Deep Space Warfare

November 15, 2019
Already an arena of military activity, the potential for outright warfare in outer space is the focus of this imaginative analysis. U.S. Air Force officer Wright accepts the human attributes that have provoked terrestrial warfare throughout history?such as avarice, aggression, and fear?and that they will accompany our species in interstellar travel. Conflict, therefore, will be likely, especially if humans encounter a sentient, nonhuman civilization that makes rival claims to material and energy resources. Humans would need a military force, which Wright envisions as similar to a navy on Earth, with supply ships, capital ships, troop ships, and a marine-like landing force. Beyond weighing its degree of automation, Wright doesn't get technical; instead, he dwells on strategic, operational, and tactical considerations. Like a sea battle, a space battle would be extremely risky, so the space force commander would need to obtain the best intelligence about an adversary to decide whether to keep away, engage in diplomacy, or attack. Should the last be adopted, Wright outlines a campaign of planetary conquest. Wright's audacious look-ahead at extraterrestrial military policy and planning will fascinate space-passionate readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)