Game-changers are clearly not a substitute for fielding conventional and strategic capabilities. But game-changing ought to be part of U.S. military strategy.
Who isn’t fascinated by the prospect of "game-changers"—unprecedented technological breakthroughs that provide military advantages that leave competitors scratching their heads over how to keep up? Game-changers can increase leverage, so pursuing them makes sense—but only if the game-changer supports the overall security strategy.
Game-changers are not a substitute for fielding conventional and strategic capabilities. But game-changing ought to be part of U.S. military strategy.
Game-changers in warfare are as inevitable as a Kardashian on a red carpet. Sooner or later one of them is going to show up. The cavalry of the Mongol Golden Horde caught the world by surprise. Englishman bowman spoiled the French day at Agincourt. Artillery toppled the great fortifications of Europe. Everybody dreaded the Dreadnought. Quick-firing field and machine guns changed the face of battle during World War I. Throughout history, new weapons and tactics have popped up, forcing all sides to rethink how they fight. Such disruption is part of war.
World War II delivered an unprecedented roster of game-changers, from radar to naval aviation, cryptography and the atom bomb. Militaries were bombarded with new stuff. In the wake of the war, game-changers became part of American strategic culture. It was expected that the Pentagon would come up with capabilities that nobody else had in their arsenal.
On occasion, the American military delivered. Nobody saw stealth coming (no pun intended) until F-117s pounded targets in Panama.
But, technology appears when it’s ready not when it’s wanted. There is no such thing as groundbreaking technology on demand. World War II offers innumerable examples. For every Manhattan Project, there was a wild scheme (like Nikola Tesla's Death Ray) that was all promise and no possibility.
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