I will simply say that this quote resonated with me this week 😉
“I have often seen how pathetic those general staff officers are who draw their advice from their own observed data, how indecisive and timid they are to accomplish anything that…the circumstances demand. Such people do not know the risks which must be taken in war…They probably never risk a bold idea, since no similar situation crowned with success in the past give them the necessary self-confidence.”
General Gerhard Scharnhorst, quoted in Rudolf Stadelman, Scharnhorst: Schicksal und geistige Welt, ein Fragment, pp. 155-156
Hat tip to Eric Walters 😉
Wargaming Connection 
Great quote!
What year is it from?
It seems that in addition to warfare oscillating between advantage to offense and advantage to defense, there are always long slow oscillations between times of war and times of peace. People skilled at maintaining a peacetime force may be completely out of their depth when it comes to war.
Hopefully this is where gaming can help.