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Technological Arsenal
W. Martel

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The rapid pace of technological innovation is propelling revolutionary change in U.S. defense strategy. "Within a decade," writes William C. Martel, "the U.S. could destroy ballistic missiles; radically limit the number of casualties; disrupt modern electronic weapons, telecommunications, power, and banking systems; and wage wars from the relative safety of the homeland." In The Technological Arsenal, Martel and a dozen contributors, all experts who are actively involved in shaping U.S. defense policy, explore the ways in which new defense technologies could change the nature of war and the basic foundation of national and international security. The contributors describe the development, analyze the capabilities, and measure the implications of emerging technologies that will mature within the next five years and beyond, organizing them in three broad categories: directed energy, targeting, and command and control. Each chapter focuses on a specific technology that is already funded or authorized by Congress. With several chapters on missile defense, the first section includes discussions of airborne and space-based lasers and their uses in communication, sensing, and destructive systems, as well as the applications of high-energy microwave technology. The second section focuses on innovations on targeting, for use in cruise missiles, unmanned reconnaissance systems, and reusable space vehicles. The third section concentrates on the expanding opportunities for computer and communications networks in military operations, directing and controlling warfare from a distance, and disrupting the computer and communications systems of a potential enemy. Without advocating specific programs, The technological Arsenal evaluates individual technologies and their consequences for U.S. security as well as possible civilian development. As Martel suggests in the concluding chapter, questions regarding the relationship between advanced technologies and security have increasingly broad implications as the margin by which U.S. technological capabilities exceed those of other states continues to grow.