Defining Military Innovation: An Exploration of Concepts and Frameworks

When we speak about technological innovations like AI technologies, it is already quite explicit that we are speaking about a range of completely diverse areas and applications, from machine learning to natural language processing, all of which somehow cohere under a banner that is quite comprehensible in the larger context of technological transformation.

In the case of military innovation, however, that story becomes far more complex and fragmented. For instance, some would note how the use of Blitzkrieg tactics by Germany during World War II as military innovation, where the battles were changed since then with combined arms and the infiltration of rapid movements. Others would cite the development and use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, or UAVs, as a prime example of military innovation in terms of what new technologies mean for modern combat.

The wide-ranging list of topics-from strategic doctrines to cutting-edge technological developments-invites an examination of what, at its core, military innovation really is. The range of these examples makes it difficult to discern a single definition or common theoretical format, and thus requires an explanation and a clear explanation of what we understand to be military innovation.