| General (ret) Professor Teodor FRUNZETI, Ph.D*
Abstract: The last war syndrome is a concept in strategic studies and military theory that describes the tendency of political and military leaders to prepare for the next conflict on the basis of the experience of the preceding war, mistakenly assuming that the future war will have similar characteristics. This tendency frequently leads to strategic misjudgements, inadequate investment in capabilities, and slow adaptation to new technological and geopolitical realities. In a security environment characterized by great-power competition, digital transformation, and the emergence of emerging and disruptive technologies, strategic advantage will not necessarily belong to the actor that has learned the lessons of the previous war best, but to the one capable of anticipating and adapting most rapidly to still-unknown forms of future conflict. This is why, in defence planning, the emphasis is increasingly shifting from preparing for a specific type of war towards developing forces that are flexible, resilient, and capable of evolving rapidly in the face of strategic surprise. Keywords: last war syndrome, concept, mistakes, security environment, anticipation, adaptation. DOI 10.56082/annalsarscimilit.2026.3.3 * Entitled Member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists, President of the Military Sciences Section, Doctoral Supervisor at “CAROL I” National Defense University, email: tfunzeti@gmail.com. |
PUBLISHED in Annals Academy of Romanian Scientists Series on Military Sciences,
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