Academic Education For Officers' Training In A New Age Of Warfare

This paper argues that (military) leaders need to develop four critical capabilities to succeed in a disruptive and ambiguous environment. It goes on to contrast these desiderata with the fundamental trade-off between readiness and quality that permeates all military training and education, including academic studies. To counter a specific threat within a given time frame, some level of forces of sufficient quality (Gefechtswert) must be made available immediately, even though this adversely affects long-term effectiveness. Finally, we ask what can be done in officer education to alleviate the trade-off. I will argue that flexibility at both the personal and programme levels is key, and that the institution of a military university is best suited to provide it.