An attempt to predict the capability or weapons that will decide future wars is almost impossible in this fast changing world considering the fact that an ability that has its place at the pinnacle of technological innovation may be considered obsolete is no distant time due to another ability that successful counters it or environmental issues.
Also the nature of war is not constant but fluid and an ability that may be a game changer in a conventional war between two country may be useless or cost effective in a smaller conflict or assymmetrical scenario pitting force in an urban theater. (e.g Nigeria Army confronting Niger Delta militant or Boko Haram insurgents).
However, this capabilities and abilities will be very pivotal in future battle and will change the very nature of future wars.

(1) STEALTH CAPABILITIES: Using naturally occurring metamaterials, scientists have been designing lightwave-bending materials that can greatly reduce the thermal and visible signatures of a target. This ability will be game changer in future conflict. They represent the pinnacle of technological weapons sophistication and are the bleeding edge of innovation.
The ability to record low radar signature has been used by many countries on high sea assets like warships and submarines but this capability is still an exclusive capability in air assets as only U.S and China have operational military hardwares with stealth capabilities. The U.S F22 and F35 Fighter Jet and B-2 Spirit and F-117 Nighthawk Bombers and the Chinese newly commissioned J-20 are the only operational air asset with stealth capabilities although their are many more aircraft with stealth capabilities still in experimental stage in different countries. Stealth suit for land soldiers are also being experimented by some military.
Chinese Shenyang J-31, Japanese Mitsubishi X-2, Russian PAK-FA-T-50 and Swedish Stealth Saab Gripen are the known aircraft currently at the operational stage. Also Stealth capabilites is being experimented on Main Battle Tanks and Poland is currently pushing the innovation on its concept tank PL-01. How well a country can evade enemy radars and eyes will be game changers in future conflicts.

(2) Cyber Space Capabilites: Apart from the three conventional domain being used in warfare which are, Land, Sea and Air, future wars will be fought on two additional domains. Outer Space and Cyberspace will also be battlefields in future wars.
Cyber war will see hackers wage war against each other for the control of cyberspace but this won't be them stealing facebook user info or hacking email but they will be working to takedown modern military nervous system and stuxnet-style digital weapons.
Cyberspace battle will be targeting computers and networks in warfare, communication and internet connection systems, military installations, and other important assets and installation in offensive and defensive operations.
New breed of military equipment and bots using artificial intelligence will also attack and defend in cyber war by automating work like probing and targeting enemy network or crafting fake information.

(3) Speed: Speed increases the element of surprise and enhance the potency of attack and ability to evade countermeasures. Speed became a sacred ability during the Second World War when high sea and air supremacy battles became more pronounced and air supremacy is almost the requirement for success in a war.
Over time, technology advancement has given human the ability to go more than 25 times faster than the speed of sound and the next barrier is the speed of light but this may take hundreds to thousands of years to break as the speed of light is over 23,000 times faster than the speed of sound.
How fast fighter jets, Warships, Submarines, APCs and Tanks, missiles and projectiles will to a great extent decide future wars.

(4) Artificial Intelligence: This field was founded on the claim that human intelligence "Can be so precisely described that a machine could be made to simulate it and allow computers and machine to function in an intelligent manner."
According to reports, artificial intelligence could soon surpass nuclear weapons as the world's greatest military weapon. AI tech and Robot Soldiers could give a much smaller countries unable to amass big armies or develop nuclear weapons a way to rival even superpowers military.
AI and Robotics has already start changing the face of wars as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Unnamed Land Vehicles are already actively g participating in front line battles and most of the Battle Tanks, Fighter Jets and Weapon systems fielded by many Militaries in the World are already making autonomous decision to defend or attack and in no distance time, this military hardware could be totally automated.
This however is perceived by many AI expert as a grave danger to the very existence of human race.
According to Stephen Hawking, 'the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. once humans develop artificial intelligence, it will take off on its own and redesign itself at an ever increasing rate. Human could not compete and would be superseded.
However the ability to field frontline robot soldiers in will change the posture of the yardstick of military might in future wars.

(5) Capabilities in Space : In no distance future the space will be a theatre for warfare. Battle in space will include ability to attack ground targets from space and ability to attack enemy space assets from space. This capability was seized to reality from the science fiction realm by Russia with the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Ever since the launch of Sputnik, Russia, U.S and much later, China has been trying to militarise the Space by developing and placing weapons and military technology in outer Space.



Currently, countries like Russia, U.S.A, China and some other countries have weapons that can attack space systems in orbit, attack on earth from space or disable missile travelling through space. A large percentage of countries also have satellite for espionage, surveillance and military communication.
Ability from and in space will decide to a great extent decide the outcome of future wars.

SOURCE: http://www.classikolic.com/2017/11/five-capabilites-that-will-decide.html?m=1

Meanwhile in Africa we are yet to even realize where the frontiers are, and oblivious of realities that could consume us.

One of those is that there's always a time of war and a time of peace. We are in time of peace...well, relative peace. If a major global war breaks out (and it may), it'll be unlike anything ever seen or imagined. Question is, what are we doing to prevent, contain or protect ourselves from it.

I'm not a doomsday prophet o. Just stating obvious truth. So don't quote me if u know nothing about nuclear fission or radiation dose calculations

IMO, EW will be a huge decision maker. Almost everything operates in the electromagnetic spectrum. Signals can run but can't hide.


Have the most capable aircraft, once you slack on cyber and electronic warfare, you're definitely going to loose the war.