ABSTRACT
Introduction It is not easy leading military organizations these days. There is a new strategic complexity, that affects managing (equipping and preparing) forces in peace time and commanding (deploying and employing) them in times of crisis and conflict. The strategic complexity is created by the interplay of several dynamics, and those will be the focus of this chapter. It derives mainly from (a) the current Western security policy that hinges on a pro-active strategy of risk reduction through military engagements in areas with failed or failing states and spillover consequences from civil wars and other internal conflicts; and (b) the empowerment of violent non-state groups by the forces of globalization. The aim of this chapter is to explore these new conflict dynamics and suggest some implications for the domain of military leaders: ‘the art of the general’.
