Roger McDermott traces the origins and trajectory of Moscow's modernization of its armed forces to exploit technology and adopt new approaches to warfare.

Drawing extensively on primary sources, McDermott explores the role of Russian military thought in the modernization process, changes in military decisionmaking, developments stemming from Russian military operations in Syria, and other key factors.

The result is a thorough assessment of Moscow’s efforts to transition its conventional armed forces away from dependence on large numbers of personnel toward more extensive exploitation of information in a digitized, high-technology environment.