Part I. Today’s Battlefield

Today’s battlefield may seem like a strange place to begin a discussion of the transformation of the military. Especially when we often think of transformational initiatives as occurring within research and development programs that are not yet in operational service. Today’s battlefield is vitally important, however, because it demonstrates the current, highly advanced operating capabilities of the military and some of the key transformations of the prior decades—and even recent transformations—that have made their way into active service.

Over hundreds of years, the military has continually transformed itself in order to maintain its superiority and preparedness against a wide variety of threats. Rather than a one-time ...

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