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The Opening Address at the Sch of War, Brussels, for the Academic yr 1968-69. The role of a military academy is discussed. Then major contemporary theories on war & pol are examined. Special attention is given to the problem of military responsibility, psychol'al warfare, & the influence of PO on military strategy. It is noted that military & pol'al sci has become a sci of 'crisis manag.' Reference is made to the recent military conflicts in Korea, the Middle East, & Vietnam. Crisis management in modern days has become a power play among the big countries. The military strategy of the communist world is reviewed on the basis of the principles laid down by K. Marx & F. Engels. L. Trotsky's theories on war & poi are compared with the Marxist-Leninist pol'al & strategic doctrine. Brief mention is made of the military writings of Mao Tse Tung & their influence on Che Guevara &others. The development of pol'al sci in the US is traced. Instruction at such Sch's as the Nat'l War Coll & the Industr Coll of the Armed Forces is compared with the teaching of pol'al & military sci at US U's. It is noted that pol'al & military sci has come to recognize the internat'l aspects of its problems. Belgium, by its geographical situation, is tied to the changes going on in the European continent. Military sci in Belgium therefore orients itself towards that of other European countries, eg, as taught at the U's of Aberdeen, London, Oxford, the Centre d'Etudes de Politique Etrangere (Center for the Study of Foreign Policy), Paris, etc. The Netherlands has the 'Defensie Studiecentrum' (Center for Defense Studies), in which students are instructed in the pol'al, psychol'al, econ, & military aspects of defense. It is concluded that military sci has come of age & fulfills an important role in training the responsible pol'al leaders needed in the modern world. M. Maxfield.