Book Review: War Made New by Max Boot
The hot topic in military history and military doctrine development circles since the early 1990’s has been the concept of the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). An RMA is defined as a development, generally technology, which alters the conduct of war so thoroughly that warfare becomes unlike what it was before. In science this is called a paradigm shift. The most common examples of RMA’s that are bandied about are gunpowder, steam ships, breech loading rifles, tanks, aircraft carriers, the modern staff system, and information technology. There are others but those are the most common. As a military historian, I am skeptical of the whole notion though plenty of folks … More after the Jump…