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In this episode, Dr Simon McKenzie talks with Michael O'Hanlon about forecasting what the future of military technology holds, and the conflicts should we be planning for or trying to avoid. The speed of technological development and digital transformation makes this job harder than ever. They discuss how he thinks out what the future holds – both technologically and strategically – over the next 20 years and how to prepare for it. 

Michael O'Hanlon is a senior fellow and director of research in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. He specializes in U.S. defense strategy, the use of military force, and American national security policy. He has several academic appointments, advisory positions and has written extensively on military technology, future conflicts, and the role of American power in the world. 

Further reading:

• Michael E. O'Hanlon, Defense 101: Understanding the Military of Today and Tomorrow (2021)
• Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint (2021)
• Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Senkaku Paradox: Risking Great Power War Over Small Stakes (2019)
• Michael E. O'Hanlon, The Future of Land Warfare (2015)
• Michael E. O'Hanlon, Technological Change and the Future of Warfare(2000)
• The books of P. W. Singer 
• Bruce G. Blair, The End of Nuclear Warfighting: Moving to a Deterrence-Only Posture (2018)
• Bruce G. Blair, The Logic of Accidental Nuclear War(1993)
• James Stavridis & Elliot Ackerman, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War (2021)
• Stephen Rosen, Winning the Next War: Innovation and the Modern Military (1994)