While the conflict in Ukraine brought the “phenomenon of war” back to Europe in a brutal way not seen since 1945, it places the struggle in all its complexity and diversity alongside the strategic and geopolitical dimensions.
However, it remains difficult to clearly distinguish between armaments, troop movements, the different areas of operation, the development of doctrines, etc. Additionally, it can be difficult to understand why one day’s success can lead to the next day’s failure. In this context, it seems essential to return to the study of tactics, the science of combat, which explains the dynamics of combat and the problems of modern operations. Mobilizing for the first time in the same work authors among the greatest French experts in contemporary tactical thought, this book offers theoretical insights into the evolution of combat and the current issues of tactics, in order to characterize its contemporary anatomy and to exploit the lessons of the commitments of the last twenty years. In doing so, it partially fills a gap in the strategic literature, which focuses primarily on the broad spectrum of conflicts (geopolitics, strategy), while at the same time providing keys to understanding for the study of current and future conflicts. To better understand the struggle of today, one must anticipate the struggle of tomorrow and, through that understanding, the war of the 21st century.