Geoffrey F. Weiss - The New Art of War: The Origins, Theory, and Future of Conflict

The New Art of War

Many of wars lethal failures are attributable to ignorance caused by a dearth of contemporary, accessible theory to inform warfighting, strategy, and policy. To remedy this problem, Colonel Geoffrey F. Weiss offers an ambitious new survey of wars nature, character, and future in the tradition of Sun Tzu and Clausewitz. He begins by melding philosophical and military concepts to reveal wars origins and to analyze war theorys foundational ideas. Then, leveraging science, philosophy, and the wisdom of wars master theorists, Colonel Weiss presents a genuinely original framework and lexicon that characterizes and clarifies the relationships between humanity, politics, strategy, and combat; explains how and why war changes form; offers a methodology for forecasting future war; and ponders the permanence of war as a human activity. The New Art of War is an indispensable guide for understanding human conflict that will change how we think and communicate about war.

Geoffrey F. Weiss is an active duty colonel with over twenty-seven years of service in the United States Air Force. He is a graduate of the US Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting and a distinguished graduate of the National War College. A former wing commander with multiple tours in the Middle East, Colonel Weiss is presently serving in the Pentagon on the Joint Staff where he advises the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on global operations and crisis response from the National Military Command Center.

The New Art of War

The Origins, Theory, and Future of Conflict

Colonel Geoffrey F. Weiss

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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108837644

DOI: 10.1017/9781108946902

Geoffrey F. Weiss 2021

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First published 2021

Printed in the United Kingdom by TJ Books Limited, Padstow Cornwall

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ISBN 978-1-108-83764-4 Hardback

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For my parents, Rick (19392019) and Marylou, who have lived life as a harmony of tensions, sometimes at war, mostly at peace, often on my mind, and always in my heart.

&

For those who risk their lives for others.

If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinions for or against anything as long as you remain in one extreme or the other you will never know Oneness.

Buddhist Proverb

The truth is the Whole .

Georg W. F. Hegel

The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, or the US Government.

For many, war is an abstraction, a curiosity. For others, it is part of a daily struggle for existence. For still others, it is a livelihood or even an aspiration. But what do we really know about war, and why does it matter? In the late 1960s, my father, who due to health reasons never experienced war firsthand, named me after his friend and mentor, Geoffrey Reginald Gilchrist Mure, Warden of Merton College, Oxford (194763). Frederick, my fathers first name, is also my middle name. Ironically, Geoffrey originates from the Old German word for peace, and Frederick means peaceful ruler, yet I have devoted most of my professional life and this book to the subject of war. Perhaps no one understands fire or disease better than the fireman or physician, professionals dedicated to battling these menaces. The same is often true of warriors and war. And though some warriors are enamored with war, I am no more a fan of it than a doctor is a lover of disease or death. Still, how can we hope to prevent wars or prevail in wars thrust upon us without understanding war? I love peace enough to fight for it, which is why I devoted the majority of my life to military service and ultimately why I wrote this book. The New Art of War has been many years in the making, and its creation has been a rewarding though unlikely journey. Despite having settled on a military career (somewhat by accident), I never imagined I would write a book on war; after all, so much has been written already. Yet, the more I have studied history, war theory, and strategy the more I perceived a pressing need for a fresh approach. The result is The New Art of War .