What is a military innovation and why it matters

Abstract

The study of military innovation is one of the most important topics in the strategic studies arena, but when it comes to defining the term ‘military innovation,’ there is a remarkable lack of consensus. Lack of agreement on a definition makes it harder to advance knowledge beyond specific cases and for ongoing research to have policy relevance. Currently, what one might consider an innovation another might call an adaptation of an existing technology or tactic, or neither. To move forward, we survey dozens of existing studies and review articles for proposed definitions and examples of military innovation. We locate common and differentiating themes across a wide range of definitions and (at times) conflicting conceptual terminology. We then propose a new framework for thinking about military innovation that builds on existing research and suggests a path forward for future research. Finally, in an online appendix, we demonstrate the plausibility of the framework applied to prominent cases.