Quote Originally Posted by reed11b View Post
I have noticed that when it comes to military theorists, the grander and vaguer the theory, the more popular support it receives. Those that focus on small and achievable changes seem to receive very solid resistance. Examples of large and indistinct theories include 4GW, EBO and Maneuver Warfare. Focused theories would be ones like Wilf's patrol based infantry.
I think it is due to the relevance of the subject matter to popular discourse. Right now, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the (distant) memory of 9/11 peaks peoples' interest in military affairs and national security in general. There is a greater hunger for ideas that make sense of those issues. With a larger audience, any new ideas must have a broader appeal. "Focused theories would be ones like Wilf's patrol based infantry" are not accessible to the layman who gets his "news" and the sum total of his knowledge regarding military affairs from the evening network broadcasts or CNN. You can have the greatest idea ever, but if it does not excite or interest a significant portion of the population, then it is not going anywhere. It needs to be marketable to a large audience in order to for it to be heard among the giant chorus of ideas out there.