Seeing the Forest from the Sky

History describes humankind's struggle to adapt and compete in a dynamic world described by both linear and nonlinear interactions. Despite this, scientific approaches to understanding strategy and war have been described primarily in linear terms and concepts, making both accurate prediction of outcomes and the formulation of effective strategy difficult. Complex systems theories offer more precise conceptual models of the world we operate in, helping us to better identify and balance between multiple competing priorities, risks, and costs. Combined with military theory, complex systems theory can help bridge the gap between prescriptive and descriptive theories of war. These theories also offer Airmen the tools and concepts needed to better understand and explain the multidimensional aspects of airpower, improving their ability to provide the joint force the best tradeoffs between effective and efficient uses of airpower at various levels of scale.