Introduction: Why Military Adaptation?

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
David Barno ◽  
Nora Bensahel
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Us Military ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Future ◽  
Critical Components

The US military plans and thinks incessantly about wars and conflict—yet, like many organizations, it inevitably fails to foresee what comes next. That means that it must be able to successfully adapt to unforeseen circumstances in order to prevail on the battlefield. This introduction identifies the central question of this book: Is the US military adaptable enough to prevail in the wars of the 21st century? In order to answer that question, Part I of the book defines the term adaptation, identifies the three critical components of wartime adaptability, and illustrates those components through historical examples. Part II assesses US military adaptability in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including some key failures that have not yet been widely addressed. Part III argues that the US military is not sufficiently adaptable for the future conflicts it may face, and offers many recommendations for improvement.

Adaptation under Fire

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Barno ◽  
Nora Bensahel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
21St Century ◽  
The United States ◽  
Military Organizations ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Security Challenges ◽  
The Us ◽  
Precise Shape ◽  
The Face ◽  
Do So

Adaptation under Fire looks at the essential importance of military adaptation in winning wars. Every military must prepare for future wars despite inevitably having little confidence about the precise shape that those wars will take. As former US secretary of defense Robert Gates once noted, the United States has a perfect record in predicting the next war: “We have never once gotten it right.” Despite this uncertainty, military organizations still must make choices. They must determine the nature of doctrine they will need to fight effectively, the type of weaponry and equipment they must procure to defeat their potential foe, and the kind of leaders they must select and develop to guide the force to victory. Since the US military has global security responsibilities, it will have to make these choices without knowing when, where, or how the next war will unfold, or even who the enemy may be. It will need to adapt quickly and successfully in the face of the unexpected in order to prevail. The book starts by providing a framework for understanding adaptation and includes several historical examples of success and failure. The second part examines US military adaptation during the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and explains why certain forms of adaptation have proven so problematic. The final part argues that the US military must become more adaptable in order to successfully address the fast-changing security challenges of the 21st century, and concludes with some recommendations on how it should do so.

scholarly journals Embracing astrobiology

2004 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Malcolm Walter
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Interdisciplinary Research ◽  
Living Systems ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Space Agency ◽  
The Us ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
The Future ◽  
Life On Earth ◽  
The Universe

?Astrobiology? is a term popularised in 1998 by a decision of the US space agency NASA to establish the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI). The then Administrator of NASA, Daniel Goldin, declared that ?biology will be the science of the 21st century?. The NAI was established to promote research aimed at gaining a fundamental understanding of the full potential of living systems. Its goal is to understand how life begins and evolves, whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, and what the future holds for life on Earth and beyond. While such broadly interdisciplinary research is not entirely new, the NAI was to give it new vigour and new resources. And it has.

Interview with Peter W. Singer

2012 ◽  
Vol 94 (886) ◽  
pp. 467-481 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Brookings Institution ◽  
Military Industry ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Human Rights Organizations ◽  
Award Winning ◽  
Legal Challenges ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Way

Peter W. Singer is Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He is the author of three award winning books, Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry, Children at War, and Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century.1 He has served as a consultant with groups that range from the US military and FBI to human rights organizations.In this interview, Peter Singer explains to what extent and how new technologies change the way we think about going to war and the way we conduct war, as well as how they will impact the work of humanitarian actors. He shares his vision for the future, analyzing both the ethical and legal challenges that access to new advanced technologies poses and the opportunities it offers.

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