The Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) has not only changed how the USA engages in warfare but also how it maintains its military supremacy and how other nations budget and strategize. The very idea of the RMA has impacted how nations manage their technological advantages and raises the questions of can the RMA be monopolized and if not, which nations can adopt their own RMA? In September 2000, the Japan Defence Agency (now the Ministry of Defence [MOD]) produced a report titled ‘“Info-RMA”: Study on Info-RMA and the Future of the Self-Defence Forces’ to explore the prospects of implementing RMA principles in the Japan Self-Defence Forces. In this article, I explore to what extent can RMA principles be implemented in the Self-Defence Forces? I argue that although several significant changes have been implemented in technology, doctrine, operations and organization, various normative and technical constraints have directed the MOD to craft an RMA with Japanese characteristics, emphasizing defence and interconnectedness with the US armed forces. These findings suggest that current efforts to ‘normalize’ the Self-Defence Forces can succeed if crafted to appeal to the sensibilities of the Japanese public.

中文翻译：

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日本与军事革命

军事革命 (RMA) 不仅改变了美国参与战争的方式，还改变了它保持军事霸权的方式以及其他国家的预算和战略制定方式。RMA 的理念影响了各国管理其技术优势的方式，并提出了 RMA 是否可以被垄断的问题，如果不能，哪些国家可以采用自己的 RMA？2000 年 9 月，日本防卫厅（现为防卫省 [MOD]）制作了一份题为“Info-RMA：研究 Info-RMA 和自卫队的未来”的报告，以探索实施的前景。日本自卫队的 RMA 原则。在本文中，我探讨了自卫队可以在多大程度上实施 RMA 原则？我认为，虽然在技术、条令、在行动和组织方面，各种规范和技术限制促使国防部制定具有日本特色的 RMA，强调防御和与美国武装部队的相互联系。这些调查结果表明，如果精心设计以吸引日本公众的感受，当前使自卫队“正常化”的努力能够取得成功。