Unlocking the Future: How Technology is Transforming Modern Warfare

Table of Contents

We often hear about how technology is changing warfare. From drones to robots, these innovations are said to transform battlefields. But as Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz pointed out, war is essentially an extension of politics. So, has war really changed all that much?

This edition of Flash Points dives into the nature of warfare and strategy. It compares past conflicts to today’s military challenges and explores what lessons we can learn from history for modern policymaking.

A black-and-white photo shows soldiers carrying guns and wearing helmets, seen from behind as they head toward something burning on the horizon. Plumes of smoke billow into the sky.

Soviet infantry in combat during the Battle of Kursk in 1943. Laski Diffusion/Getty Images

The 20th Century’s Lessons for Our New Era of War

As Eurasian autocracies try to shift power away from traditional centers, Hal Brands explains their strategies.

A robotic dog moves through the smoke of a flare across a desert landscape. Soldiers holding guns crouch behind it against a wall.

A Ghost Robotic Dog moves forward with U.S. soldiers behind it during an exercise in Fort Irwin, Calif., on March 17, 2024. Spc. Samarion Hicks/U.S. Army

America’s Next Soldiers Will Be Machines

In upcoming conflicts, U.S. generals are thinking about deploying robots to face the enemy first, according to Jack Detsch.

Viet Cong soldiers in the fog of the jungle during the Vietnam War in a black and white photograph

Viet Cong soldiers go into battle near Hue, Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, circa 1968. Three Lions/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The Ghostly Legacies of America’s War in Vietnam

The U.S. aimed to exploit Vietnamese beliefs to intimidate enemy fighters, as explained by Chris Humphrey.

Animated photo illustration showing the Pentagon building glitching between the past and present.

Jesse Willis illustration for Foreign Policy/Getty Images

Silicon Valley Hasn’t Revolutionized Warfare—Yet

The Pentagon is slowly starting to adopt commercial tech, but many challenges still lie ahead, Sam Winter-Levy notes.

A military operator launches a FlyEye WB Electronics SA, a Polish reconnaissance drone, during test flights in the Kyiv region of Ukraine on Aug. 2, 2022.

A military operator launches a FlyEye WB Electronics SA drone in Ukraine on Aug. 2, 2022. Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP