The Importance of Mistakes in Military Innovation

Military innovation is not a straight line. It's a wandering path that has no set end and no way to judge if the current path is the correct one, says Peter Bergen. Even among thought leaders, there were never any certainties, just assumptions and guesses, he adds. The French Army before the First World War completely misread the impact that increases in firepower before 1914 would have on the next war., writes Bergen.