Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Degree

Master of Science in Defense & Strategic Studies

Department

School of Defense & Strategic Studies

Committee Chair

Jared McKinney

Abstract

Great powers need laboratories for war. This thesis argues that great powers find these laboratories in proxy forces. Proxy warfare is not just a tool for strategic influence. It is a machine for experimentation. This study posits a central testing-ground hypothesis. It contends that great powers deliberately use surrogates to vet emerging technologies, doctrines, and mobilization schemes under the pressure of real combat. The analytical methodology is historical. It traces patterns from the ancient world's proxy forces and the innovations of the Crusades to the Cold War and the digital age. The thesis examines enduring patterns, including the tension between sponsor control and proxy autonomy, the boomerang effect of technology diffusion, and the cycle of innovation that breeds instability. It then shows that lessons learned from these surrogate conflicts are harvested, analyzed, and codified into the sponsors' official doctrines. Great powers outsource the fighting, and they keep the data. Ultimately, this study seeks to contribute to future analyses of how wars are fought between great powers with global influence.

Keywords

proxy warfare, military innovation, testing-ground hypothesis, technology diffusion, principal-agent theory, Cold War conflict, military doctrine, innovation feedback loops

Subject Categories

History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Military and Veterans Studies | Military History | Peace and Conflict Studies | Political Theory

Copyright

© Sean J. Oliver

Download

Open Access

Share

COinS