The Revolution in Military Affairs: Implications for Canada and NATO

The new campaign in Afghanistan, the Gulf war, and the NATO bombardment of Kosovo show clearly how advances in information technology are driving a high-tech revolution in military affairs (RMA) and transforming the nature of modern warfare. Elinor Sloan outlines the major elements of the RMA and examines the efforts of the United States, its NATO allies, and others to transform their military forces from the large, industrial-age forces of the Cold War to the smaller, more rapidly deployable yet highly lethal forces of the future. By detailing the diverse dimensions of the RMA, including its appropriateness in anti-terrorist campaigns and its relevance to peace support operations, The Revolution in Military Affairs looks at whether and to what extent the RMA is applicable to future military missions. Although the RMA has been the subject of much discussion in the United States for over a decade, it has not received the same level of analytic attention in Canada and other NATO and allied countries. Sloan examines the RMA in the context of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in addition to assessing the transformation efforts of the United States Military. She concludes that small and medium military powers such as Canada must, at a minimum, take selected, concrete measures to maximise their military capabilities through the RMA if they are to avoid operational and political marginalisation in the promotion of international peace and security.