The Principles of War for the Information Age [Paperback]

The crisis is upon us: We have no viable doctrine for tomorrow's wars. Now that the world has entered the information age, principles that have served to enlighten the art of war no longer work. Born of agrarian times and honed during the industrial age, the classical principles of war are, in large part, hopelessly outdated. Radical change is needed now. The Principles of War for the Information Age provides a prescription for this change.Preface
 
Practice, without theory and reflection, dwindles into unsatisfactory routine.
—Frederick the Great
 
This is not a book to be agreed with. It is a book to be argued about.
 
It is difficult for me to state this, because I am firmly convinced that the conclusions in this book are accurate. However, that belief does not automatically translate into a desire on my part that all readers believe as I do. This is, after all, only one soldier’s judgment on the character and direction of future conflict in general, and armed conflict in particular. But what I do hope to achieve is to stimulate rigorous debate: a commodity that is conspicuously absent today.
 
It’s not that we are stagnating in our efforts to build a viable national strategy or its military component. Indeed, change proceeds at an alarming rate. The services are continuing to assimilate information technology, and the reorganization of our armies, fleets, and air wings likewise progresses at a breathtaking speed. In a furious pursuit of what was once called “the peace dividend” following the Soviet collapse, Congress and the National Command Authority have cut deeply into the armed services, causing a serious reassessment of how we will continue to defend our interests.
 
This book is not an appeal for bigger defense budgetslA