Transformation in the Shadow of Global Conflict: How Do Militaries Transform?
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Transformation In The Shadow of Global Conflict: How Do Militaries Transform?
How Do Militaries Transform?
An infamous quote by the then Secretary of Defense in response to Specialist Thomas Wilsons specific and now famous question, about scavenging for scrap metal to armor his units Humvees:
“As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. Theyre not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time.” – Donald Rumsfeld, United States Secretary Defense. 1
In the context of the Secretarys larger answer addressing the fielding of armored vehicles in Iraq, a single sentence was lifted by the media. It went to press and a public uproar followed. Regardless of the media coverage and accuracy in the reporting of this story, Mr. Rumsfelds single sentence statement could have been in response to: Since the “Attacks of 9/11,” and in the Global War on Terrorism, is the U.S. military prepared and able to effectively defeat threats to our national security? The intent of this very basic question could have been asked in 1941 immediately following Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. Perhaps, in the study of military history we may find an answer.
The United States entered World War II as an ill-prepared nation with a military using Model Ts mocked-up for training as armored units. Four years later it had became
a global super-power, having created the Atomic Age. During this same period, gone
1 Helmut Sonnenfeldt, Guest Scholar, Foreign Policy ,Ron Nessen, Journalist in Residence, The Washington Times
30-DEC-04 —
were the days of an army using horse drawn wagons and into a new world of jet fighters and space age technologies. To defeat its enemies and threats to our national security, the U.S. military applied innovation and adaptation, and transformed itself.
The period between 1915 and 1945 presents us with volumes of examples of nations using innovation and adaptation to transform their militaries, some more successful than others. To answer “How do militaries transform?” we must ask: What does it mean to transform? How do you know when the transformation is a success? And finally, given what we have learned about military innovation between 1915 and 1945, what was the most important single factor with implications for the success and effectiveness of current transformational efforts by the U.S. military?
Definitions
First, lets consider the term “innovation”: Innovation may refer to both radical and incremental changes in thinking, in things, in processes or in services. An invention that finds wide-spread acceptance and practical application for use out in to the world is innovation. In many fields, something new must be substantially different to be considered innovative, not an insignificant change. The goal of innovation is positive change, to make someone or something better. 2
Another term very similar to innovation and often used inter-changeably in the discussion of transformation in the military is “adapt” or “adaptation.” The distinction for the discussion in this paper is that “adapt” or “adaptation” implies: a gradual process
occurring over generations, a modification according to changing circumstances in the