BOOK REVIEW
The Magic Bullet?
Understanding the Revolution in Military Affairs
by Tim Benbow.
This title is not aimed at wargamers, but it is worth a look by anyone with a general interest in military science. It examines the idea of the RMA (Revolution in Military Affairs) and asks the question: "Are we in the middle of one, and if so, what are the implications?"
The author begins by asking if there is such a thing as a military revolution. This is not just an academic question of course - it's of key interest to the military themselves. No-one wants to get caught with obsolete technology and tactics, as the consequences are quite literally fatal. The author continues to list the various historical military revolutions that have been identified. There's lots of material to fuel debate here, as you can imagine. In fact I defy any wargamer not to shout "rubbish" and throw the book across the room at some point when reading this chapter! He then proceeds to look at four military revolutions in detail - the Napoleonic Wars, the Industrial Revolution, the 1920's and 30's, and The Cold War. This is all very interesting, if a little familiar.
There follows a look at the claim that we are currently in the middle of a RMA first identified during the Gulf War of 1990-91. You know the ideas - precision guided munitions, advances in intelligence gathering, and computerised battlefield management. But, the author rightly points out that Iraq was a poor opponent, and no-one is likely to be caught with their pants quite so far down again. (And of course they weren't in the Second Gulf War, which as we know, is still ongoing.) Also, many of the so-called revolutionary techniques were really refinements of existing military technology.
So was it really the beginning of a new RMA, or simply the conclusion of a RMA begun in first half of the twentieth century? The central section of the book examines these ideas in detail. I must admit, that as a general reader rather than a professional military analyst, I began to lose interest at this point. However, I did take note of the discussion about whether the rise of "Asymmetric Warfare" - terrorism and such-like - is the current RMA (rather than the aforementioned application of technology). Before beginning to drift off again, I was quite relieved when the author pointed out that in fact fighting the enemy with tactics dissimilar to one's own has existed as a military option throughout history.
In summary, the book concludes that it's difficult to be sure whether we are in the middle of an RMA or not. There are significant changes underway in the application of technology. But these can't provide all the answers, and can't deal with asymmetric warfare methods. Nor can advances in military science prove effective in the face of political constraints. Finally, maybe our definition of what constitutes a RMA is too stringent. A RMA may be underway, but it can not be applied to all scenarios. There is no military Holy Grail.
This book is well-argued, and I would recommend it to those with an interest in contemporary military science, or indeed anyone who has a penchant for stirring up debate!
Brassey's, £20.00, 222pp ISBN: 1 85753 3143
John Ramscar
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