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Transformation exploration

History books and classes generally come in two versions, focusing on either "just the facts" or the root causes behind world events.

The first approach barrages the reader with a stream of facts, dates and names, which can wear out even the most interested. The second approach assumes the reader already knows the basic facts and attempts to address why events happened and, perhaps, why related events did not happen. If you are an active student of history, this is a wonderfully rewarding approach -- if not, you can quickly find yourself lost.

In "War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History," author Max Boot provides both facts and a deeper examination of causes, producing an interesting, readable and compelling examination of military transformations throughout history.

Boot, who spent 10 years as a journalist, is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. His last book was "The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power."

The current revolution in military affairs has in recent years been referred to simply as "transformation." In "War Made New," Boot makes the case that this current transformation is the latest in a series of such revolutions that form a continuum of advances in technology and warfare.

Boot divides the past 500 years into four military revolutions. I would suggest they are nothing less than periods of transformation. To examine the four revolutions -- Gunpowder, First Industrial, Second Industrial and Information -- he selects land, sea and air battles that typify the success of those who transformed and the demise of those who did not.

Although his emphasis is on technical transformation, Boot also addresses the essential role of bureaucratic and tactical changes that provide for the advance of a new technology and its implementation on the battlefield.

The advantage throughout history of those who transformed is startling when viewed through the prism of this book.

How else could one explain the success of Hernán Cortés, who conquered an Aztec empire of 8 million with 800 men and 16 horses?

How did England, a country with half the population of Spain, defeat the Armada?

How did the Axis of World War II lose after such stunning early victories?

In each case, Boot points out the transformational advantage of the winners and, equally as important, how that advantage eroded over time.

Boot weaves several themes throughout the book that apply equally to each past revolutionary period and, by extension, to future transformations. Using specific battles as examples, Boot makes the point that technology alone does not confer insurmountable advantage. Those who take advantage of emerging technologies tend to win, but only by wisely applying their advantage.

His final two themes are particularly significant today. No matter how well technology, strategy or tactics are applied, the advantage is not indefinite. In fact, innovation is accelerating, making it all the more difficult to maintain an edge. And although winning is always better than losing, it brings its own problems.

The most serious of these problems is captured in a quote from the late Vice Adm. Arthur K. Cebrowski, who led the Defense Department's Office of Force Transformation: "Historically, victors don't learn nearly as well as losers."

Any book that attempts to cover 500 years of change will suffer from a lack of detail in some areas and overemphasis on contemporary events. "War Made New" is no exception.

However, Boot outlines his approach, themes and methods in the first few chapters and disciplines himself to follow them throughout the book, whetting the reader's appetite for his last chapter on future revolutions.

‘War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History 1500 to Today.’ By Max Boot. Gotham Books. 479 pages. $35.

Thomas J. Wilson III is a retired Navy rear admiral who served as oceanographer of the Navy and commander of Standing Naval Force Atlantic.