Why Study War?
Franklin C. Annis
Why should we study military history? It is an interesting question that I believe most will never take the time to fully analyze. As an U.S. Army Officer, my gut reaction to this question was to answer, “It is an expectation in my profession.†But this explanation falls far short of the true purposes we should be investing in while studying military history. After close examination, I have come to three principle purposes for the study of war. Two of these purposes applies to all citizens of our Republic and a final purpose is unique to military service members.
Before we begin, it is important to note that the study of military history can never be subdivided from the larger concept of history. The application of military forces is not independent of the social and cultural interaction of the day. It would be impossible to study history without the study of the armed conflicts that occurred between cultures and within different political or religious institutions. While we can focus our examination of history onto military conflicts, it would be impossible and a grave error to attempt to study history without studying the history of warfare at some level.
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/why-study-war
