WARTIME ADAPTATION: AN EDGE OVER PEACETIME INNOVATION
Do you know that, mere rodents beat the massive Dinosaurs into evolutionary dusts about 65 million years ago? Similarly, the strongest militaries will follow the Dinosaurs into oblivion if they fail to adapt to the changes. Though many scholars emphasize on innovations during peace, this paper argues that victory in the war depends more on wartime adaptation than peacetime innovation. Murray in his seminal book, “Military Adaptation in War: With Fear of Change,” notes that the difference between adaptation and innovation is the environment where they occur. Adaptation is the act of adjusting one's actions and assumptions in a way that alters the interaction with that environment. Innovation, …show more content…
In future, beside conventional wars, military forces will have to fight against hybrid or asymmetric threats in protracted wars. It will be almost impossible to predict the future enemy with precision, and develop capabilities accordingly. Moreover, the enemies - both conventional and unconventional - will also adapt to the conditions of war, or at least develop responses that will beat friendly assumptions. The lessons of fighting against insurgents and terrorists like Taliban and ISIS bolster the need for wartime adaptation. Therefore, the ability to adapt to the wartime environment, and challenge the existing norms and assumptions will be the fundamental parts of winning the future wars. Furthermore, the leaders must develop and institutionalize an organizational culture that promotes rapid adaptation to the wartime realities. The future will demand that military forces adapt swiftly not only to the kaleidoscope of the conflict, but also to the cultural, political, and social framework. Wartime adaptation accentuates flexible mission command as well as rigorous professional education. Developing a wartime adaptive culture does not mean deferring peacetime innovations and purchases; rather, leaders should balance these concepts to achieve greater effects. Therefore, military professionals should learn to create, store, and measure wartime adaptability in the context of the 21st century’s security
Do you know that, mere rodents beat the massive Dinosaurs into evolutionary dusts about 65 million years ago? Similarly, the strongest militaries will follow the Dinosaurs into oblivion if they fail to adapt to the changes. Though many scholars emphasize on innovations during peace, this paper argues that victory in the war depends more on wartime adaptation than peacetime innovation. Murray in his seminal book, “Military Adaptation in War: With Fear of Change,” notes that the difference between adaptation and innovation is the environment where they occur. Adaptation is the act of adjusting one's actions and assumptions in a way that alters the interaction with that environment. Innovation, …show more content…
In future, beside conventional wars, military forces will have to fight against hybrid or asymmetric threats in protracted wars. It will be almost impossible to predict the future enemy with precision, and develop capabilities accordingly. Moreover, the enemies - both conventional and unconventional - will also adapt to the conditions of war, or at least develop responses that will beat friendly assumptions. The lessons of fighting against insurgents and terrorists like Taliban and ISIS bolster the need for wartime adaptation. Therefore, the ability to adapt to the wartime environment, and challenge the existing norms and assumptions will be the fundamental parts of winning the future wars. Furthermore, the leaders must develop and institutionalize an organizational culture that promotes rapid adaptation to the wartime realities. The future will demand that military forces adapt swiftly not only to the kaleidoscope of the conflict, but also to the cultural, political, and social framework. Wartime adaptation accentuates flexible mission command as well as rigorous professional education. Developing a wartime adaptive culture does not mean deferring peacetime innovations and purchases; rather, leaders should balance these concepts to achieve greater effects. Therefore, military professionals should learn to create, store, and measure wartime adaptability in the context of the 21st century’s security