The Bureaucratic Mentality is the Only Universal Constant

An important observation from Al Nofi:

In 1871 the Prussian General Staff, which between 1864 and 1871 had scored three successive triumphs, against Denmark (in 272 days), Austria (70 days), and France (295 days), numbered just 70 officers, a figure that by 1914 had risen to 650, on the eve of a much less successful undertaking.

I’m sure there’s a lesson in there somewhere, if you squint hard enough.