Read about John Boyd, a (now deceased) fighter pilot, whose theories on conflict have proponents in high places (Colin Powell for one). Boyd was a real thinker...a philosopher...who drew his ideas from the natural world, Sun Tzu, Napoleon, and anywhere else he could. He actually applied his philosophy to the real world, and had a standing challenge that he could beat any other pilot in a dogfight in less than 30 seconds. He never lost.