Preface I came to the future of conflict—by way of the past. Since my earliest days, my parents had encouraged my interest in understanding how things work because exploring the answers brought an understanding of con- text and of significance about different people and events, tools and ideas. Furthermore, exploring how and why things work—and the context into which they fit—is, honestly, fascinating. Quickly, I discovered that a youthful aptitude for math and science in no way unseated a fundamental appreciation for history. History drew me because, while learning about the past helped explain how and why things worked the way they did (or do), an earnest examination of history also grapples with the impact of contingency. People make decisions and take actions, and this impacts the world that they (we) inhabit. Conflict exerts profound and multifaceted impact on people’s lives at macro and micro levels, and technology is constantly interwoven into life and there- fore into history. I learned quite early that history, especially regarding military affairs and the role of technology, captivated my interest I wanted to make the learning of these fields and the sharing of what I discovered become my profession. After completing my doctorate, I taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, at Purdue University, and at Air University, the node for the professional military education of U.S. Air Force officers. The academies, and professional military education at large, employ several historians. But they are relentlessly (and understandably) oriented toward an operational mindset that is pointed toward the present and the future. In the classroom, I might be teaching at West Point about Napoleon’s campaigns, or at Pur- due about technologies in the world wars, or to Air Command and Staff
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