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March 1, 2009  

Forum pick: From our online discussion boards

The basic principles of war have not, nor will they ever, change. The reasons we go to war will change, the way we fight will change, the tools we use will change, … but the basic principles will not. … Wars can’t be won ‘on the cheap’ nor can we rely solely on our perceived technological superiority. Airplanes and satellites can’t take and hold ground, talk to a tribal elder or provide a village security. This sort of Rumsfeldian thinking is what got us into the four-year quagmire in Iraq and led to the much unfinished mission in Afghanistan. … Ignoring the principles of war (as we have learned after the past eight years) has dire consequences.”

— “AAWARTHEN” RESPONDS TO PHILIP MEILINGER’S ARTICLE, “NEW PRINCIPLES OF WARFARE,” JANUARY AFJ. (www.armedforcesjournal.com/2009/01/3805746)

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