War in the Age of Technology

War in the Age of Technology PDF

Author: Geoffrey Jensen

Publisher: NYU Press

Published: 2001-04

Total Pages: 407

ISBN-13: 0814742513

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Considering the relationships between war, technology, and modern society, this book fuses military and social history concerning the use of organized violence between states during the period since 1789. Thirteen essays look at the military use of technology on and off the battlefield, the introduction of total war (during the two world wars), and the possibility of limited war in the nuclear age. The experiences of the British military are emphasized. Contributors include historians, archivists, psychologists, and military scholars. c. Book News Inc.

The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age

The War of Desire and Technology at the Close of the Mechanical Age PDF

Author: Allucquère Rosanne Stone

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 9780262691895

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Human communication has traditionally revealed important aspects of identity such as gender, age and race. However, such information is now often masked by computer-mediated communications. This text examines the various ways modern technology is challenging conventional notions of gender identity.

War and Technology

War and Technology PDF

Author: Jeremy Black

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2013-08-20

Total Pages: 343

ISBN-13: 0253009898

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“[A] scholarly overview of military technology throughout history—starting roughly in the 15th century and extending into the future . . . insightful.”—Publishers Weekly In this engaging book, Jeremy Black argues that technology neither acts as an independent variable nor operates without major limitations. This includes its capacity to obtain end results, as technology’s impact is far from simple and its pathways are by no means clear. After considering such key conceptual points, Black discusses important technological advances in weaponry and power projection from sailing warships to aircraft carriers, muskets to tanks, balloons to unmanned drones—in each case, taking into account what difference these advances made. He addresses not only firepower but also power projection and technologies of logistics, command, and control. Examining military technologies in their historical context and the present centered on the Revolution in Military Affairs and Military Transformation, Black then forecasts possible future trends. “Clear, concise, and thoughtful. An eminently readable synthesis of historical literature on technology and war.”—John France, author of Perilous Glory: The Rise of Western Military Power “An interesting, thought provoking work by a major military historian . . . whose depth and wide range of knowledge across the entire sweep of world military history is without parallel.... Those who read this book closely will be richly rewarded for it is a mine of useful information and grist for discussion.”—Spencer C. Tucker, author of The European Powers in the First World War “A most useful introduction to a very complex subject, and particularly valuable for its notes and references to other works. Provocative and vigorously argued . . . Highly recommended.”—Choice

Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945

Technology and the American Way of War Since 1945 PDF

Author: Thomas G. Mahnken

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2010-06-24

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0231517882

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No nation in recent history has placed greater emphasis on the role of technology in planning and waging war than the United States. In World War II the wholesale mobilization of American science and technology culminated in the detonation of the atomic bomb. Competition with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, combined with the U.S. Navy's culture of distributed command and the rapid growth of information technology, spawned the concept of network-centric warfare. And America's post-Cold War conflicts in Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan have highlighted America's edge. From the atom bomb to the spy satellites of the Cold War, the strategic limitations of the Vietnam War, and the technological triumphs of the Gulf war, Thomas G. Mahnken follows the development and integration of new technologies into the military and emphasizes their influence on the organization, mission, and culture of the armed services. In some cases, advancements in technology have forced different branches of the military to develop competing or superior weaponry, but more often than not the armed services have molded technology to suit their own purposes, remaining resilient in the face of technological challenges. Mahnken concludes with an examination of the reemergence of the traditional American way of war, which uses massive force to engage the enemy. Tying together six decades of debate concerning U.S. military affairs, he discusses how the armed forces might exploit the unique opportunities of the information revolution in the future.

War and Technology: A Very Short Introduction

War and Technology: A Very Short Introduction PDF

Author: Alex Roland

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2016-09-01

Total Pages: 152

ISBN-13: 0190605405

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The war instinct is part of human nature, but the means to fight war depend on technology. Alex Roland traces the co-evolution of technology and warfare from the Stone Age to the age of cyberwar, describing the inventions that changed the direction of warfare throughout history: from fortified walls, the chariot, battleships, and the gunpowder revolution to bombers, rockets, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and nuclear weapons. In the twenty-first century, new technologies continue to push warfare in unexpected directions, while warfare stimulates stunning new technological advances. Yet even now, the newest and best technology cannot guarantee victory. Brimming with dramatic narratives of battles and deep insights into military psychology, this book shows that although military technologies keep changing at great speed, the principles and patterns behind them abide.

War Made New

War Made New PDF

Author: Max Boot

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2006-10-19

Total Pages: 640

ISBN-13: 1101216832

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A monumental, groundbreaking work, now in paperback, that shows how technological and strategic revolutions have transformed the battlefield Combining gripping narrative history with wide-ranging analysis, War Made New focuses on four "revolutions" in military affairs and describes how inventions ranging from gunpowder to GPS-guided air strikes have remade the field of battle—and shaped the rise and fall of empires. War Made New begins with the Gunpowder Revolution and explains warfare's evolution from ritualistic, drawn-out engagements to much deadlier events, precipitating the rise of the modern nation-state. He next explores the triumph of steel and steam during the Industrial Revolution, showing how it powered the spread of European colonial empires. Moving into the twentieth century and the Second Industrial Revolution, Boot examines three critical clashes of World War II to illustrate how new technology such as the tank, radio, and airplane ushered in terrifying new forms of warfare and the rise of centralized, and even totalitarian, world powers. Finally, Boot focuses on the Gulf War, the invasion of Afghanistan, and the Iraq War—arguing that even as cutting-edge technologies have made America the greatest military power in world history, advanced communications systems have allowed decentralized, "irregular" forces to become an increasingly significant threat.

War in the Age of Intelligent Machines

War in the Age of Intelligent Machines PDF

Author: Manuel De Landa

Publisher:

Published: 1991

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13:

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The author aims to show how the emergence of intelligent and autonomous bombs and missiles equipped with artificial perception and decision-making capabilities represents a profound historical shift in the relation of human beings both to machines and to information.

Technology, Violence, and War

Technology, Violence, and War PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-02-11

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 9004393307

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This volume explores the importance of technology in war, and to the study of warfare, during the past millennium, across several continents. Authors discuss interactions between politics, strategy, war, technology, and the socio-cultural implementation of new technologies in different contexts.

Information Technology and Military Power

Information Technology and Military Power PDF

Author: Jon R. Lindsay

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2020-07-15

Total Pages: 366

ISBN-13: 1501749579

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Militaries with state-of-the-art information technology sometimes bog down in confusing conflicts. To understand why, it is important to understand the micro-foundations of military power in the information age, and this is exactly what Jon R. Lindsay's Information Technology and Military Power gives us. As Lindsay shows, digital systems now mediate almost every effort to gather, store, display, analyze, and communicate information in military organizations. He highlights how personnel now struggle with their own information systems as much as with the enemy. Throughout this foray into networked technology in military operations, we see how information practice—the ways in which practitioners use technology in actual operations—shapes the effectiveness of military performance. The quality of information practice depends on the interaction between strategic problems and organizational solutions. Information Technology and Military Power explores information practice through a series of detailed historical cases and ethnographic studies of military organizations at war. Lindsay explains why the US military, despite all its technological advantages, has struggled for so long in unconventional conflicts against weaker adversaries. This same perspective suggests that the US retains important advantages against advanced competitors like China that are less prepared to cope with the complexity of information systems in wartime. Lindsay argues convincingly that a better understanding of how personnel actually use technology can inform the design of command and control, improve the net assessment of military power, and promote reforms to improve military performance. Warfighting problems and technical solutions keep on changing, but information practice is always stuck in between.

The Drone Age

The Drone Age PDF

Author: Michael J. Boyle

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 019063586X

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"What impact will drone technology have on the patterns of war and peace in the next century? Will drones produce a more peaceful world because they reduce risk to pilots, or will the prospect of clean, remote warfare lead governments to engage in more conflicts? Will drones begin to replace humans on the battlefield or will they empower soldiers and peacekeepers to act more precisely and humanely in crisis zones? How will terrorist organizations turn this technology back on the governments that fight them? How will drones change surveillance at war - and at home? As drones come into the hands of new actors - foreign governments, law enforcement, terrorist organizations, humanitarian organizations and even UN peacekeepers, it is even more important to understand what kind of world they might produce. This book explores how the unique features of drone technology alter the strategic choices of governments and non-state actors alike by transforming their risk calculations and expanding their goals on and off the battlefield. By changing what these actors are willing and capable of doing, drones are quietly altering the dynamics of wars, humanitarian crises and peacekeeping missions while generating new risks to security and to privacy. An essential guide to a potentially disruptive force in modern world politics, The Drone Age argues that the mastery of drone technology will become central to the ways that governments and non-state actors seek power and influence in the coming decades."--