I remember the first time I heard the moniker, “Futurist.” It was in 1984 when I was at Quantico, Virginia attending the Marine Corps’ Advance Communications Officers Course. During this yearlong assignment my fellow students and I were required to attend a series of professional lectures presented by various “think tanks” and prominent members of government. The term “Futurist” was introduced during a Rand Corporation lecture. I recollect hearing the presenter defining “Futurist” as a person or persons who studies and predicts the future on the basis of current trends. But he went on to say making accurate predictions isn’t necessarily the job of the Futurist; it’s more the act of stimulating creative thought about the future that, in turn, influences action today by preparing for the change tomorrow will bring. In summary, the lecturer predicted the collapse of the Soviet Union and provided evidence and trends to support his prediction. Of course with 20/20 hindsight, we all know the Soviet Union began its collapse into independent nations in early 1985, less than a year after I attended the Rand Corporation’s lecture. Not long after Gulf War I (Desert Shield/Desert Storm), when the first U.S. troops began returning home (March 8, 1991), the U.S. military began to examine its force structure and weapons systems and started a long transition from strategic war fighting in a high threat environment to winning battles in global hotspots that could erupt as medium to low intensity conflicts. As our forces now engage in Iraq and Afghanistan, the transition our military started years ago continues to this day. During my time at Quantico in 1984, I also attended a lecture called “The reality of terrorism.” Back then our focus wasn’t on the Middle East or on any of our home-grown domestic terrorists that occasionally crop up like the one Oklahoma City experienced when Timothy McVeigh, assisted by Terry Nichols blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.  In 1984 terrorism was viewed as problematic not in the U.S. but in Northern Ireland as perpetrated by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) against England. We knew then and know even better now the IRA were master bomb makers and convincing evidence exist today that current terrorists in the Middle East now operating around the globe learned well from the IRA in the manufacturing of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED). There was also another term that I heard for the first time in 1984 and it occurred during this “reality of terrorism” lecture – the phrase, “Asymmetric Warfare.” Kenneth McKenzie, a National War College military theorist defines asymmetric warfare as conflict involving two states with unequal overall military and economic power resources.” “…. leveraging inferior tactical or operational strength against vulnerabilities of a superior opponent to achieve disproportionate effect with the aim of undermining the opponent’s will in order to achieve the asymmetric actor’s strategic objectives.” The Vietnam War had defined asymmetric characteristics considering the hit & run guerrilla tactics used by the Viet Cong, so we’re not dealing with something new that we’ve not experienced before. Given U.S. supremacy in conventional forces, few rational opponents would deliberately seek a direct military confrontation with the United States--although Iraq blundered into war by miscalculating Washington's response to the 1990 invasion of Kuwait and was soundly defeated. Instead, future adversaries who resort to military force against the United States will employ asymmetric, or David-and-Goliath, strategies involving innovative yet affordable weapons and tactics designed to weaken U.S. resolve and its ability to use its superior conventional military capabilities effectively. The September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center is a classic asymmetric tactic and since that horrific day our country has been fully engaged in asymmetric warfare with terrorists around the globe.  In looking back to 1991 we can now see that Gulf War I was the debarkation line from what we have traditionally identified as a conventional battlefield. With initiation of Gulf War II in 2003, when American forces crossed into Iraq, applications of traditional battlefield tactics, vis-à-vis Blitzkrieg maneuver warfare occurred with Shock and Awe. But now the battlefield has returned to asymmetric proportions on at least two fronts, Iraq and Afghanistan, with the enemy metamorphosing their tactics as we improvise and adapt. We who study warfare once again see the asymmetry profile emerging as the prominent strategy alongside its coinciding operational tactics. Consider what Colonel T.X. Hammes, USMC, says about asymmetric warfare in his article, “The Evolution of War: The Fourth Generation,” “Fourth generation war will require much more intelligence gathering, analysis, and a greater dissemination capability to serve a highly flexible, interagency command system. At the same time, the fact that fourth generation war will include elements of earlier generations of war means our forces must be prepared to deal with these aspects as well … therefore, it will be essential for leaders to make an accurate analysis of the war they are about to enter. The complex mix of generations of war with their overlapping political, economic, social, military, and mass media arenas makes determining the type of war we are entering more critical than ever.” So what does all of this have to do with Milspeak Memo. Well, the answer is simple – the history and lessons learned from Gulf War I to Gulf War II to present day operations in Iraq and Afghanistan provide a deep well of knowledge and experiences that veteran writers can share by telling their stories. The unique perspectives of family members and friends of veterans also bring a rich source of experiences and stories. The diversity of missions and war fighting skills and the stresses and sacrifice families endure and that are now demanded of our military men and women is what makes this volume of Milspeak Memo so profoundly important and exciting – it offers the opportunity to write about a wide range of experiences extended even into the arena of homeland security – a virtual cornucopia of subject matter. I encourage everyone to write about your thoughts, your experiences, and to tell your stories. There’s an old Latin saying that I’ve always liked, “Vox audita perit littera scripta manet” – “The spoken word perishes, the written words remain.” Milspeak Memo provides the very foundation for you to bring your words to life – do not let your words perish – set them free, bring them to focus by writing your stories and allowing them to teach those who have experienced war and for those now preparing for war, so they too can learn and be inspired to see their future by preparing for it today. Everyone who writes shares valuable gifts to their readers – gifts of knowledge, experience, and inspiration. Each of us have story to tell. Write yours and help to shape our future. Audaces juvo clarior hinc honos – I help the brave, hence brighter the honor Mustang http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombinghttp://www.carlisle.army.mil/library/bibs/warfar03.htm