ABSTRACT
It is elementary that technologies fundamentally impact military operations and practice, as well as society as a whole. Indeed, technological evolution and military activity have been linked throughout history. The relationship is not, however, straightforward. The existential challenge to society represented by warfare, combined with the immediate advantage that new technology can deliver, tends to accelerate technological innovation and diffusion; the inherent conservatism of military personnel, the emphasis on tradition and culture that marks many military organizations, and the high costs of experimentation in conflict environments, serve as a powerful brake on technological evolution. Similarly, the relationships between military and security technology systems, and consequent institutional, cultural, and social changes, are profound, complex, unpredictable, and often subtle. Many technologies of sufficient power to be of interest militarily have at least the potential to be deeply destabilizing to existing economic, social, and technological systems, especially as they are introduced into civil society.2
