Military Transformations Programme

The Military Transformations Programme (MTP) was established in 2003. MTP aims to develop an indigenous policy-relevant and scholarly expertise emerging military innovation issues such as how novel technologies are affecting military capabilities and warfighting concepts, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) as a “transformative core” for future militaries – particularly for Indo-Pacific militaries and superpowers – and the impact of such innovations on regional military balances and long-term military-strategic competitions.

Since 2018, MTP is focusing its research agenda on:

Emerging Technologies: the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on the development of new types of armaments and other military equipment that may add new capabilities and advantages to militaries over the longer term (i.e., out to 2040). These innovations include advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, quantum computing, among others, as well as their strategic and operational interactions.

Competitive Strategies: The long-range strategic competition between great powers shapes the direction and character of future military competitions in the Indo-Pacific Region. MTP research projects aim to provide an ongoing assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of competitors and suggest sources of competitive advantage such as the maturation and spread of asymmetric anti-access/area-denial capabilities, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and disruption, future warfighting strategies and concepts, and their implications for Southeast Asia.

Programme Staff

• Dr Michael Raska
  Assistant Professor
  Coordinator, Military Transformations Programme, IDSS
  DID: 6592 3660
  Email: [email protected]

• Wichuta Teeratanabodee
  Senior Analyst, Military Transformations Programme, IDSS
  DID: 6904 1338
  Email: [email protected]

MTP Select Publications

 Books:

• Richard A. Bitzinger (co-editor), Defence Industries in the 21st Century: A Comparative Analysis (London: Routledge 2020).

• Richard A. Bitzinger, Arming Asia: Technonationalism and its Impact on Local Defense Industries (New York, NY: Routledge 2017).

• Michael Raska, Military Innovation of Small States: Creating a Reverse Asymmetry (New York, NY: Routledge 2016).

• Michael Raska (co-editor). Security, Strategy and Military Change in the 21^st Century: Cross-Regional Perspectives (New York, NY: Routledge, 2015).

Book Chapters

• George Christou and Michael Raska, “EU-Asia Cybersecurity,” In: Thomas Christiansen, Emil Kirchner, and See Seng Tan () The European Union’s Security Relations with Asian Partners (London: Palgrave Macmillan 2021), 209-230.

• Gulizar Haciyakupoglu and Michael Raska, “China’s Political Warfare in Taiwan: Strategies, Methods, and Global Implications,” In: Mikael Weissmann et. al. (eds.), Hybrid Warfare: Security and Asymmetric Conflict in International Relations (London: I.B. Tauris, 2021), 173-194.

• Michael Raska, “Diesel-Electric Submarine Modernisation in Asia: The Role of Air-Independent Propulsion Systems,” In: Richard Bitzinger () Emerging Critical Technologies and Security in the Asia-Pacific (London: Palgrave-Macmillan, 2016), 91-106.

• Michael Raska and Richard Bitzinger, “Capacity for Innovation: Technological Drivers in China’s Future Military Modernisation,” In: Roy Kamphausen and David Lai (eds.) The PLA in 2025. (Washington D.C.: The National Bureau of Asian Research, 2015), 129-162.

Journal Articles

• Michael Raska, Katarzyna Zysk, and Ian Bowers (eds.), “Defence Innovation and the 4th Industrial Revolution: Security Challenges, Technologies, and National Responses,” Journal of Strategic Studies, 44/4 (2021).

• Michael Raska, “The sixth RMA wave: Disruption in Military Affairs?,” Journal of Strategic Studies, Journal of Strategic Studies, 44/4 (2021): 456-479.

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman, “From Closed to Open Systems: How the US Military Services Pursue Innovation,” Journal of Strategic Studies, Journal of Strategic Studies, 44/4 (2021): 480-514.

• Richard Bitzinger, “China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy: Development, Procurement, and Secrecy,” Asia Policy, 16/1 (2021): 1-64.

• Michael Raska, “North Korea’s Evolving Cyber Strategies: Continuity and Change,” SIRIUS – Journal of Strategic Analyses, 4/2 (2020): 144-158.

• Michael Raska, “Strategic Competition for Emerging Military Technologies: Comparative Paths and Patterns,” PRISM – Journal of Complex Operations, 8/3 (2020): 65-81.

• Michael Raska, “Strategic Competition and Future Conflicts in the Indo-Pacific Region,” Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 2/2 (2019): 83-97.

Policy Reports

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman and Andrea Gilli, “Ethical Purpose: Ethics and Values” and “Technological Superiority” in Andrea Gilli (ed.) “NATO-Mation”: Strategies for Leading in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, NATO Defence College, December 2020.

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman, “Hunt for the Unmanned Red October: The Rise of Underwater Drones” in Florence Gaub (ed.) Conflicts to Come: 15 scenarios for 2030, European Union Institute for Security Studies 2020.

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman, “Futureproofing Transatlantic Relations: The Case for Stronger Technology Cooperation,” in Simona Soare (ed.) Turning the Tide: How to Rescue Transatlantic Relations, European Union Institute for Security Studies,

• Malcolm Davis, “Australia as a Rising Middle Power,” RSIS Working Paper, 23 April 2020.

• Michael Raska, “China’s Strategy and the Defence Sector: Advances and Challenges,” in Richard Bitzinger and Nicu Popescu () The Defence Industry in Russia and China. European Institute for Security Studies, 2017.

• Michael Raska, “Military-Cyber Capabilities in the Asia-Pacific,” in: International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2017: Key Developments and Trends. London: IISS, 125-140.

• Michael Raska and Vasily Kashin, “Countering the U.S. Third Offset Strategy: Russian Perspectives, Responses, and Challenges,” RSIS Policy Report, 2017.

• Michael Raska, “South Korea’s Military Innovation Trajectories,” in Patrick Cronin (ed.) Breakthrough on the Peninsula: Third Offset Strategies and the Future of Defence of Korea, Center for New American Security,

Commentaries and Op-eds

• Andressa Michelotti, “Big Tech vs Trump: Implications of Deplatforming,”RSIS Commentary, 10 May, 2021.

• Mikael Weissmann, Niklas Nilsson, Bjorn Palmertz, “Hybrid Threats and Hybrid Warfare: Time for a Comprehensive Approach?” RSIS Commentary, 14 June, 2021.

• Simona Soare, “European Defence and AI: Game-Changer or Gradual Change?” RSIS Commentary, 24 March 2021.

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman, “Emerging AI Governance for International Security: the Stakes and Stakeholders of Responsibility,” Azure Forum, 10 March 2021.

• Richard Bitzinger, “4IR: The RMA We Are Finally Looking For?” RSIS Commentary, 1 February 2021.

• Megan Lamberth, “AI Ethical Principles: Implementing US Military’s Framework,” RSIS Commentary, 28 October 2020.

• Andrea and Mauro Gilli, “Artificial Intelligence and Arms Control: What it Means for Singapore,” RSIS Commentary, 23 November 2020.

• Jean-Marc Rickli, “Neurotechnologies and Future Warfare,” RSIS Commentary, 7 December 2020.

• Michael Raska, “North Korea’s Evolving Cyber Warfare Strategy”, East Asia Forum, 24 September 2020.

• Richard Bitzinger, “COVID-19 and Its Impacts – Chinese Military Expansion: Slowing but Not Stopping”, RSIS Commentary, 25 September 2020.

• Richard Bitzinger, “Artificial Intelligence: Empowering Smaller Navies”, RSIS Commentary, 1 April 2020,

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman, “AI and Technology Convergence: Catalyst or Irritant of Change?”, RSIS Commentary, 1 April 2020.

• Zoe Stanley-Lockman and Michael Raska, “Is the Innovation Winter Coming?” RSIS Commentary, 26 June 2019.

• Michael Raska and Richard Bitzinger, “AI’s Impact on Military Power,” The Straits Times, 25 June 2019.

• Michael Raska, “How will the SAF Look After its Next Incarnation?” Today Online, 19 March 2019.

• Michael Raska, “Singapore’s Next-Frontier Defence Innovations,” RSIS Commentary, 25 June 2018.

• Michael Raska, “Strategies of Cross-Domain Coercion in East Asia,” Sinopsis, 18 July 2018.

• Michael Raska, “A Nimble 4G SAF Needs Space for Mavericks,” The Straits Times, 13 May 2017.

• Michael Raska, “China’s Evolving Cyber Warfare Strategies,” Asia Times, 8 March

• Michael Raska, “Where Quantum Satellites fit in the PLA Strategy,” Lowy Interpreter, 8 September 2016.

• Michael Raska, “China and the Three Warfares,” The Diplomat, 18 December 2015.