Can the US military preserve decades of wartime experience?

As thousands of post-9/11 veterans approach retirement, the military faces a significant challenge in preserving the vast wartime experiences and lessons learned over two decades of combat. The potential loss of this invaluable knowledge could impact future military operations and strategy. This issue matters because it touches on the continuity of operational effectiveness and the value of institutional memory in a rapidly evolving battlefield environment. Ensuring that these lessons are retained will require deliberate efforts to document, share, and integrate this knowledge into ongoing military training and doctrine.