ABSTRACT
Among the innumerable wonders of the African plant kingdom, Ziziphus mucronata (the Buffalo Thorn) is one of the more humble. Its stems grow and extend in zigzag fashion. At each tack the stems sprout two thorns. This chapter examines the characteristics of the battlefield of the future. There are two distinct types. The first battlefield type concerns the minimalist forces. The second battlefield is the one that naturally comes to mind when considering the word, namely the battlefield associated with warfighting, with armoured warfare, the clash of disciplined and recognised national armies. Alvin Bernstein offers a more adventurous vision: what might be called fire-ant warfare. The professional soldier has to pay as much attention to the future, the thorns of opportunity, as to the lessons of the past, the thorns of wisdom but of inertia too.
