New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Ben Connable, "Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War" (Georgetown UP, 2025)
Aug 23, 2025
Ben Connable, a Director Executive at Battle Research Group and Adjunct Professor at Georgetown, dives into the complex realities of ground combat in his book. He reveals that the evolution of warfare is often gradual, challenging the myth of revolutionary military changes. Connable discusses the ongoing relevance of tanks, critiques the generalization of lessons from Ukraine, and argues for strategic investments in counter-drone technology. His findings emphasize the necessity for evidence-based approaches in understanding and planning modern military tactics.
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Build Evidence Before Declaring Revolutions
- Ben Connable built a global database of ground combat to replace subjective claims with evidence-based analysis.
- He argues this empirical baseline reveals gradual evolution, not dramatic revolutions, in land warfare.
Functions Persist As Forms Change
- Connable finds no battle evidence for sweeping revolutions in ground combat across the 20th and early 21st centuries.
- He emphasizes continuity in the functions of technology and tactics even as forms change.
Repeated Failed Forecasts Of Warfare's End
- Connable recounts historical forecasts claiming new weapons would make ground combat impossible, from 1899 through post‑WWII predictions.
- He uses these failed forecasts to show recurring technophilic overreach in military prophecy.
