DKI APCSS associate professor Dr. Virginia Bacay-Watson has contributed a chapter to a new book entitled “Emerging Critical Technologies and Security in the Asia-Pacific.”
According to the publisher’s abstract, the book looks at how “the proliferation of advanced militarily relevant technologies in the Asia-Pacific over the past few decades has been a significant, and perhaps even alarming, development. This volume addresses how such technologies may affect military capabilities and military advantage in the region.”
Watson’s chapter is entitled “Off-setting the Impacts of Emerging Critical Technology” and focuses on how nations can off-set the high costs of technology. The book edited by former APCSS associate professor Dr. Richard Bitzinger is published by Palgrave MacMillian and is available for purchase online at: http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9781137461278#aboutBook
Full abstract:
“This volume addresses how ‘emerging critical technologies’ affect military capabilities, and therefore military advantage, in the Asia-Pacific. Technology is a crucial element of military effectiveness and advantage, particularly with regard to the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, the proliferation of advanced conventional weaponry, and the subsequent increases in military capacity, has been a dramatic, and perhaps even alarming, development. Regional militaries have, in recent decades, acquired capabilities that were previously unknown. At the same time, the diffusion of militarily critical technologies, as well as the ability of militaries to exploit potential, varies widely across the region. Naturally, this unequal distribution will determine the impact of these technologies and capabilities on regional security and stability. Consequently, it is essential to assess the relative abilities of regional militaries and the impediments they may face.”
Dr. Bacay-Watson has previously written on the topic of technology and security in her paper on “Exploring Resource Security Policy and Green Science & Technology in Asia.” She also edited a volume based on an APCSS workshop for which she was the academic lead called “The Interface of Science, Technology & Security: Areas of Most Concern, Now and Ahead” which is available online as an e-book.
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The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
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