Why doctrine may be as important as speed

A US Marine Corps captain once asked a group of officer candidates: “What do we do?” None gave the correct answer: “We fight wars.” Simple, really, and classic Marines; when called upon, be ready. Except, of course, nothing is so simple, ­either back then in the Cold War or today in what, increasingly, feels like a new Cold War. To be ready, soldiers – as well as politicians and arms industry bosses – had best ask some more difficult questions: Who will we fight? When? How?