Old Song, New Verse: Modernity, Obsolescence and Conventional Warfare
By Anne Runciman
It would be uncontroversial to say that the nature of warfare has shifted drastically since the end of the Second World War. Warfare, once so heavily associated with physical combat on air, land, and sea, has since expanded into a number of different fields, notably information and cyberspace. Increasingly computing, robotics and artificial intelligence have played a prominent role in military strategy. So much so that in recent years the term “battlefield” has given way to the term “battlespace.” Battlespace is deemed to be more reflective of theatres of operations outside of traditional, air, land, and sea such as information, cyber; and outer space, it is also meant to acknowledge the interconnected nature of these theatres.
Due to their strategic and cost-effectiveness, some argue that recent advances may have largely usurped traditional warfare. Jahara Matisek and Ian Bertram described this very bluntly in 2017 when they declared conventional warfare to be “officially dead” and argued that the US military would have to become more adaptive if it intended to remain strategically significant. Similarly, in 2014, Avi Shamir pointed out that methods of conventional warfare had already proven to be largely ineffective in post-nuclear conflicts, specifically the wars in Vietnam and the Gaza Strip. During the Vietnam War, the United States military was ultimately unsuccessful in their fight against communist North Vietnam though the Viet Cong had considerably fewer resources at their disposal. Despite all the expensive equipment employed by the US military, the Viet Cong’s use of rubber-soled footwear and the associated ability to sneak up on their opponents and attack without being detected beforehand gave them a distinct advantage without their having to employ any expensive equipment. By citing this example, Shamir emphasizes that even before more recent technical advancements, conventional warfare had not been as effective in post-World War II conflicts. Additionally, Shamir argues that conventional warfare’s methods were similarly unsuccessful in the Middle East at the beginning of the present century. For example, he explains that Israel’s violent attacks on Hamas resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians and provided Hamas with ample propaganda.
If conventional warfare does, as Clausewitz described, determine which methods of conflict major powers perceive as the most effective, then its employment in post-nuclear conflicts suggests their chosen methods are out of date. Shamir argued for propaganda and defensive warfare as more effective alternatives, with an increased emphasis on cyber and informational methods.
The advent of technological advancements has had a number of impacts on warfare. In the years since 9/11, there has been an increased use of remotely piloted systems such as the US MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper models in warfare, which has allowed for targeted attacks controlled far from the theatre of conflict. While the effectiveness of these attacks has been disputed, the use of such devices has altered nature of military conflict in recent years.
More recently, there has been concern regarding development of 5G telecommunications technology in China, and its impact on Western military forces. Huawei, a Chinese telecommunications company has developed 5G technology which is available for sale to nations across the globe. While Huawei has insisted that they have no intention of providing user information to the Chinese government, speculation remains that the company could use this technology to nefariously harvest data from Western citizens or cut off communications for foreign militaries using their technology. Despite their speculative nature, these claims have put much of the Western world on the defensive.
War is not a simple phenomenon. For the time being the military powers of the world continue to invest millions of dollars into tools of conventional warfare, such as aircraft carriers, and not without reason. Methods of conventional warfare have been successfully utilized throughout the past one hundred years and certainly, there is an element of physical intimidation that would be lost if conventional methods were to be minimized. However, given that there is a growing emphasis on robotic and cyber combat technologies, the current transitionary nature of the situation leaves the role of conventional warfare in an unclear, complicated position. Its place in conflict is coming into question in a significant way.
There is increasing dubiousness regarding the utility of conventional warfare. In the 2012 film Skyfall, Q, the quartermaster says to secret agent James Bond: “I can do more damage on my laptop, sitting in my pyjamas before my first cup of earl grey than you can do in a year in the field.” When Bond enquires as to why he is still needed, Q explains that every so often, their agency requires a trigger to be pulled, to which Bond responds: “or not pulled, it’s hard to know which in your pyjamas.” For the time being, there are still things that simply cannot be done remotely.
Despite the potential obsolescence of conventional warfare, it is likely not in danger of imminent elimination. When F.G. Hoffman wrote on the growing presence of robotics and artificial intelligence in armed conflict in 2017, he argued that the nature of warfare remained largely unaltered regardless of the weapons employed in each dispute, but that it would be advantageous to be ahead of the curve with regard to these advancements. War is changing, and while conventional warfare maintains a prominent role in conflict for the time being, its importance appears to have been mitigated by the strategic and cost-effectiveness of more modern military technologies.
Anne Runciman is a fourth-year student at Queen’s University majoring in Political Studies and minoring in Film. Anne will be starting graduate work at Queen’s University Film and Curatorial Studies in September. She will pursue research in with a focus on community experience in atypical cinematic presentation.
