The Evolution of Operational Art. From Napoleon to the Present

In his contribution to this volume General Rupert Smith tells us why. The

era of ‘industrial war’ is over—at least, for the time being. Wars are no longer
fought between peoples, but among peoples. Their object is no longer the
conquest of territory, but the winning of loyalties. For this, we still need

strategies, though ones embracing far more than military means, and tactics,
though of a subtle and discriminating kind. In between there still remains the

indispensable grey area of operations. But we need to think of them all in
rather a different way, and General Smith, who has vast experience of the

problem, suggests how this should be done.
In short, this volume is both instructive and thought-provoking. I feel

highly privileged to have been invited to introduce it.

Prologue xi