New Books in Military History Ben Connable, "Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War" (Georgetown UP, 2025)
Aug 23, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Ben Connable, Executive Director at Battle Research Group and adjunct professor at Georgetown, examines the nuanced realities of ground combat. He highlights the significance of a global database he developed, revealing that war evolves gradually rather than through revolutionary leaps. Connable critiques the over-reliance on technology forecasts and emphasizes the need for an empirical approach to military strategy. He also tackles the challenges posed by emerging technologies like drones and advocates for a reevaluation of military investments.
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Data Over Dogma
- Ben Connable built a database of hundreds of ground combat cases to replace subjective analyses with evidence-based study.
- He uses longitudinal data to argue change in ground combat is evolutionary, not revolutionary.
Evolution, Not Revolution
- Connable finds no battlefield evidence of abrupt revolutions in land warfare across the last century.
- He shows technology's form changed while core functions and tactics remained consistent over time.
Forecast From Evidence, Not Hype
- Use historical, empirical cases to ground forecasts rather than hype about imminent tech fixes.
- Expect uncertainty and avoid assuming new tech will eliminate the fog of war.
