Softcover

ISBN 10: 1478129182 ISBN 13: 9781478129189

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012

As the world careens into the 21st century, the capacity and means by which the American Armed Forces defend their nation are entering a paradigm-breaking transition period. Previous transitions have been driven by the technologies of weapons and their platforms: from sail, to boiler, to turbine; from foot, to horse, to vehicle; from balloon, to manned aircraft, to unmanned aircraft. This is not so in the 21st century. We need to reset our “warfighting gyro,” so to speak. To this end, taking the information revolution as a starting point, Battle-Wise argues that only by strengthening the relationship between information technology and brain matter will the U.S. military enhance its ability to outsmart and outfight future adversaries. We certainly have had our challenges in recent military operations. Despite the exceptional heroism, courage, and intellect of today’s young military members, we need to reformulate the manner by which we prepare them. For decades we have given them the best weapons systems our country could produce. The authors believe, as I do, that the time has come to augment weapons systems and information networks with the intellectual tools that will enable them to gain and maintain cognitive superiority and thus turn the tables on our clever and nimble adversaries. Only by developing battle-wise soldiers—a daunting, but critically important effort on the part of our military leadership—can we expect to avoid the “second kick of a mule.”

About the Author:

  David C. Gompert was the Senior Advisor for National Security and Defense at the Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq. Mr. Gompert has held senior policy and executive positions at the State Department, the National Security Council, the RAND Corporation, and in the information technology industry. He has published extensively on international affairs, national security policy, and technology. His books include Right Makes Might: Freedom and Power in the Information Age and Mind the Gap: A Transatlantic Revolution in Military Affairs. Mr. Gompert holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy.   Irving Lachow is a professor of Systems Management at the National Defense University and Director of the Information Resources Management College Advanced Management Program. Previously, Dr. Lachow was a senior associate at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he managed projects in the areas of IT strategy and planning for numerous government clients. Dr. Lachow has extensive experience in both IT and national security. He has worked for Digital Signature Trust, the RAND Corporation, and the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Advanced Systems and Concepts). Dr. Lachow received his PhD in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a Bachelor of Science in physics from Stanford University.