Effective military innovation : technological and organizational dimensions

Abstract

The subject of military innovation is very popular in the United States military today. Innovation is encouraged and fostered in all branches of the service. This thesis takes a step back from specific developments today and looks at modes of innovation. The different forms of innovation explored are technological innovation, i.e. introducing weapons, transportation and/or information technology into the battlefield; organizational innovation, i.e. changing how different pieces of the military relate to each other; and the combination of both technological and organizational innovation. Through a series of historical case studies, this thesis shows that militaries that have innovated only by means of adding new technology have not been very successful in the past. It also shows that militaries that innovate only organizationally often make the changes necessary to develop new concepts of operations and tactics and increase their effectiveness. However, this thesis also finds that innovating both organizationally and technologically is historically the most promising approach, in terms of increasing military power and effectiveness.