for use, are not matters susceptible of deferment
until the crucial hour. The exacting requirements of war are
essentially such as to preclude the readiness of the requisite
intricate instrument and its skillful use without previous studied
effort during peace.

It follows that where the peacetime effort of the armed forces is
directed toward the attainment of a war time objective of a specific,
rather than of a vaguely general character, and the necessary
components of fighting strength are provided accordingly, the
readiness of the instrument is more likely to be adequate, and the
application of power more likely to be successful. History records, as
facts, that certain States have given their armed forces great
stimulus by early clear definition of policy while, in other cases,
failures and disappointments have resulted from a lack thereof.
Military problems are not confined to those presented after war is
begun.

Mental power (see pages 8 and 9), which includes the ability to solve
military problems in peace and in war and to arrive at sound
decisions, is a recognized essential component of fighting strength
because it is the source of professional judgment. The development of
such ability in those who may be charged with the successful conduct
of war (page 4) may not safely be postponed.

CHAPTER II

MENTAL PROCESSES AND HUMAN TENDENCIES

The discussion in Chapter II deals, first, with the natural
mental processes employed by the normal mature human being
before taking deliberate action.

With the necessity for logical thought thus established, there
arises a need for valid statements of cause and effect, i.e.,
of relationships resulting from the operation of natural laws,
for use as reliable rules of action. The discussion of this
subject explains the dangers inherent in the use of faulty
rules, emphasizes the role played by the various factors
applicable in particular cases, and describes the method of
formulating reliable rules, i.e., principles.

All living beings and their surroundings are understood, on the basis
of informed authority, to be governed in their characteristic
activities by natural law (page 11). The natural forces inherent in
living things and in their environment are continually reacting upon
each other, either maintaining the existing condition or creating a
new one, each of which is a situation or state of affairs. There is
thus