In today's military of rapid technological and strategic change, obtaining a complete understanding of the present, let alone the past, is a formidable challenge. Yet the very high rate of change today makes study of the past more important than ever before. The Past as Prologue, first published in 2006, explores the usefulness of the study of history for contemporary military strategists. It illustrates the great importance of military history while simultaneously revealing the challenges of applying the past to the present. Essays from authors of diverse backgrounds - British and American, civilian and military - come together to present an overwhelming argument for the necessity of the study of the past by today's military leaders in spite of these challenges. The essays of Part I examine the relationship between history and the military profession. Those in Part II explore specific historical cases that show the repetitiveness of certain military problems.

"Military historians and strategists will come away from this book with a stronger awareness of their responsibilities to assess continuities critically and to offer correctives to those who assert that technological innovation means the Western world has reached the end of traditional military history."
-P. Whitney Lackenbauer, St. Jerome's University, Canadian Journal of History

"The Past as Prologue...attempts to demonstrate the importance of understanding history. In fact it doesn't simply attempt, it succeeds...The Past as Prologue is a must-read by senior military and a should-read by senior policy makers."
-Lt Claude Berube, U.S. Navy Reserve, Proceedings