
War 4.0
Armed Conflict in an Age of Speed, Uncertainty and Transformation
Edited by: Deane-Peter Baker

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Description
This volume explores the impact of technology and new domains on future warfare. It identifies several themes, and highlights the increasing complexity of the security environment and the uncertainty of future war. The sense of time and speed has been, and is being, compressed by developments in quantum technologies, the cyber domain, artificial intelligence, the increased capabilities of sensors and data collection, as well as new propulsion technologies such as hypersonic designs. Concepts regarding the shape and extent of the battlefield are challenged by the notion of hybrid war and sub-threshold tactics, as well as new domains in which competition is increasing, such as space. Further challenging the shape of the battlefield is the increased development of remote and autonomous warfare. Commercial developments will affect how military production is owned and managed, and how military forces are composed.
Thus, a confluence of new technologies exists, combining to create the potential of fundamental transformation at many levels. This wave of technological change has been called the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), characterised by an exponential rather than a linear rate of change, generated by convergence and complementarity of emerging technology domains. These may not affect the fundamental Clausewitzian nature of war, but they will likely affect its character. From a military perspective, the key will be the impact on the speed of operations and on the shape of the operational domain—the factors of time and space. The combination of these shifts will increasingly affect the perception of states and the degree of certainty in approaching and engaging in conflict.
Details
- ISBN (print):
- 9781760466817
- ISBN (online):
- 9781760466824
- Publication date:
- Apr 2025
- Imprint:
- ANU Press
- DOI:
- http://doi.org/10.22459/W4.2025
- Disciplines:
- Social Sciences: Military & Defence Studies
- Countries:
- World
PDF Chapters
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- Preliminary Pages (PDF, 118 KB)
- Introduction (PDF, 105 KB) – Deane-Peter Baker and David Pfotenhauer
- Accelerated Change—The Evolving Character of Society and Conflict in an Age of Speed, Uncertainty and Transformation (PDF, 183 KB) – Ian Langford doi
- The Democratisation of Technology: Opportunities and Threats (PDF, 1 MB) – Nadya T Bliss doi
- Future Warfare: Developing a Viable Strategy (PDF, 156 KB) – David Kilcullen doi
- Space: Ambiguity, Vulnerability and a Changing Character (PDF, 161 KB) – Mark Hilborne doi
- Space Warfare and Military Power (PDF, 165 KB) – Malcolm Davis doi
- China and Space Warfare (PDF, 188 KB) – Jian Zhang doi
- Quantum Technologies: An Introduction and a Vision of their Impact on War (PDF, 213 KB) – Marcus Doherty doi
- The Distance Paradox: Reaper, the Human Dimension of Remote Warfare and Future Challenges for the Royal Air Force (PDF, 414 KB) – Peter Lee1 doi
- The Role of an Operational Frame in Furthering the International Debate on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (PDF, 132 KB) – Ian MacLeod and Erin Hahn doi
- Lessons from Tradition: Just War, Wisdom and Restraint in a Changing World (PDF, 160 KB) – Valerie Morkevičius doi
- Conclusion (PDF, 114 KB) – Mark Hilborne
- Index (PDF, 91 KB)
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