Military invasion is a form of human warfare in which soldiers of one country enter a foreign land with the intent of conquering, liberating or re-establishing control and possession. Invasions are large-scale operations involving significant military forces, complex planning and significant impact on the territory and its people being invaded. Invasions often bring with them cultural exchanges including religion, language and technology that play a major role in human genetic and social evolution.
The success of an invasion depends on many factors including the objectives of both invader and defender, the nature of the host government, and the ability to supply both regular armed force units and small covert cells engaged in asymmetric warfare. Some people advocate that, in response to extremist ideologies and unjust governments, an invasion can change the government or reeducate the people, making protracted resistance unlikely and averting future violence.
The risk of biological invasions from military activities has received very little attention in scientific reviews on the environmental impacts of war, and current international conventions such as ENMOD or the BWC are largely silent on this topic (WebTable 1). However, just like civilian supplies chains, the movement of troops, materiel and foodstuffs provides pathways for the introduction of non-native species during military operations, especially because they are often transported quickly without proper sanitary and decontamination procedures. A significant portion of the organisms that are accidentally relocated during military operations have gone on to become damaging invasive species.
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