Military planning has various authors. The kings and emperors of old decided on whom to make war, where and when, with what, and for how long. The British Empire was built on economic push and domination abroad via a strong fleet. When Prussia united Germany in the nineteenth century, the...

The US foreign service was a civilian process until the end of the Second World War. Since then, the armed forces have encroached on the State Department's diplomatic mission. The Goldwater‐Nichols Act of 1986 authorized worldwide “Commands” in the Department of Defense. This left to the...