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The rapid pace of technological innovation is propelling revolutionary
change in U.S. defense strategy. "Within a decade," writes William C.
Martel, "the U.S. could destroy ballistic missiles; radically limit the number
of casualties; disrupt modern electronic weapons, telecommunications, power, and
banking systems; and wage wars from the relative safety of the homeland."
In The Technological Arsenal, Martel and a dozen contributors, all experts
who are actively involved in shaping U.S. defense policy, explore the ways in
which new defense technologies could change the nature of war and the basic foundation
of national and international security. The contributors
describe the development, analyze the capabilities, and measure the implications
of emerging technologies that will mature within the next five years and beyond,
organizing them in three broad categories: directed energy, targeting, and command
and control. Each chapter focuses on a specific technology that is already funded
or authorized by Congress. With several chapters on missile defense, the first
section includes discussions of airborne and space-based lasers and their uses
in communication, sensing, and destructive systems, as well as the applications
of high-energy microwave technology. The second section focuses on innovations
in targeting, for use in cruise missiles, unmanned reconnaissance systems, and
reusable space vehicles. The third section concentrates on the expanding opportunities
for computer and communications networks in military operations, directing and
controlling warfare from a distance, and disrupting the computer and communications
systems of a potential enemy. Without advocating specific
programs, The Technological Arsenal evaluates individual technologies and
their consequences for U.S. security as well as possible civilian development.
As Martel suggests in the concluding chapter, questions regarding the relationship
between advanced technologies and security have increasingly broad implications
as the margin by which U.S. technological capabilities exceed those of other states
continues to grow. William C. Martel is professor
of national security affairs at the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island,
and directs work on defense technology and policy matters for the Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency. He is the former director of the Center for Strategy
and Technology at the Air War College. |
