Nunn School Assistant Professor Margaret E. Kosal’s article entitled “The War We Won’t Expect” is featured in the latest issue of the Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine. Kosal writes on the need for strategic foresight to understand the role and impact of new technologies, like nanotechnology and biotechnology, may have on war, whether exacerbating, ending, or rebuilding from conflict. She highlights the lack of tools and policy to anticipate and deal with these emerging technologies and understand their geopolitical origins and implications, which must start with an awareness of the underlying factors at hand – both the technical and non-technical ones.

Kosal argues that a strong foreign policy constructed from an improved understanding of the relationships between science and security has never been more critical. And she concludes that "the need to bridge gaps between the technical and human domains are increasing rapidly, and the challenges are both organizational and strategic. Most importantly, we need the right people to implement and execute strategic foresight. Otherwise, without strong partnerships and without better analytical tools at our disposal, the U.S. and its allies will continue to struggle with assessing how, when, where and in what form future wars will be fought, as well as preparing for and responding to military aggression." 

Kosal’s piece is part of a special issue devoted to the ways Georgia Tech interacts with and supports the US military, including  prominent alumni serving in the US military, such as reminiscences by US Navy Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld, AE 78, who now is the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), and US Air Force General Phillip Breedlove, CE 77, who serves as Commander of the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and as NATO’s 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).