“Organizations created to fight the last war better are not going to win the next.”

Lieutenant General James Maurice Gavin (1907-1990), …”a top Army administrator, a diplomat and a leading management consultant…” (Fowler, 1990)

Sometimes presented as “Generals always fight the last war.”

Of course, this does not take account of the fact that sometimes military commanders are restricted by the political and financial decisions of their political masters (this is not just a phenomenon of democratic countries).

Reference

Fowler, G. (1990) Lieut. Gen. James Gavin, 82, Dies; Champion and Critic of Military. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/25/obituaries/lieut-gen-james-gavin-82-dies-champion-and-critic-of-military.html. [Accessed: 17 July, 2016].