Warfare is a reflection of the character of war, conducted at strategic, operational and tactical levels. Changing the character of war, dictates changes at different levels of warfare. Examining the link between warfare and the tactical level, represents the dissertations’ identified research gap. The main goal was to establish if the underlying assumptions at the tactical level are still valid for warfare today and for the future. From this, the dissertations’ research questions were formulated.
The dissertations’ research strategy was based on mixed method approach. In my research, I was discovering causal laws, searching for empiric evidence, and using unbiased research based on quantitative data. By using qualitative data I established what is important for the research object. The research is therefore a combination of deductive and inductive analysis. By using deductive analysis of the literature, I identified key paradigms of the changing warfare and military transformation, and then also basic assumptions at the tactical level. Warfare’s paradigms and underlying assumptions were verified and analysed using an expert survey. Finally through synthesis of key findings on transformation at the tactical level, changes in warfare, and the infantry’s underlying assumptions, I established a theoretical model of designing new infantry paradigms, which represents the dissertations’ key scientific result.
The main finding are as follows. First, warfare's ends, ways and means have changed since World War Two. Second, the infantry's underlying assumptions at squad, platoon and company level did not reflect this. Changes were linked to new technologies, but this did not alter the underlying assumptions or did so in a negative way. Third, underlying assumptions need to change, but first doctrine, organisation, training, leadership and education need to be developed, to reflect changes in warfare. Only than technology to facilitate this change should be pursued.
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