The lightening of arsenals and implications for conventional warfare

The thesis "The lightening of arsenals and implications for conventional warfare" examines the trend of equipping national ground forces with only light armaments and possible effects, that this trend might have on conventional clashes. The thesis works with hypothesis, that lighter ground forces are inherently disadvantaged, when they clash with heavier ground forces. While the thinkers of Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) count on light ground forces to serve in concert with air power, the air superiority needed might not always be available. To determine possible outcomes of clashes between light and heavy forces, the paper examines seven historical case studies of clashes between opponents with great armament disparity, looking for importance of armament disparity inside the cases, as well as comparing them between the cases. The set of case studies largely confirmed the hypothesis, proving the value of heavy ground forces in combat. However, it also found that other effects, primarily air support and use of terrain, can mitigate or completely counter the effect of armament disparity. The role of technological advancement also changed the balance between the forces with infantry anti- armor weapons. The development of protective measures is though constantly keeping up with development of these weapons