Ben Buckman.net

I recently completed a term paper for my course on the history of science and technology on the topic of naval communications technology. It can be read in PDF here.

My interest in the subject came about in a different course on U.S. military history (taught by Professor Andrew Bacevich), when I learned about the Battle of Manila Bay and subsequent occupation of the Philipines during the Spanish-American War of 1898. Deficiencies of communication played significant roles in these events, and as I confirmed researching this paper, the course of American foreign policy for decades following the war was largely caused by communications-related timing flukes and mistakes.

One of my conclusions is that the advance of instantaneous global communication has blurred the distinction between strategy and tactics and eroded the traditional autonomy of military commanders. Examples of this are seen today with Iraq and the distraction by senior government leaders from non-military aspects of foreign policy and the "big picture" of world affairs.