Books | Mick Ryan, the author of War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First Century Great Power Competition and Conflict

There is a Need for More Integration of Knowledge Between Military and Civil Academic Institutions, as Well as Between Military and Opensource Intelligence Agencies

What prompted this book? What were the challenges in writing this book?

The future of war and ensuring that we were well prepared for it has been something that has fascinated me ever since I was a very junior officer in the Australian Army. I have nurtured this interest over the decades through self-study as well as the kinds of staff jobs I sought in between command appointments.

When I assumed command of the Australian Defence College in 2018, I was determined to ensure we were absolutely rigorous, evidence-based and intellectually ruthless in ensuring our future leaders had the best possible preparation for the known and unknown challenges of the future. After teaching there and speaking to many students, it became clear that there was a place for a book that looked at future wars as less a technology challenge, and more a challenge of human intellect and creativity. That is what I sought to explore in War Transformed.

How do you perceive the defining elements of future wars?

First, they are going to be a mix of the old and the new. There will be a lot of continuities like surprise, close combat, disciplined violence and good leadership. But there will also be new elements such as autonomous systems, AI, as well as the new concepts and organisations to use them more appropriately than legacy institutions might.

Second, future wars will be more integrated. By this I partially mean more joint. But it will also have a more careful balance of kinetic and non-kinetic (cyber, inflict, EW) actions. There is also a need for more integration across different agencies of national governments in both competition and conflict. There is a need for more integration of knowledge between military and civil academic institutions, as well as between military and o