The important thing to remember is war does not progress linearly. The future course of events is going to be very difficult to predict with a high degree of precision. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
Be skeptical of concepts that divorce war from its political nature, particularly those that promise fast, cheap victory through technology. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
What we can afford least is to define the problem of future war as we would like it to be and, by doing so, introduce into our defense vulnerabilities based on self-delusion. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
It is in their inherent moral components that recent Western strategies may be deficient. What percentage of the populations in countries engaged in the 14-year effort in Afghanistan could even name the three main Taliban groups with whom their soldiers have been engaged? H. R. McMaster Read Quote
The professed war-weariness among populations who have sent only a small percentage of their sons and daughters to fight in recent wars may derive from a failure to communicate effectively what is at stake in those wars and explain why the efforts are worthy of the risks, resources, and sacrifices necessary to sustain the strategy. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
Every time you treat an Iraqi disrespectfully, you are working for the enemy. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
It’s astounding the degree to which these communities are intermarried. Iraq is a crazy quilt of ethnicities and religious sects. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
I think any of us who have been involved in the mission of Iraq have developed a great deal of affection for the Iraqi people and are emotionally invested in what we think is a vital mission… So I think any of my contemporaries would welcome the opportunity to go back and make a contribution to this extraordinarily important mission. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
It’s important to study and understand your responsibilities within any profession, but it’s particularly important for military officers to read, think, discuss, and write about the problem of war and warfare so they can understand not just the changes in the character of warfare but also the continuities. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
We confuse activity with progress, and that’s always dangerous, especially in war. H. R. McMaster Read Quote
