By Dan Goure
Once upon a time, the U.S. was the world's sole military superpower. Commentators coined the phrase "the American way of war." This term referred primarily to the employment of superior air and space capabilities to dominate the initial period of hostilities and determine their course and outcome. In fact, the U.S. military was dominant in virtually every domain of warfare for more than two decades.
The U.S. can no longer take its dominance as a given. While the U.S. military was focused on and invested in counter-terrorist/counter-insurgency warfare, Russia and China were investing in high-end conventional and nuclear weapons systems intended to counter U.S. technological advantages and even surpass our current capabilities. The combination of integrated air defenses, massive inventories of conventionally-armed ballistic and cruise missiles, space weapons, large numbers of increasingly-capable combat aircraft and advanced electronic warfare systems could negate U.S. military superiority. Russia, in particular, has been modernizing its ground forces. In recent exercises and in its operations in Ukraine, the Russian Army has demonstrated its ability to offensively employ drones, tactical aviation, long-range artillery, ballistic and cruise missiles and heavy armored forces.
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/new-artillery-rounds-will-help-restore-americas-conventional-21674
