Title: The Impact of Technology on Warfare | The Classroom
Headings: The Impact of Technology on Warfare
The Impact of Technology on Warfare
Technology Improvements vs. Technological Breakthroughs
The Impact of Technology on Warfare
Positive Effects of Military Technology on Society
History of Military Technology Timeline
Advancements in Technology Compared to Strategies
Military Technology as a Peacekeeper

Content: If one of their many enemies had a superior technology, the Romans had no qualms about stealing it, as was the case in their adoption and adaptation of the Carthage triremes in the First Punic War. The Romans also saw the benefits of roads used by the Persians and Egyptians for moving armies quickly from one place to another and improved upon the technology, constructing 29 major highways all radiating from the capital, with the empire interconnected by a total of 372 roads. The same can be seen in modern times. The tank was originally developed in World War I but had almost no effect on the outcome of the war, and it took another 20 years for the tank to become a major force in the battlefield in World War II. Iron ships first appeared during the American Civil War and would change naval warfare forever, but when the Monitor and Merrimack met, the battle ended in a draw and had no effect on that war. The same can be said of the fighter jet and the modern rocket, both developed by the Germans before they lost World War II. The Impact of Technology on Warfare
None of this is to say that superior technology isn't an important or even vital element for victory. However, it's almost always the incremental improvements that contribute to victory, combined with superior strategies, tactics and, of course, a country's economic production capabilities. A classic example of this is the development of aircraft technology in the Pacific Theater of World War II. At the outset of the war in 1941, the Japanese Zero was vastly superior to the American's Hawker Hurricane or Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk.