Next War: Reimagining How We Fight

Selection, 2025 and 2026 US Marine Corps Commandant's Professional Reading List

"...a useful addition to the literature of the changing character of war. Its scoping and focus, and its application of the identified disruptors to current challenges offer immediate insights for today’s commanders and defence policymakers." ― The Wavell Room

The nature of war is constant change. We live in an era of exponential technological acceleration which is transforming how wars are waged. Today, the battlespace is transparent; multi-domain sensors can see anything, and long-range precision fire can target everything that is observed. Autonomous weapons can be unleashed into the battlespace and attack any target from above, hitting the weakest point of tanks and armored vehicles. The velocity of war is hyper-fast.

Battle shock is the operational, informational, and organizational paralysis induced by the rapid convergence of key disrupters in the battlespace. It occurs when the tempo of operations is so fast, and the means so overwhelming, that the enemy cannot think, decide, or act in time. Hit with too many attacks in multiple domains, all occurring simultaneously, the enemy is paralyzed. In short, the keys to decisive victory in war is to generate battle shock.

Imagine a peer fight against Communist China, a new war in Europe against a resurgent Russia, or a conflict against Iran in the Middle East. How can our forces survive an enemy-first strike in these circumstances? Can we adapt to the ever-accelerating tempo of war?

Will our forces be able to mask from enemy sensors? How will leaders execute command and control in a degraded communications environment? Will our command posts survive? Will our commanders see and understand what is happening in order to plan, decide, and act in real time? This book addresses these tough questions and more.

Table of Contents

Introduction: How War is Changing

1. Learning from the Second Nagorno Karabakh War and the Russian-Ukrainian War
2. The Transparent Battlespace
3. The First Strike Advantage
4. The Tempo Of War
5. Top Attack
6. Full Automation
7. The Kill Web
8. Visualizing the Battlespace in All Domains—Executing Mission Command
9. Decision Dominance
10. Conclusion: Implications for the Defense of Taiwan

Colonel John F. Antal, U.S. Army (Ret.), is the author of more than a dozen books on military history, strategy, and leadership, including 7 Seconds to Die (Casemate, 2022), Next War (Casemate, 2023), and Drone Dominance (Casemate, 2026). In the U.S. Army, he commanded from platoon to regiment, including the 16th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Knox. A West Point, Command and General Staff College, and Army War College graduate, he is a noted speaker and expert on leadership and the changing character of war. He served as Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as G3 of III Armored Corps. After retiring, he led teams that developed AAA video games and served as Managing Editor of an interactive magazine. He has appeared on television and radio, received the U.S. Congressional Veterans Award in 2017, and served on the Army Science Board. Contact him at JohnAntal.com.