The New Rules of War

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/22/the_new_rules_of_war

The New Rules of War

This magazine article aptly summarizes Dillon’s point that a network-centric approach to warfare is key to a victory in any conflict. The author, John Arquilla, contrasts the United States’ long-time approach of “the bigger the hammer, the better the outcome” with al Qaeda’s information-based terrorist-cell tactic. Furthermore, he criticizes the United States for continuing to use outdated methodology, despite the development of better technologies to employ in combat situations. To demonstrate our inability to learn from past errors in strategy, he uses the historical examples of World War II and the invention of machine guns, fighter planes, and radios. Essentially, Arquilla asserts that the U.S. needs to conduct its wars more cheaply and smartly or we will not continue to prevail.

Many parallels can be drawn between Dillon’s work and Arquilla’s article. Namely, that in an age where the flow of accurate information is paramount to ensuring military victory, any nation that cannot adapt to the new facts or knowledge will fall behind (not a very good place to be in wartime). It is vital that states learn to adjust to new situations ahead of their competition, or at least at the same rate, or success is not assured and failure once again becomes an option.