On October 2, Elliot Ackerman, non-resident senior fellow at Forward Defense, published a piece in the Free Press entitled “The U.S. Isn’t Ready for a Modern War.” He argues that while the United States has an advantage in advanced technology, the cost and time requirements for these pieces are prohibitive for maintaining the edge in a large-scale war. He writes, “Exquisite technologies are effective in limited wars. They’re less effective in a total war like those being fought in Ukraine and Israel.”
Forward Defense leads the Atlantic Council’s US and global defense programming, developing actionable recommendations for the United States and its allies and partners to compete, innovate, and navigate the rapidly evolving character of warfare. Through its work on US defense policy and force design, the military applications of advanced technology, space security, strategic deterrence, and defense industrial revitalization, it informs the strategies, policies, and capabilities that the United States will need to deter, and, if necessary, prevail in major-power conflict.
