Future Armies, Future Challenges: Land warfare in the information age

'As the early 21st century emerges as an era that is likely to be the most operationally demanding decade in Australian Army history since the Vietnam War of the early 1960s, I commend this excellent study to all those who seek understanding of the changing character of armed conflict.' - Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove, AC, MC, Chief of Army The war in Iraq has demonstrated that land warfare in the Information Age is infinitely more complex than in the past. Armed conflicts continue to break out and the international community is confronted with the threat of unrestricted warfare by terrorist groups and rogue states. Rapid change is challenging contemporary armies to keep pace with the strategic and operational demands that are being made of them. This book analyses the impact of the information age on future land warfare. It covers issues such as urban warfare; coalition operations; the revolution in military affairs; asymmetric warfare; close combat; peacekeeping; military training and recruiting; and the challenges posed by terrorism. Armies are being committed to a broad spectrum of land operations that range from humanitarian relief to full-scale warfare. At any stage along that continuum, soldiers can find themselves embroiled in lethal combat while trying to achieve political objectives and observing the rules of war. The expert analyses by some of the world's leading strategic thinkers on land warfare examine the operational, strategic and ethical conundrums that soldiers, their commanders and the societies they serve will have to wrestle with in the future.

Table of Contents:
Foreword - Lieutenant General Peter Cosgrove v Tables and figures ix Abbreviations x Contributors xii Introduction: Appointment in Samarra: Western strategic thought and the culture of risk 1 PART I: THE CHANGING SHAPE OF CONFLICT 1. The West's future foes: simplification and slaughter 17 2. Clausewitz's chameleon: military theory and practice in the early 21st century 26 3. Resurrecting transformation for the post-industrial era 46 4. Maritime strategy, land warfare and the revolution in naval affairs 64 5. Sharp corners: combat operations in urban areas 82 6. Land forces in 21st-century coalition operations: implications for the Asia-Pacific 96 PART II: FUTURE CHALLENGES 7. Creating a culture of velocity: the Western military mindset and the challenge of digitisation 129 8. Asymmetric warfare: myth or reality? 139 9. Whither the close battle - British Army operations: 2015 and beyond 158 10. A debate on the challenge posed by terrorism

About the Author :
Dr Michael Evans is Head of the Australian Army's Land Warfare Studies Centre. Dr Alan Ryan is Senior Research Fellow at that centre. Major Russell Parkin is an officer in the Australian Army with a doctorate in history.