Command in War

A study of command over two millennia, Command in War traces the evolution of command and control alongside the development of warfare from the ancient world to the late 20th Century. Van Creveld examines the scope of command problems – including staff organisation and administration, communication methods and technologies, weaponry, and logistics – to analyse how these problems influence, and are influenced by, military strategy. Technological advances have not fundamentally changed the problem of command; rather, command must be tailored to the troops and the mission, rather than remaining static. Among the book’s key conclusions is that progress in command invariably revolves around finding ways to transcend the limitations of the current technology or capability rather than being reliant on technological advances; a valuable reminder in an ever-increasingly computerised military world.