What's the future of warfare? Factions within the U.S. military are battling over this very question. Some military leaders believe that after Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. will avoid ever getting embroiled in another "assymetrical" ground wars against an enemy that uses "irregular" methods. They believe the United States' next war will be against an equally powerful enemy, who uses similarly advanced technology and weaponry. But others, led by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, want to prepare for more battles against local insurgencies. At issue is the larger question: will the U.S. be occupying more unwilling host countries in the years, and decades, to come? Image by Mark Gallagher. [Los Angeles Times]

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