Deep in the Nevada desert, B-52s storm through the skies. Bombs rain down, unleashing huge clouds of fire and smoke. It's Firepower Day - a chance for the US airforce to show off it's overwhelming ability to blow things up. But the events of September 11th have proven that this conventional kind of firepower is no longer sufficient to protect the American people. Indeed, Gary GI Wilson, a retired Marine colonel who served in Somalia and the Gulf, predicted 23 years ago that a new type of conflict was on the cards: "The fourth generation adversary will go after you politically and socially. Large conventional forces are not well-suited for that kind of adversary." Wilson fought for years to have defence strategists listen, but until recently, he remained unheard. After 9-11, US policy makers finally sat up and began to take note. They've now recruited Vietnam war veteran Admiral Arthur Cebrowski to manage a "transformation" project, aimed at creating a more flexible fighting force, not solely reliant on firepower. But Cebrowski's come up against the rest of the US defence industry, populated by powerful defence contractors whose trade relies upon the production of huge, costly weapons. With many in Washington aware that it's not smarter soldiers that win votes but more weapons, and the bigger the better, the transformation of the US military is likely to be a tough battle.

Produced by ABC Australia