How does one engage in the study of strategy? Strategy: Context and Adaptation from Archidamus to Airpower argues that strategy is not just concerned with amassing knowledge; it is also about recognizing our imperfect understanding of the environment and respecting the complex nature of adaptation to the unforeseen or unexpected. In essence, the strongest strategists are those who commit to an education that cultivates a more holistic and adaptive way of thinking. With that thought in mind, the contributors to Strategy, each a current or former professor at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, widely considered the Department of Defense’s premier school of strategy, offer ways of thinking strategically about a variety of subject matters, from classical history to cyber power.

Practitioners in the profession of arms, perhaps more than any other profession, must employ critical thinking where the application of power on land, at sea, in the air, and in space and cyberspace are concerned. Strategy examines various sub-disciplines regarding the use of power, and illuminates different approaches to thinking which have implications beyond the implementation of force.

Richard J. Bailey Jr. is the Dean of Students and professor of Strategy and Security Studies, USAF School of Advanced Air and Space Studies (SAASS), Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

James W. Forsyth Jr. is the Dean of the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

Mark O. Yeisley is a former colonel and associate professor at SAASS and holds a PhD in international relations from Duke University. He currently teaches for Air Command and Staff College.