War is the most demanding and complex of human activities.
Forging an effective and responsive fighting force takes time, and the importance of preparedness in peacetime cannot be over-stated. In reaching and maintaining an appropriate level of preparedness, personnel, organization, equipment and sustainment are critical factors. Having derived, from the Principles of War and the characteristics of aerospace power, the fundamentals of aerospace power application, this chapter takes the next step in doctrinal development. Knowing what you can and should do in war is of little merit if the skills, organizations, facilities and equipment required to apply that knowledge are lacking. This chapter, then, extends our doctrinal knowledge into the essential elements of preparing for war.