ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the impact of conventional weapons technology on conventional arms control in Europe. It is concerned with the impact new technologies have on conventional warfare. The chapter discusses the impact of new technologies on conventional stability in Europe, especially central Europe. The impact of military technology on the way in which conventional war would be fought is often depicted in a rather simplistic fashion. Often, a few high-technology systems which are in the making—or in the planning phase—are credited with having the capability of fundamentally changing the way wars are fought. In the process of developing and integrating military technology in their respective conventional force postures, East and West have manifested rather different features. The Western countries have been generally more innovative than the East with respect to the creation and development of new military-related technologies. Military technology is in most Western countries subject to political and budgetary constraints.
