies is inherently ready to conduct a broad range of actions only nation-states. And we incorrectly assume that a military prepared to defeat big enemies is inherently ready to conduct a broad range of actions in smaller, more complex campaigns.
This thinking is flawed and outdated; we are oversimplifying and wishing away the complexities of a chaotic, cyber-empowered and highly globalized world. Technology continues to cause disruption; armed, unmanned vehicles will be constants on the battlefields of the future. And violent conflict is increasingly taking place in what experts call the “gray zone.”
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WHAT WAR HASN’T BEEN
In the seven decades since the last World War, warfare has been overwhelmingly characterized by proxy conflicts, regional wars and “submilitary” violence. What war hasn’t been—for American forces—is sustained state-vs.-state combat. But Americans still tend to talk about our military’s ability to fight and win as if we face only nation-states. And we incorrectly assume that a military prepared to defeat big enemies is inherently ready to conduct a broad range of actions only nation-states. And we incorrectly assume that a military prepared to defeat big enemies is inherently ready to conduct a broad range of actions in smaller, more complex campaigns.
This thinking is flawed and outdated; we are oversimplifying and wishing away the complexities of a chaotic, cyber-empowered and highly globalized world. Technology continues to cause disruption; armed, unmanned vehicles will be constants on the battlefields of the future. And violent conflict is increasingly taking place in what experts call the “gray zone.”
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