War in the 21st Century

War has an unchanging essence—what Carl von Clausewitz described as a “paradoxical trinity” of passion and primordial violence, chance and probability, and reason and political purpose. But each war is unique in that it reflects the geopolitics, society, culture, economics, technology, law, and methods of organization, and ways of thinking—or what Clausewitz termed “the spirit of the age.” Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, characterized by clusters of technological breakthroughs in nanotechnology, additive manufacturing, materials science, robotics, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, together with the widespread diffusion of advanced technologies are profoundly reshaping the world’s battlefields. The War in the 21st Century project aims to challenge existing assumptions and expectations about war, asking how the United States and its allies and partners ought to rethink and adjust existing doctrine, operational concepts, and procurement priorities to prepare. The answers to these questions will determine whether the United States and its allies and partners anticipate change and adapt to change –or get taken by surprise in a war they expected to win decisively.