What does it mean by generals always fight the last war?

It refers to the fact that many generals lack imagination or daring — those typically are not qualities that get generals promoted in peace time. So a general's understanding of strategy and tactics is rooted primarily in prior experience, i.e., the last war in which they participated. read more

’Generals always fight the last war” means that military strategy often focuses on what has happened rather than what will happen. “There is a tendency in many armies to spend the peace time studying how to fight the last war” was cited in 1929 and “peacetime generals are always fighting the last war” has been cited in print in 1937. read more

What it means is that General's wargaming and strategies are based off of the previous war fought, and don't take into account new technology and strategy. One example, while not Generals, of fighting the last war is the prototype TOG tank. It was designed to move at infantry speed and cross trenches. read more

It's incredibly rare that generals start by fighting anything other that the last war. It's the logical starting point - particularly if your force is equipped with similar technology to the last time it fought. Most combatants, from foot-soldier to general, learn to fight the new war during conflict. read more

So a general's understanding of strategy and tactics is rooted primarily in prior experience, i.e., the last war in which they participated. When a new war starts, they repeat what was effective last time — “they fight the last war.” Many can adapt and change, but they still start behind the curve. This is not always true. read more