War and Technology

Whenever a new weapon is developed, there’s bound to be heated debate regarding the ethical implications and possible repercussions of its increased lethality. In this scholarly overview of military technology throughout history—starting roughly in the 15th century and extending into the future—Black (Fighting for America) expands the typical focus of those arguments to include not just the killing power of a new weapon, but also the cultural, historical, and strategic forces that led to its invention and how its deployment affected history. Early modern (1450–1700) European naval advances—superior sails, hulls, navigation instruments, and cannon—propelled the West to primacy, and though China was the first to develop gunpowder and guns, a Western focus on efficiency, coupled with the advent of the printing press and thus a proliferation in military literature, kept Europe in the lead. The 20th century brought aircraft and computers into the equation, and kicked off the widely heralded Revolution in Military Affairs, a theoretical framework for increasing military efficiency that Black condemns as too vague, multivalent, and idealistic (proponents look forward to an age of “empty battlefield[s]” and satellite-controlled combat) to be useful. Black’s turgid academic prose will turn off the bulk of lay readers, but specialists will appreciate his insightful analysis. (Sept.)