There seems to be something badly wrong with the command of western armed forces. Headquarters are too big. They produce orders which are too long. They take too long to do so. ‘Something Rotten’ looks at those problems by examining the command system as a whole. What is it for? What does it do? How does it do that? How is it structured and organised? Most importantly, what about the people who work in it?

‘Something Rotten’ points out logical and practical problems with organisations and processes. It challenges the reader as to why such problems exist and persist. It suggests abandoning much overt process; building up human expertise; relying on fewer but better-trained people; and deciding and acting much faster.

‘Something Rotten’ focusses largely on the command of land forces. Other uniformed (and not necessarily armed) services will, however, readily identify parallels and insights.