"War, Chaos, and History" considers the implications of the emerging field of research in chaos-complexity-non-linearity for the study of war. This study examines the special dependence of military professionals on history in their shaping of doctrines, style, and attitudes in spite of the wide gap between the portrayal of war in military history and the far greater intricacy of its reality. Special foci in the analysis include: the fragility of doctrine; the chronic confounding of plans and expectations in actual operations; the congruencies of chaos and creativity theoretics; effects of war on the environment; and problems of evidence and reportage. Three cases-battle cruisers, tank destroyers, and heavy fighter aircraft-are presented to illustrate paradoxes, especially the gap between vision and realization, and the tension between the urge to control and the impulse to create chaos in war.

Introduction: guideposts for entry into a strange land, a basic framework and some terms -- Chaos, complexity, and defense analytics -- On the military utility of military history -- The fragility of doctrine -- Battle cruisers, tank destroyers, heavy fighters: doctrines gone astray -- The chaotic sense of war -- The ordering impulse -- Matching frequencies: complexity and creativity -- Chaos upon chaos: the environmental impact of war -- Considerations and conclusions.