Description
Over time, military organisations tend to converge into similar organisational patterns. The diffusion of military innovations—broadly defined as large-scale changes in organisations, technologies, doctrines, and strategies to increase the capacity to generate military power—tends to be responsible for this convergence. The literature discusses the issue widely, using a myriad of theoretical lenses. Yet, few studies consider that innovation rarely diffuses isolated but tends to carry a specific view of how to prepare and employ military force. When scholars analyse it, they use conflicting concepts to refer to the same issue (e.g., ‘agendas’, ‘styles’, ‘ways of warfare’). Then, how can we understand organisational convergence among militaries worldwide? I argue that we need a middle-ground concept to understand how these force templates diffuse. I then define ‘military models’ as this missing analytical link. Defined as ‘interconnected sets of military innovations that become templates for reform in a given domain, field, region, and historical moment,’ the concept provides clearer parameters and methodological regard for diffusion studies. To advance my argument, I offer a conceptual literature review and use the diffusion of the post-Cold War U.S. military model as a plausibility probe. I then conclude by illustrating the possibilities for future research.
