Lessons were learned—or relearned—the hard way, and now being forgotten

[Bill Moore]

The article listed some lessons relearnt, but it didn't make a case for why the British Army is at risk of being forgotten? It would insightful to see if the British military education and training systems have deliberately opted to stop teaching these lessons.

Furthermore, this comment, is true for all conflicts in all environments.

The experiences of British and coalition forces in Basra in 2007 demonstrated that urban operations, by their very nature, are as they are, and not as we would like them to be.

Amateurs will follow their doctrine until it leads to their defeat, while professionals may start with a doctrinal approach, they then adapt to the realities on the ground. It is impossible to educate, man, and equip a military for all potential scenarios. No one is comfortable when the fight turns into a fight you didn't train for, but if you can escapte the constraints of bureaucratic processes, soldiers will adapt. I'm not a fan of a Secretary Rumfeld, but he was absolutely correct when he said you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you want (training, force structure, equipment). Left unsaid, after you go to war you adapt your doctrine, force, and equipping to the problem at hand.