Next War: Reimagining How We Fight

Foreword by US Senator Mike Rounds

The nature of war is constant change. We live in an era of exponential technological acceleration which is transforming how wars are waged. Today, the battlespace is transparent; multi-domain sensors can see anything, and long-range precision fire can target everything that is observed. Autonomous weapons can be unleashed into the battlespace and attack any target from above, hitting the weakest point of tanks and armored vehicles. The velocity of war is hyper-fast.

Battle shock is the operational, informational, and organizational paralysis induced by the rapid convergence of key disrupters in the battlespace. It occurs when the tempo of operations is so fast, and the means so overwhelming, that the enemy cannot think, decide, or act in time. Hit with too many attacks in multiple domains, all occurring simultaneously, the enemy is paralyzed. In short, the keys to decisive victory in war is to generate battle shock.

Should the US engage against Communist China, a resurgent Russia in a European war, or Iran in the Middle East, how can our forces survive an enemy-first strike in these circumstances? Can we adapt to the ever-accelerating tempo of war? Will our commanders see and understand what is happening in order to plan, decide, and act in real time?

John Antal's Next War is "a call to action for military strategists, policymakers, and anyone interested in understanding the future of conflict. Study this book to learn what must be done to gain the foresight needed to deter, or if deterrence fails, to win the next war" (*Colonel Roger C. Fiske, US Army, Ret.).