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

by Jack Watling

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.

Genres: War, Military Fiction, Nonfiction

258 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2023

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book upsets the shouting match between military analysts who claim technology has changed nothing (e.g. Stephen Biddle) and those who insist everything has changed based on high-level conflict comparisons and distant history. Watling gets into the details of how land warfare actually functions in the presence of pervasive sensing, precision munitions, autonomous platforms and dispersed interpenetrated forces. He brings to bear an impressive array of recent data in a short book to argue that although war continues to be human intensive and increasing troop dispersion is a long-term trend, fundamental changes to the structure of the force are required now. He describes an example restructured force in such detail that I wished he had included tables and graphics to help me keep track. Some of his assumptions are controversial such a 54 ton tank weight limit and a lack of close air support. But, all are supported by evidence often collected by the author himself in war zones and training exercises. I hope this book is widely read by Western military policy makers.

[Dehran · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Arms of the Future" by Jack Watling explores the changing landscape of modern warfare as new technologies reshape how armies fight in the 21st century. The book analyzes the choices that armies face as they incorporate old and new capabilities, from smart munitions and artificial intelligence to autonomous vehicles and drones. Watling highlights how the decisions armies make to leverage novel technologies ultimately determine their effectiveness on the battlefield. With a focus on practical experimentation and observation, Watling shows how armies must adapt and evolve in order to succeed in conflict. The book is timely as defense spending increases across NATO and tensions with Russia raise new questions about what it means to fight a truly "modern" war. Watling emphasizes the importance of how armies fight, rather than just what they fight with, in order to achieve success in modern warfare.

[Brian Prosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not easy book for me to get through. I started reading it last year and culminated about halfway through. Picked it up a few weeks ago and started anew. It's one of those books - at least for me - where I needed to reread some passages and also where I pulled my yellow highlighter out to capture notable passages. Having said all this, well worth the read for those with an interest in the future of technology and its place in warfare.
Per the author's intro, he sets out to "in short...sets out to identify the arms of the future." He does far more than this, though. He begins at the technical level of war and continues through the strategic.
Part 1 is a discussion from mechanized to informatized warfare. He discusses the transparent battlefield, discusses the spectrum, whether protection is an illusion, support requirements (specifically, the threat to logistics makes it harder to maintain operational tempo) and fighting in the cities (basically a breakdown of his chapters). Interesting discussion of stand-off vs. stand-in sensors. Updated thoughts on deception and whether ambiguity is the best we can achieve on this transparent battlefield. Discusses armor and how the improvements in lethality are increasing exponentially while improvements in protection take ever greater resources for smaller gains. Good discussion on the urban battle space.
Part 2 is titled The Arms of the Future and it encompasses discussions on how armies need to structure themselves to be relevant in future environments. He begins by defining the battlefield geometry, detailing the Zone of Operations, Zone of Contestation, and Zone of Risk. He ties this geometry back to the standoff vs. stand-in sensors and ability for ranged mass fires. He then looks at specific domains: maneuver; fires; assault; support. He details requirements for vehicles, weapons and other types of systems and sensors, squad sizes and the like. Surprisingly, the most interesting discussion for me was in the support system.
Part 3 is titled The Continuation of Policy. As the book to this point has been focused on the land domain, he then describes how the land domain fits into other domains, such as space, air, maritime, cyberspace, etc. Not the strength of the book, but good discussions. The second chapter in this section highlights what he believes are the priorities for armies for transformation: networks, shooters, sensors, urban training and capabilities , and layered defenses. Lastly, he discusses how the Army may be employed - and what limitations may be inherent - as an instrument of power.
Overall - well worth the time I took to read it. You may disagree with some of his positions and conclusions, but his arguments are well-reasoned and thought provoking. Four stars.

[Himanshu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The technology absorption described in a pragmatic manner into the new structures to arrive at maximal dividends is key take away of the book. It’s a good read of those in the functionality of military.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longer than it looks, much denser than it looks, very thought provoking.

[Evgen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, thoughtful book that takes a broader look at where warfare is headed in the long term