Author: Lt. Gen. HR McMaster

*Editor’s Note: This essay was originally published on January 13, 2014.

Submitted by Major General H.R. McMaster, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence:

I would like to thank MAJ Matt Cavanaugh for extending an opportunity to participate in this forum.  As WarCouncil.org gets off the ground, I thought that we might consider how to develop our understanding of war and warfare and prepare ourselves intellectually for future armed conflict.

Approaching the Study of War and Warfare

It is hard to improve on the approach to studying war and warfare found in historian Sir Michael Howard’s 1961 seminal essay on how military professionals should develop what Clausewitz described as their own “theory” of war.  First, to study in width: To observe how warfare has developed over a long historical period.  Next to study in depth: To study campaigns and explore them thoroughly, consulting original sources and applying various theories and interdisciplinary approaches.  This is important, Sir Michael observed, because as the “tidy outline dissolves,” we “catch a glimpse of the confusion and horror of real experience.”  And lastly to study in context.  Wars and warfare must be understood in context of their social, cultural, economic, human, moral, political, and psychological dimensions because “the roots of victory and defeat often have to be sought far from the battlefield.” 

To develop understanding in “width, depth, and context,” we must be active learners dedicated to self-study and self-critique.  Discussion and debate with others exposes us to different perspectives and helps us consider how what we learn applies to our responsibilities.  Participative intellectual activity is critical to the “Self-Development Domain” of our Army’s leader development efforts.  And the self-development domain is as important as the Operational Domain (unit training and operational experience) and the Institutional Domain (official Army schools) in helping leaders prepare for the challenges of future war.  This is why forums such as the WarCoucil.org are important.  Discussions on this site should challenge our assumptions and refine our thinking.