Revolution in Military Affairs: The United States and Its Big Competitors

PDF (English)
Publicado: Δεκ 29, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/hapscpbs.29500
Argyris Chatziilias
Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
Resumen

The term “Revolution in Military Affairs” (RMA) has been one of the most significant areas of study for international relations scholars during the last seventy years. Its interpretation is debatable. This paper, after approaching the matter theoretically, seeks to underline the main weaknesses of the American RMA along with their implications against the efforts of its main competitors, Russia, and China. The two, in the age of information technology, try to undermine their competitor’s advantages and manage to accomplish their own breakthrough in the field, with each displaying its own unique approach to the matter. Going full circle, some recommendations are suggested for the United States at the end.

Article Details
  • Sección
  • Articles
Creative Commons License

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución 4.0.

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Descargas
Los datos de descargas todavía no están disponibles.
Biografía del autor/a
Argyris Chatziilias, Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
Department of International and European Studies, University of Piraeus, Greece
Citas
Adamsky, D. P. (2008). Through the Looking Glass: The Soviet Military-Technical Revolution and the American Revolution in Military Affairs. Journal of Strategic Studies, 31(2), 257–294.
Bitzinger, A. (2017). Chinese A2/AD Capabilities and the US Third Offset Strategy. In: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Countering Anti-Access/ Area Denial Challenges Strategies and Capabilities. Available at: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ER180424_Countering-Anti-Access.pdf (Accessed: 12/11/2021).
Bonds, T., Predd, J., Heath, T., Chase, M., Johnson, M., Lostumbo, M., Bonomo, J., Mane, M., & Steinberg, P. (2017). What Role Can Land-Based, Multi-Domain Anti-Access/Area Denial Forces Play in Deterring or Defeating Aggression?. Rand Corporation.
Brose, C. (2019). The New Revolution in Military Affairs: War’s Sci-Fi Future. Foreign Affairs, May 14. Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2019-04-16/new-revolution-military-affairs (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Cheung, T. M. (2021). A conceptual framework of defence innovation. Journal of Strategic Studies, 1–27.
Defence Intelligence Agency (2019). China Military Power Modernizing a Force to Fight and Win. Available at: https://www.dia.mil/Portals/27/Documents/News/Military%20Power%20Publications/China_Military_Power_FINAL_5MB_20190103.pdf (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Deni, J. R. (2018). Current Russia military affairs: Assessing and countering Russian strategy, operational planning and modernisation. Strategic Studies Institute. Available at: https://publications.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/3545.pdf (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Ding, A. S. (2008). China’s Revolution in Military Affairs: An Uphill Endeavour. Security Challenges, 4(6), 81–99.
Dombrowski, P. (2015). America’s Third Offset Strategy: New Military Technologies And Implications For The Asia Pacific. S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Available at: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/191706/PR150608Americas-Third-Offset-Strategy.pdf (Accessed: 11/11/2021).
FitzGerald, M. C. (1994). The Russian military’s strategy for “sixth generation” warfare. Orbis, 38(3), 457–476.
Freedman, L. (2017). The Future of War: A History (1st ed.). PublicAffairs.
Garamone, J. (2021). Dunford Urges Congress to Protect U.S. Competitive Advantage. August 24, U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/1211668/dunford-urges-congress-to-protect-US-competitive-advantage/ (Accessed: 20/09/2021).
Gholz, E. & Sapolsky, H. M. (2021). The defense innovation machine: Why the U.S. will remain on the cutting edge. Journal of Strategic Studies, 1–19.
Goldman, E. & Mahnken, T. (2004). The Information Revolution in Military Affairs in Asia. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hundley, R. O. (1999). Past Revolutions, Future Transformations: What Can the History of Military Revolutions in Military Affairs Tell Us About Transforming the U.S. Military? RAND Corporation.
Ji, Y. (1999). The Revolution in Military Affairs and the Evolution of China's Strategic Thinking. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 21(3), 344–364.
Kak, K. (2000). Revolution in military affairs—An appraisal. Strategic Analysis, 24(1), 5–16.
Kania, E. B. (2021). Artificial intelligence in China’s revolution in military affairs. Journal of Strategic Studies, 44(4), 515–542.
Knox, M. & Murray, W. (2001). The Dynamics of Military Revolution, 1300–2050. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Krepinevich, A. F. (2002). The Military-Technical Revolution: A Preliminary Assessment. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Available at: https://csbaonline.org/uploads/documents/2002.10.02-Military-Technical-Revolution.pdf (Accessed: 20/10/2021).
Liao, K. (2020). The future war studies community and the Chinese revolution in military affairs. International Affairs, 96(5), 1327–1346.
Loo, B. (2017). The Military Balance in Southeast Asia and A2/AD. In: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Countering Anti-Access/ Area Denial Challenges Strategies and Capabilities. Available at: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ER180424_Countering-Anti-Access.pdf (Accessed: 10/10/2021).
Martinage, R. (2014). Towards a New Offset Strategy Exploiting U.S. Long-Term Advantage To Restore U.S. Global Power Projection Capability. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Available at: https://csbaonline.org/uploads/documents/Offset-Strategy-Web.pdf (Accessed: 10/10/2021).
Neuneck, G. & Alwardt, C. (2008). The Revolution in Military Affairs, its Driving Forces, Elements and Complexity. Interdisciplinary Research Group on Disarmament, Arms Control and Risk Technologies, Working Paper 13. Available at: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/94728/wp_13.pdf (Accessed; 10/09/2021).
Owens, M. T. (1998). Technology, the RMA, and Future War. Strategic Review, Spring 1998: 63-70
Palmer, D. A. R. (2015). Back to the Future? Russia’s Hybrid Warfare, Revolutions in Military Affairs, and Cold War Comparisons. Research Division - NATO Defense College, Research Paper No. 120. Available at: https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/194718/rp_120.pdf (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Pellerin, C. (2016). Advanced Tech, New Operational Constructs Underlie Third Offset Strategy. November 3, U.S. Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/Explore/News/Article/Article/995201/advanced-tech-new-operational-constructs-underlie-third-offset-strategy/ (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Platias, A. & Koliopoulos, K. (2015). The art of war of Sun Tzu. Athens: Diavlos [in Greek].
Pretorius, J. (2011). Revolution In Military Affairs, Missile Defence And Weapons In Space: The US Strategic Triad. Scientia Militaria. South African Journal of Military Studies, 33(1).
Raska, M. (2017). Conceptualizing the A2/AD Debate: Perspectives, Responses, and Challenges. In: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Countering Anti-Access/ Area Denial Challenges Strategies and Capabilities. Available at: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/ER180424_Countering-Anti-Access.pdf (Accessed: 11/11/2021).
Resende‐Santos, J. (1996). Anarchy and the emulation of military systems: Military organization and technology in South America, 1870–1930. Security Studies, 5(3), 193–260.
Rogers, C. J. (2000). "Military Revolutions" and "Revolutions in Military Affairs'': A Historian's Perspective. In: Gongora, T., & Riekhoff, V. H. (2000). Toward a Revolution in Military Affairs? Defense and Security at the Dawn of the Twenty-First Century (Contributions in Military St.; 197). Praeger.
Rumer, E. (2019). The Primakov (Not Gerasimov) Doctrine in Action. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Available at: https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Rumer_PrimakovDoctrine_final1.pdf (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Rumsfeld, D. H. (2021). Transforming the Military. August 9, Foreign Affairs. Available at: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2002-05-01/transforming-military (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Shalikashvili, J. M. (1996). Joint vision 2010. US Government printing office. Available at: https://www.usni.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/JV2010.PDF (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Shelton, H. H. (2000). Joint vision 2020. US Government Printing Office. Available at: http://pentagonus.ru/doc/JV2020.pdf (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Shimko, K. L. (2010). The Iraq Wars and America’s Military Revolution. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sloan, E. C. (2002). The Revolution in Military Affairs Implications for Canada and NATO. McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Thornton, R., & Miron, M. (2020). Towards the ‘Third Revolution in Military Affairs’. The RUSI Journal, 165(3), 12–21.
Toffler, A. A. H. (1995). War and Anti-War - Making Sense of Today’s Global Chaos (New Ed). New York: Warner Books.
Ullman, H. K. & Wade, J. P. (2017). Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance. Pinnacle Press.
Waltz, K. (1979). Theory of International Politics. London: Addison-Wesley.
Watts, B. D. (2011). The Maturing Revolution in Military Affairs. Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. Available at: https://csbaonline.org/uploads/documents/2011.06.02-Maturing-Revolution-In-Military-Affairs1.pdf (Accessed: 12/11/2021).
Webster, G., Creemers, R., Triolo, P., & Kania, E. (2017). Full Translation: China’s “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan”, August 1, 2017, New America. Available at: https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/full-translation-chinas-new-generation-artificial-intelligence-development-plan-2017/ (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Work, B. (2016). Remarks by Deputy Secretary Work on Third Offset Strategy. April 28, US Department of Defense. Available at: https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Speeches/Speech/Article/753482/remarks-by-deputy-secretary-work-on-third-offset-strategy/ (Accessed: 10/11/2021).
Wortzel, L. M. (2008). The Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Space Warfare. Astropolitics, 6(2), 112–137.