"In general, it takes months of on-the-job training in-country to bring new arrivals up to an acceptable, functional level. We need to identify gaps and opportunities and institutionalize, not personalize, processes and best practices."(Supporting Statement provided by BG Rounds, J-7, Joint Staff participating in a VTC with GEN Petraeus and LTG McChrystal) The enemy is able to quickly change methods and procedures to meet Coalition operations. How do our "lessons learned" apparatus rapidly capture those changes, develop and implement counters? The problem set, however, is much greater than updating tactics, techniques and procedures to meet the immediate threat. Although the fundamental nature of war has not changed, changes in the political landscape, adaptations by the enemy, and advances in technology are changing the character of war. This demands adaptive training and education processes, organizations and systems. The question then becomes, "How do training centers and joint Professional Military Education institutions adapt to a changing environment and exploit and assimilate lessons learned?"

Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is concluding a 2-year project to review service and joint lessons learned programs as well as organizational, service, and joint initiatives to meet a rapidly changing environment. To understand and address those challenges, the IDA team interviewed returning service members, visited combat and home station training centers, collaborated with deploying and returning commanders, assisted lessons learned collection teams, and visited primary through senior service schools to holistically consider the entire training and education continuum. As the environment demands a more creative, flexible and adaptive leader, the cognitive boundaries of "what to think" versus "how to think," is being pushed ever lower in the rank structure; consequently, training and education needs to adapt to remain relevant. This paper investigates the changing character of war and its implications for training and education.