“Everything is very simple in war, but the simplest thing is difficult. These difficulties accumulate and produce a friction, which no man can imagine exactly who has not seen war.”
— Carl Von Clausewitz
In his book, (on war), Carl Von Clausewitz spoke of the friction of war – that is, unexpected circumstances or events that will (generally) hinder or (rarely) help a commander in battle. Some of these are ‘known unknowns’, which an officer can learn to overcome. The worst are the ‘unknown unknowns’, events that no commander can prepare for in his planning. And yet, he has to try.
