The Construction of Warfare Technology in Russian Military Thinking

The Construction of Warfare Technology in Russian Military Thinking Anzhelika Solovyeva Abstract This dissertation traces the dynamics of military-technological innovation in Russia over the last hundred and fifty years. The analysis relies extensively on primary data obtained from Russian archives, complemented by a series of expert interviews. The goal is to understand whether and to what extent Russia's respective discourses and practices constitute a distinct strategic cultural approach. The relationship between strategic culture and military- technological innovation is considered from two different, yet complementary, perspectives. From an empirical standpoint, the analysis is guided by six substantial arguments derived from the existing literature on Russian strategic culture, technology and military doctrine, interviews conducted by the author, and partially from the author's own knowledge of the problematic. In theoretical terms, this dissertation offers and graphically nuances a novel conceptual model, theorizing processes related to military-technological innovation and the role of strategic cultural frames. The last two arguments guiding the empirical focus of this dissertation are derived from the theoretical discussion. This model is subsequently applied to three case studies, with the key..