ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author aims to comprise an effort to update her book, The Baroque Arsenal, published in 1982. She argues that "military technology in western countries has evolved in a linear extension from the past, beyond the limits of what is useful. The author describes development of military technology as linear and incremental. She suggests that at the innovation and integration stages, the typical institution which, in the US or UK, undertakes development and production is the large private corporation, the prime contractor. The author shows that dynamic impulse emanating from competition is constrained by the organizational rigidities of the armed forces. New technologies can only "get through" the innovation and integration stages if they conform to the requirements of the dominant mission. The author examines effect of weapons development on the economy as a whole. She also shows that "the cost of marginal improvements to a given technology tends to increase sharply beyond a certain performance level.
