Military modernization and political choice: Germany and the uspromoted military technological revolution during the 1990s

This paper focuses on the factors that impacted on the German debate with regard to the US-promoted Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) during the 1990s.1 It suggests that domestic policy considerations and the lack of farsighted defense and security strategic thinking, especially with regard to “Bundeswehr's capabilities”, coupled with bureaucratic politics inside the German Ministry of Defense (MoD), played a significant role in shaping the German RMA-related response during the 1990s.