On Operations: Operational Art and Military Disciplines traces the history of the development of military staffs and ideas on the operational level of war and operational art from the Napoleonic Wars to today, viewing them through the lens of Prussia/Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States. B. A. Friedman concludes that the operational level of war should be rejected ...
British World War II tanks performed so badly that it is difficult to recall any other British weapon of the period that provokes such a strong sense of failure. Unfortunately, many of the accusations appear to be true—British tanks were in many ways a disgrace. But why was Britain, the country that invented them, consistently unable to field tanks of ...
As Clausewitz observed, “In war more than anywhere else, things do not turn out as we expect.” The essence of war is a competitive reciprocal relationship with an adversary. Commanders and institutional leaders must recognize shortfalls and resolve gaps rapidly in the middle of the fog of war. The side that reacts best (and absorbs faster) increases its chances of ...