WHAT IS TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY?

The purpose of this thesis is to explore and define the framework for a type of military development strategy that links technological decisions to strategic effects—technology strategy. This study is novel, as most approaches to technology strategy focus on producing technology as an end in itself instead of focusing on technology development and acquisition as the principal means for achieving strategic effects. By placing technology as the means and strategic effects as the ends, this study deduces an original, perhaps seminal, description of technology strategy and a framework for its formulation. Arms-racing case studies and an exploration of offense-defense theory structure this exploration and enable the observation of technology strategy’s core characteristics, which are its relationships to doctrinal innovation and organizational design, forms or templates, approaches to acquisition, and potential pitfalls. The structural components of the technology strategy concept illuminated are then arranged in a proposed taxonomy that fits within the U.S. military’s joint concept development process. Beyond the descriptive and structural components, this study also identifies notable best practices in the application of technology strategy, particularly those that an effective technology strategy should encompass—both the decisions surrounding which weapons, transportation, and information systems to invest in, and their implications, in practice, for organization and doctrine.Outstanding ThesisMajor, United States Air ForceApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Development Plan of Unmanned System and Development Status of UUV Technology in Foreign Countries

The future battlefield will be unmanned combat as the leading role, and the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) will play an important role in the future underwater battlefield. In order to maintain its maritime strategic advantages, the U. S. military has formulated a long-term development plan for the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAS) in recent years. The technology of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), which is characterized by strong endurance, high mobility, and high covert attack, has become the future development trend. In addition, Russia, with its strong industrial foundation and technical strength, has introduced its latest development status. At last, the latest research results of the new concept of surface/underwater cross-medium submarine were introduced. The results show that the new intelligent cross-medium submarine will become the mainstream of future development. The research provides a reference for the development of unmanned equipment in China

Strategy and Conventional-Nuclear Integration for the Navy

NPS NRP Technical ReportThe United States Navy must address how it will integrate conventional and nuclear weapons across the full spectrum of conflict, ranging from non-kinetic, gray zone-type encounters all the way up the escalatory chain to a nuclear exchange. At present the conception of warfare is considered in discrete areas: conventional, chemical, biological, cyber, and nuclear. It is imperative that the Navy develop a coherent conceptual framework that recognizes the linkages between all these domains of warfare. This study will develop a conceptual framework for the Navy to address the integration of conventional and nuclear weapons.N3/N5 - Plans & StrategyThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Combat modeling for Command, Control, and Communications: a primer

This thesis is a primer for a combat modeling course for Joint Command, Control, and Communications (C3) students at the Naval Postgraduate School. It provides the students with a single document which ties together the concepts of several modeling experts pertinent to C3. The thesis examines various aspects of combat models and introduces some of their functions, applications, and results. Areas included in the primer are: combat theory and definitions for command and control reflected in that theory; modeling techniques; measures of effectiveness; attrition models, particularly Lanchester type equations; history of naval modeling; and a survey of current modeling efforts, such as simulation, Chaos Theory, and Decision Support Aids. The thesis introduces basic concepts and identifies readings from which those concepts were extracted. It does not teach students to develop combat models, though it gives insight into how the application affects proper model selection.http://archive.org/details/combatmodelingfo1094530724Lieutenant, United States NavyCaptain, United States Air ForceApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

The Black Sea and NATO in the Age of Access-Denial

The article explores the implications of the rise of Russian anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities for NATO’s Eastern Frontier, especially the broader Black Sea region. The reality is indicative of a broader global trend where assertive revisionist powers are not only questioning the post-1989 rules-based international order but are also developing the antidotes to the so-called American Way of War, one that largely shapes the NATO operational profile. This type of ecosystem is at the forefront of what Russia has been doing over the past few years in Kaliningrad and Crimea - developing concepts of operations, especially the A2/AD component, that challenge NATO’s way of reassuring its frontline allies. The problem is that the NATO caucus in the Black Sea remains highly fragmented in its threat perception. Increasingly close economic and political ties to Russia combined with diplomatic discord concerning the US and NATO makes Turkey a less reliable ally. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s long tradition of close cultural and economic ties to Russia remains concerning. At the same time, NATO needs to do more. The West must understand that its smaller allies don’t have the luxury of time or economic power and must adapt its approach accordingly to credibly reassure its Black Sea allies

“Alongside the Best”?

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the Canadian Forces face a range of challenges. Reduced defense spending, uncertainty regarding missions and tasks, and the lingering effects of recent scandal have resulted in a signifi- cantly diminished military. In the midst of a rapidly emerging “revolution in military affairs” (RMA), the Canadian Forces (CF) are poorly positioned to in- troduce next-generation weapon systems.1 At the same time, Canada’s allies, in particular the United States, have undertaken dramatic defense modernization programs. It is this divergence—Canada’s reduced military capability at a time of swiftly advancing technology—that will be the focus of this article

Post-Westgate SWAT : C4ISTAR Architectural Framework for Autonomous Network Integrated Multifaceted Warfighting Solutions Version 1.0 : A Peer-Reviewed Monograph

Police SWAT teams and Military Special Forces face mounting pressure and challenges from adversaries that can only be resolved by way of ever more sophisticated inputs into tactical operations. Lethal Autonomy provides constrained military/security forces with a viable option, but only if implementation has got proper empirically supported foundations. Autonomous weapon systems can be designed and developed to conduct ground, air and naval operations. This monograph offers some insights into the challenges of developing legal, reliable and ethical forms of autonomous weapons, that address the gap between Police or Law Enforcement and Military operations that is growing exponentially small. National adversaries are today in many instances hybrid threats, that manifest criminal and military traits, these often require deployment of hybrid-capability autonomous weapons imbued with the capability to taken on both Military and/or Security objectives. The Westgate Terrorist Attack of 21st September 2013 in the Westlands suburb of Nairobi, Kenya is a very clear manifestation of the hybrid combat scenario that required military response and police investigations against a fighting cell of the Somalia based globally networked Al Shabaab terrorist group.Comment: 52 pages, 6 Figures, over 40 references, reviewed by a reade

The Russo-Japanese War and the Perception of the Japanese Army in Imperial Germany

acceptedVersio

REMOVED FROM THE COCKPIT: THE PILOT IDENTITY CRISIS AND THE RISE OF UNCREWED AIRCRAFT IN NAVAL AVIATION

In the transition from crewed to uncrewed aircraft, naval aviation has focused on the technical instead of the human aspects of the change. The transition challenges the traditional pilot identity, based on sitting in a cockpit and physically operating an aircraft, because pilots of uncrewed aircraft control them remotely or manage the battlefield rather than the cockpit. This thesis uses identity theory and social identity theory to analyze similar cultural factors in the Navy’s transition from sail-to-steam power in the 1800s to identify how and why some line officers resisted and rejected steam technology, inhibiting the transition. In this case study, naval leadership encouraged resistance through orders mandating sail over steam power and failed to direct the needed change in line officer identity when engineers took away propulsion control and replaced the symbols associated with the line officer identity. To avoid repeating this failure, the Navy must oversee the pilot identity transition in order to leverage the full potential of both technology and humans. Instead of creating division, naval leaders should emphasize unity by creating an inclusive pilot identity, using terms that do not focus on human occupants when referring to aircraft categories, and creating viable career paths for all.Outstanding ThesisEnsign, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

U.S. Naval Strategy in the 1970\u27s

This work is part of a four-volume set of studies within the Naval War College Press’s Newport Paper monograph series. A broad introduction to the history of strategic and doctrinal thinking within the U.S. Navy in the period between 1970 and 2000 is found in these Newport Papers; it may be useful to read them in the order in which they appeared rather than in the chronological order of the periods that they cover. Thus, the basis of this series begins with The Evolution of the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Strategy, 1977–1986. That work is followed by the three separate volumes of documents, including this one, each devoted to one of three decades of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/usnwc-newport-papers/1028/thumbnail.jp