Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady, "Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century" (Howgate Publishing, 2026)

Feb 14, 2026

Amos Fox, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and Professor of Practice focused on strategy and technology in warfare, discusses the origins and limits of multi-domain operations. He questions MDO’s universal application, warns that tech focus can hollow land forces, and stresses theater-specific doctrine, the staying power of artillery and tanks, and the realities of attritional, urban wars.

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INSIGHT

MDO As Doctrine Update

Multi-domain operations (MDO) update joint doctrine to integrate cyber and space with traditional domains.
It aims to apply combat power across all domains where and when needed.

INSIGHT

Origin: Response To Russia's Recon-Strike

MDO began as Army-focused Multi-Domain Battle responding to Russia's 2014 actions in Ukraine.
Russia's recon-strike complex exposed battlefield transparency and drove doctrinal change.

INSIGHT

Too Broad To Be Practical

MDO shifted from a threat-focused concept to a broad, unfocused doctrine for all theaters.
Amos Fox argues doctrine must tie to specific threats and environments to be useful.

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In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century (Howgate Publishing Limited, 2026), Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady challenge one of modern war’s most influential doctrines: MDO. Is it the right framework for 21st-century conflict—or a concept rushed into service without sufficient grounding? Through the lenses of origin, field application, academic critique, and international perspectives, the authors examine MDO’s theoretical and practical shortcomings. They argue that MDO is a solution in search of a problem—strategically narrow, tactically vague, and ill-suited for America’s allies. This book calls for a doctrinal reset: one that addresses precision strike overreach, rising attrition warfare, and the enduring need for land forces. With rigorous policy and PME recommendations, Fox and Gady offer a vital roadmap for rethinking military doctrine. Essential reading for defense leaders, scholars, and warfighters alike, this book reshapes how we must think about future battlefields.
Dr. Amos C. Fox is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s Future Security Initiative. Amos also works as a lecturer in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Houston where he teaches strategy and international relations, and hosts the Revolution in Military Affairs podcast, which focuses on war, strategy, international affairs, and the impact of technology on warfare. His latest book is Conflict Realism. Amos is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel. He is also Managing Editor of Small Wars Journal.
Franz-Stefan Gady has advised US and European militaries on structural reform and the future of high-intensity warfare. An adjunct senior fellow with the Center for a New American Security, Washington, DC, he has conducted field research in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine. His latest books are The Return of War and How the US Would Fight China: The Risks of Pursuing a Rapid Victory.

Stephen Satkiewicz is an independent scholar with research areas spanning Civilizational Sciences, Social Complexity, Big History, Historical Sociology, Military History, War Studies, International Relations, Geopolitics, and Russian and East European history. He served as the editor of the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations (ISCSC) newsletter from 2016 to 2018 and is currently the Book Review Editor for Comparative Civilizations Review.

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