Sir Hew Strachan opened the Army Strategy Conference by urging more analysis before weighing solutions -- he was speaking of formulating strategy but it equally describes the point of the conference. This conference about concepts doesn't seek to create solutions but to understand the changing environment. Technological leaps, e.g., robotics, public influence on policy makers, and international perspectives will change the nature of waging war, won't they? If so, what changes do these infer for military operations, strategy and policy?

Wednesday, at 1-2 p.m., the Pentagon's J5 director of strategy and policy, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie will speak about the military implications of a changing character of war.

The conference is streamed live, today and April 27, at http://armywarcollege.edu/live. The Army War College is the physical audience; virtual audiences can participate via Twitter questions and comments, #StratConf.

With Army War College students comprising the physical audience, Strachan shared with them the paradoxes of war strategy and policy since 9/11. He drew from 10 years with the Character of War project at Oxford to propose a list of paradoxes, e.g., commitment to use military power to resist change although the military action itself will change the status quo. And, we seem to see the making of strategy as something done by expert elites although civilian leaders may create different, confusing narratives for the public.

Decision-makers need to approach the public as if they're complicit in decision-making about the conduct of war, said Strachan. The paradox is that the people who study this sort of thing are at places like the war college although it's more useful to share that expertise among the Clausewitzian people/military/policy makers trinity, he said, invoking a laugh about studying 'dead guys' like Clausewitz. In turn, a student asked, What, then do we need to unlearn?

The promise and challenge of robotics, autonomous systems, other technological advances triggered discussion with the Army War College students in the auditorium, e.g., about 'killer robots' by unethical battlefield actors.

We need an operational mindset to maneuver against the enemy in this space, rather than an Info Tech mindset, said Emily O. Goldman, director of the US CyberCommand Combined Action Group. Achilles heel for robotics, now, is communication, said Robert Sadowski who led off with the technology panel, sharing insights about the dueling priorities of getting robotics into play now versus deliberative approach to effective, ethical use. "This is a burgeoning field -- robotics and autonomous solutions -- with potential about thinking differently about how to fight and giving different options to commanders," said Sadowski. This is not about reducing force structure or to give a commander more options or strengthen a coalition partner which lacks logistics to come along.

All videos will be available by end of April at http://youtube.com/usarmywarcollege -- Listen to the technology panel with Dr. Robert W. Sadowski, Army Chief Roboticist (Robotics ST), RDECOM -- TARDEC; Dr. Emily O. Goldman, Director, Combined Action Group, USCYBERCMD BG Randolph Staudenraus, Commander, 175th Wing, Baltimore.

Listen live Thursday, or look for youtube videos Friday for the following panel discussions.

The April 27 panel on International Perspectives, 8:30 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. will feature the ideas of Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Dr. Larry Wortzel, commissioner of the US-China Economic and Security Review; Australian Maj. Gen. Roger Noble, Deputy Commanding General-North; Leonid Polyakov, former Ukraine Deputy