IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) ON REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS (RMA) IN BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

According to Karl von Clausewitz the nature of war never changes, but the manner of conducting the wars have undergone considerable changes, which can also be explained by noting that other a historical discontinuity, or revolution has occurred in the way wars are fought. A Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) occurs when a combination of technological, organizational, social, doctrinal and political-economic changes take place in conjunction and affect the way militaries plan, equip and train to wage war. This current RMA is driven by technology, namely Information Technologies (IT), which include different kinds of new tools and processes of waging war such as Information Warfare (IW), Network Centric Warfare (NCW), Integrated Command and Control (C4ISR), System of Systems, jointmanship etc. Toady any topic on military, strategic, or national security invariably promotes the concept of emerging RMA. Whatever else the RMA is about, its primary emphasis is on the enhancement of military capability that will permit profound changes in military operations, doctrines and organisation. But RMA has been neglected in the Bangladesh Armed Forces because of many obvious reasons. Considering the technological development of other countries in this region, we need to prepare ourselves to face the variety of warfare tools that might be employed against us in the future conflicts. As such, it is time for Bangladesh Armed Forces to focus on possible changes required in doctrine, organization and training for operational adaptability with the developments in the field of IT and IW to derive all possible benefits of RMA to face the future challenges for the armed forces and for the national security.