Transforming armed forces in the 21st Century

In recent years, Western armed forces have been engaged in a variety of different military interventions: conventional warfare, air campaigns, counter-insurgency operations or peacekeeping. Simultaneously, (re-) emerging countries such as China and Russia drastically modernized their armed forces during the past decade, thus constituting a new challenge for Western armed forces. Moreover, the emergence of new technologies (automation, AESA radars, directed energy weapons) provides new means to wage warfare that have a deep impact on the way armed forces are organized. This project examines the drivers of contemporary military transformations, and their consequences for the stability of the international system and the future of Western armed forces.

Contact : schmitt@sam.sdu.dk