ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the perspectives on future land warfare of two key US competitors, Russia and China. It identifies, there are important points of similarity between US, Russian and Chinese models of military reform. Notably, all three exhibit net-centric assumptions. Russian ground forces began the post-Cold War period in a state of profound decay. Russia began the post-Cold War period with legacy Soviet forces. In 1988, the Soviet ground forces had 214 active divisions. The basis for contemporary programmes of military reform emerged in the period from 2000 to 2008. Russian domestic politics was one powerful influence. In 2000 Vladimir Putin became President of Russia. Putin was committed to a general process of domestic reform designed to re-establish Russia’s prestige and influence. The most significant outcome of Russian reflection on the lessons of the war in Georgia was the so-called ‘New Look’ defence programme, begun in 2008 under the auspices of the Russian Minister of Defence, Anatoliy Serdyukov.
