In Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century, 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.
“Multidomain Operations is a must-read for military professionals and policy makers. Fox and Gady explore how warfare is evolving across land, air, sea, cyber, and space—challenging conventional doctrine and urging adaptation to today’s complex operational landscape.” — Lieutenant General Kevin Admiral, Commanding General, US III Armored Corps
“Amos Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady bring sharp analysis to MDO, challenging dominant narratives with expert insight. Essential reading for scholars, policymakers, and military professionals navigating the realities of modern warfare and the evolving concept of Multidomain Operations.” — Anthony King, PhD, Director, University of Exeter’s Strategy and Security Institute
“’The greatest risk of MDO is that it over-promises to policymakers something that military concepts have never been able to deliver, and that is to achieve the political end state that the war or conflict seeks.’ Therefore, policymakers, strategists, senior military leaders, concept developers, and doctrine writers should take a hard look at whether MDO is a feasible, acceptable, suitable, and complete doctrine…” — ARMY magazine
“For policymakers, strategists, and senior military leaders, especially on this side of the Atlantic, an indispensable read to understand the roots, ambitions, limits, dead ends and perspectives of Multi Domain Operations. A necessary wake up call to prevent MDO from being excessive, misinterpreted, hollowed out and disconnected from what is achievable in time and is relevant to dominate the future battle space. An enormous amount of food for thought!” — Lieutenant General Alfons Mais, 21st Chief of German Army / 2020-2025
"The character of warfare has been evolving rapidly and there is much that we can learn from current conflicts. This excellent book reminds that all wars are sui generis and therefore not all lessons are applicable to what happens next. What most observers would agree is that the Ukraine War has seen a vast leap forward in autonomy (to make up for capability limitations elsewhere) and the integration of vast quantities of data to achieve greater information advantage. This book rightly highlights the potential that the integration of the operational domains has to offer, and it also presents wise advice on how to execute. I commend it to you.” — General Sir Nick Carter GCB CBE DSO ADC Gen
338 pages
Publication 9th January 2026
9781912440801 paperback
9781922440818 hardback
9781912440825 EPUB
Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Battlefield Dominance in the 21st Century
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.
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.
Foreword: Frank Hoffman
Introduction: Amos C. Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady
Section 1: Origins, Evolution, and Mainstreaming
● Chapter 1: Dr. J.P. Clark, Col (Retired) USA, “The Development of The Army in Multidomain Operations: An Organizational Intellectual Journey
● Chapter 2: Jesse Skates, Lt Col, USA, “Multidomain Operations: A Bridge Between Industrial and Information Age Warfare?”
Section 2: Practical Considerations
● Chapter 3: Bill Murray, Lt Col, USA, “Who left Brigades out of Multi Domain Operations? Enhancing Brigade Combat Teams for Effective Multidomain Operations”
● Chapter 4: Bryan Quinn, Maj, USA, “Functional Shortcomings: Implementing MDO in a Shifting Security Environment”
● Chapter 5: Robert Rose, Maj, USA, “Without a Why there is No How: The Problems with a Doctrine Detached from Strategic Context”
Section 3: Tensions with Contemporary Conflict and Future Developments
● Chapter 6: Dr Heather Venable, Air Command and Staff College, “The Muddle of Multidomain Operations: Why the Concept Should be Reined In—and How to Do It.”
● Chapter 7: Dr Amos Fox, Arizona State University, “Addressing Flaws in Multidomain Operations: The Pursuit of Dominance in 21st Century Warfare”
● Chapter 8: Dr Jeff Meiser, University of Portland, "Multidomain Operations as Military Strategy"
● Chapter 9: Michael Kofman and Franz-Stefan Gady “Deep Battle: Attrition, Maneuver, and Lessons from Ukraine for Future Warfighting”
Section 4: International and Alliance Perspectives
● Chapter 10: Andre Luiz Viana Cruz de Carvalho and Sandro Teixeira Moita (Brazil), “The Expanding Role of Ground Forces in Multidomain Operations across East Asia and the Indo-Pacific”
● Chapter 11: Yuka Koshino and Rintaro Inoue, Japan, "Multidomain Operations with Japanese Characteristics”
● Chapter 12: Davis Ellison and Tim Sweigs, “Warfighting Concepts and the State of MDO Development: Does the Emperor have any Clothes?"
● Chapter 13: Dr Andrew Carr, Australia, Australian National University, “Multidomain by Design: The Australian Defence Force and MDO”
● Chapter 14: Dr Thomas Crosbie and Holger Lindhardtsen, Royal Danish Defense College, "Educating Officers for Joint and Multidomain Operations: Is There a Difference?"
● Chapter 15: William F. Owen, Israel, "More Cowbell: Is Multidomain Operations Just Another Concept?
Conclusion: Amos C. Fox and Franz-Stefan Gady
