RAN Reading List
Military and Aerospace Strategy
The Transformation of War
by Martin van Creveld
published by The Free Press, New York, 1991
When first published in 1991, The Transformation of War was considered to be radical and even heretical. His central thesis is that Clausewitz's trinity of war - the state, the army and the people - is not applicable to modern conflicts. By examining the characteristics of war over many cultures and greater time-scales, van Creveld develops a theory of 'Nontrinitarian War'; where states are irrelevant, a separation between military and civilians does not exist, and the majority of people are nothing more than the victims of war. Written in a confronting and engaging style, The Transformation of War takes one on a kaleidoscope ride through a discourse that examines one man's view on the who, what, how and why of modern warfare. The result is a raison d'être for the nuclear balance and the rise in low intensity conflict and unconventional war since 1945. Much of van Creveld's final chapter on future warfare has been demonstrated time and again by conflicts since this book was written, and as a result The Transformation of War has become a little classic among many of today's military thinkers. But neither is it without its critics. Some have suggested that van Creveld's emphasis on unconventional war only hides the underlying dangers of future conventional conflict. Other critics tend to criticise his apparent disregard, or is it a lack of understanding, of the influence of maritime strategy on world affairs. Overall, although this work is now over 15 years old, it remains both relevant and influential.
