Created Saturday 12 January 2019
Author's point of view, at least as far as I understand it, is based on two fundamental assumptions. The first of these defines basic structure of all armed forces throughout 2500 years - light infantry, mobile and most often equipped with missile weapons, heavy infantry, purpose of which is shock combat, light cavalry equipped similarly to its infantry equivalent, but with superior mobility and finally heavy cavalry, equivalent to heavy infantry, but once again more mobile and able to deploy more rapidly than its foot equivalent. The advantage/disadvantage relations between these different troop types are according to Mr. Jones permanent throughout the ages and work a bit like rock, paper, scissors game. The surprise here is that according to the author, the light infantry and cavalry are the superior weapon systems. The other fundamental assumption of the author concerns the strategies available to the combatants. These are equally simple as troop classifications or in fact simpler, because according to the author there are only two of them - combat-oriented or logistics-oriented. Each of these strategies can be of either persisting or raiding nature and each of resulting combinations can be used in either offensive or defensive manner. Finally, the author asserts few basic, but pretty much immutable rules by which all warfare must obey. Advantage of defense versus offense (under precondition that both sides use similar weapon systems) and advantage of retreat versus pursuit are perhaps the most important ones, closely followed by necessity of adequate ratio of force relative space if the objectives are to be achieved and finally the logistical constraints.
With these basic preconceptions (they are naturally a bit more complex, but I hope you get the gist) as square one, the author then proceeds with the chronological study of military history of western world and arrives after some 700 pages to a rather surprising conclusion - the more things change, the more they stay the same! In broad strokes, the development of military art of western world has according to professor Jones reached its pinnacle in classical period and with the exception of few major developments, such as increased articulation of military units, effects of socketed bayonet on both the defensive and offensive capabilities of the infantry and disappearance of horse cavalry from the battlefield due to overwhelming firepower of infantry being the most significant ones, the military development in the western world has been pretty much running in circles, chasing its own tail for 2500 years.