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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 04/06
Re-conceptualising the Military-Industrial Complex: A General Systems Theory Approach
Adrian Kuah
January 2006
Abstract
This paper examines the prevailing model by which the interplay between defence establishments and defence industries—the military-industrial complex—has been understood, focusing primarily on the defence industrial base. It argues that give global change drivers such as the end of the Cold War and the concomitant reduction in the geostrategic threat level, as well as defence globalization, post-industrialism and the revolution in military affairs (RMA), the old model has ceased to have utility for both researchers and policymakers. Instead, this paper suggests an approach that goes beyond conventional economic analyses and draws on organization theory to develop a dynamic model that better reflects the current realities in defence industrial sector. This paper articulates what a general systems conception of the defence industrial system might consist in, and highlight its potential in informing the defence industrial policy process as well as agenda for future research.
