Military Past, Military Present, Military Future: The Usefulness of Military History
Jun 2008, Vol. 153, No. 3
By Gary Sheffield
Military history is useful: this is the simple, if controversial, argument of this
paper. Used carefully, military history is an invaluable tool for decision makers,
whether military or civilian, at every level from grand strategy down to tactics. This is not to say that simple prescriptive ‘lessons’ can be drawn from history. However, military history does provide a databank of experience which, with care, can be drawn upon to inform decision making. Almost every military situation has an ‘approximate precedent’: something like it will have happened at some point in the past. Best practice, based on careful study of the past and codified in doctrine, can provide valuable guidelines for decision-makers.
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By Gary Sheffield
Military history is useful: this is the simple, if controversial, argument of this
paper. Used carefully, military history is an invaluable tool for decision makers,
whether military or civilian, at every level from grand strategy down to tactics. This is not to say that simple prescriptive ‘lessons’ can be drawn from history. However, military history does provide a databank of experience which, with care, can be drawn upon to inform decision making. Almost every military situation has an ‘approximate precedent’: something like it will have happened at some point in the past. Best practice, based on careful study of the past and codified in doctrine, can provide valuable guidelines for decision-makers.
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