Overview

In light of the performance of American high-technology weapons in the 1991 Gulf War, many defence analysts have posited that we are on the threshold of a revolution in military affairs and the conduct of war. This text takes a more measured perspective, arguing that while important technological developments are in progress, the overall thrust of contemporary military innovation is probably not revolutionary in magnitude.

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A refreshing voice of sanity on a topic marked by more than the usual amount of overstatement, sophistry, and sheer fantasy. --Kenneth Allard, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 1/3/2001 O'Hanlon does well to liken the current period of defense innovation to the 1920s, and to underscore the importance of research and experimentation for the future American military. --Andrew Marshall, Director, Net Assessment, The Pentagon, The Pentagon This is an important book that provides a careful and nuanced perspective on trends in military technology and their implications for U.S. policy. O'Hanlon argues that it is not necessary for the Pentagon to invest in a whole new generation of weapons platforms because the mechanical technologies involved are not changing that fast, whereas he does see major change afoot in computers and the ability to network military systems to provide much greater effectiveness at modest cost. --Frank von Hippel, Princeton University, Princeton University O'Hanlon's book is a good starting point. --Thomas Hamilton, RAND Corporation, Armed Forces & Society, 7/1/2001

A refreshing voice of sanity on a topic marked by more than the usual amount of overstatement, sophistry, and sheer fantasy. -Kenneth Allard, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 1/3/2001 | O'Hanlon does well to liken the current period of defense innovation to the 1920s, and to underscore the importance of research and experimentation for the future American military. -Andrew Marshall, Director, Net Assessment, The Pentagon, The Pentagon | This is an important book that provides a careful and nuanced perspective on trends in military technology and their implications for U.S. policy. O'Hanlon argues that it is not necessary for the Pentagon to invest in a whole new generation of weapons platforms because the mechanical technologies involved are not changing that fast, whereas he does see major change afoot in computers and the ability to network military systems to provide much greater effectiveness at modest cost. -Frank von Hippel, Princeton University, Princeton University | O'Hanlon's book is a good starting point. -Thomas Hamilton, RAND Corporation, Armed Forces & Society, 7/1/2001

Author Information

Michael E. O'Hanlon is a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, where he holds the Sydney Stein Jr. Chair. His recent books include The Future of Arms Control (Brookings, 2005; with Michael A. Levi), Neither Star Wars nor Sanctuary (Brookings, 2004), and Crisis on the Korean Peninsula (McGraw Hill, 2003; with Mike Mochizuki).

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