ABSTRACT
The concluding chapter draws four main conclusions about the sources of military learning. First, that variables exogenous to the military play a vital role in setting the conditions for effective military learning. Second, the chapter finds that leadership – military, but especially civilian – is a key facilitator of learning. Third, it argues that while military and civilian leadership matters, it is nothing without a well-informed understanding of the basic principles of LL best practice and of the variables which constrain and facilitate the emergence of effective learning processes. Finally, the chapter highlights the importance of establishing a context of civil–military relations that is conducive to an honest, open and constructive relationship between civilian policy-makers and the military. The chapter also explores a number of important emerging empirical, conceptual and theoretical research agendas in military learning.
