Reflections on Future War

Part of preparing for war is to understand it. What is the nature of war? What is the character of war? Will war in the future be like war in the past? These are critical questions that today’s military professional must attempt to answer. Unfortunately, our track record is not very good. To envision the future is to “look through a glass darkly.” A case in point is the debate that took place a decade ago in the wake of the Cold War’s end and Operation DESERT STORM, the first Gulf War, of 1991.