Mind the Gap: Promoting a Transatlantic Revolution in Military Affairs

by David C. Gompert, Richard L. Kugler, Martin C. Libicki

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 157906020X
• ISBN13: 9781579060206
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: National Defense University (NDU)
• Length: 105 Pages

Customer Reviews

A Warning, and the Cost of Unheeded Prescriptions

There are times when working closely together in one crisis arena builds bonds that provide an essential glue for sticking closely together in another. In this case, the crisis is the growing gap in revolutionary military capabilities between the United States and its NATO allies as described in 1999 by David Gompert, Richard Kugler and Martin Libicki. And, I argue, had the prescriptions for addressing this challenge been followed at the time, there would have been less political separation between the U.S. and its allies in the UN Security Council in the run-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.The authors write with the authority of top-level national security leaders and analysts. At the time, Gompert was a VP at the distinguished RAND Corporation, and Libicki worked there as a senior policy analyst after a previous posting at National Defense University. Kugler is a research professor with the Institute for National Strategic Studies at NDU."Mind the Gap" argues that the "United States is moving not only at a different velocity but also in a different direction, with different priorities, based on a different philosophy than its allies in modernizing its forces to exploit new technology." The authors assess this situation (Chapter 1), and put forth a "four-tier" solution to the problem (Chapters 2-5). Chapter 6 concludes with prescriptions for the roles of national governments, military services, NATO, principles of collaboration and establishing practical ways to do this.The "first tier" gives a broad view of international security interests to which the United States and most European countries ought to be able to subscribe. The "second tier" expresses how the NATO allies should work toward an agreed view of the most critical operational military challenges and requirements. To the extent that political authorities can forge a shared strategic outlook, the "ability of militaries to play their role will be enhanced."The "third tier" gets into detail that explains how effective coalition building can be facilitated by development of a combined military technological infrastructure -- one based on C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The "fourth tier" discussion centers on how to accomplish the practical matter of pursuing a common goal in revolution in military affairs capabilities on both sides of the Atlantic. This, the authors argue can be facilitated by open market competition in information technology.Despite the successes of U.S.-led coalitions and alliances in wars since "Mind the Gap" was written (Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq), the problem described between its pages persists. Now, with the U.S. Defense Department embarked on a major effort to further transform capabilities, the gap will continue to widen.In the short term, this may not impose very severe penalties, at least as far as battlefield successes are concerned. But we have already seen a widening of the political gap betwee