The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Century

"From smart munitions and ground penetrating radar to autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and drones, the mode of warfare is currently undergoing a rapid transformation, with modern technologies reshaping how armies fight in the twenty-first century. Modern Weapons and Tactics analyses the choices that armies confront as they try and combine old and new capabilities. Based upon extensive observation and practical experimentation with emerging systems, Jack Watling charts how the decisions armies make to seek advantage from novel technologies inevitably determine their effectiveness and success on the battlefield. At a time when defence spending across NATO is on the rise, and conflict with Russia raises new questions of what it means to fight a truly 'modern' war, Watling demonstrates how armies must fight, rather than simply assert what they will fight with"-- From sensor-fuzed munitions and autonomous weapons, to ground moving target indication radar, laser vibrometers and artificial intelligence, the weapons of warfare are undergoing a rapid transformation, with modern technologies reshaping how armies intend to fight in the twenty-first century. The Arms of the Future analyses how the emergence of novel weapons systems is shaping the risks and opportunities on the battlefield. Drawing on extensive practical observation and experimentation, the book unpacks the operational challenges new weapons pose on the battlefield and how armies might be structured to overcome them. At a time when defence spending across NATO is on the rise, and conflict with Russia raises new questions of what it means to fight a truly 'modern' war, Watling examines not just the arms to be employed but how they can be fielded and wielded to survive and prevail in future wars.