What if everything you thought you knew about war was incomplete?
For over 2,000 years, military thinkers have tried to explain war—yet no single, coherent theory has ever truly captured how it works. A Theory of War sets out to change that.
This is not a history book. It is not a collection of opinions. It is a clear, structured attempt to define war from first principles—grounded in evidence, not fashion, and built to stand the test of time.
Written for practitioners, this book cuts through doctrine and debate to focus on what actually makes militaries effective. It challenges accepted wisdom, questions comfortable assumptions, and offers a disciplined framework for thinking about strategy, operations, and tactics.
Drawing on centuries of military thought, it organises and clarifies ideas that have long been scattered, turning complexity into coherence. The result is a practical guide to understanding war as it really is—independent of technology, nationality, or moment in history.
Publication date: c. September 2026
A Theory of War
Jim Storr was an infantry officer in the British Army for 25 years. He served in the headquarters of British Forces Falklands Islands, the 1st Infantry Brigade (The United Kingdom Mobile Force), and United States European Command; in the British Army of the Rhine (three times), Northern Ireland, Canada and Cyprus. He gained a doctorate for considering the nature of military thought; planned the introduction of battlefield digital systems; and wrote high-level doctrine.
A Theory of War is Jim's 6th book.
Introduction
1. Theory in General
2. Military Theory
3. Definitions
4. Axioms
5. Evidence
6. War
Annexe: Decision in War
7. Warfare
8. Preparation for War
9. Strategy
10. Campaigns and Operations
Annexe: Eastern France, Autumn 1994: A Counterfactual
11. Battles and Engagements
12. Further Development Theory
13. Summary; Conclusions
Appendix: Definitions
