The relationship between academia and the military is as important today as it ever has been, but the increasingly complex environments in which we are operating require institutional adaptation in an area where perhaps both sides have drifted apart. The concept of military and academic cooperation on operations is not a new idea; it has worked before, but there is a fine balance of interest to be achieved which can so easily be upset by a lack of unity and cooperation. This unity of purpose was demonstrated during Operation Heritage (a joint project between the British Museum, the British Army, and the Ministry of State for Antiquities and Tourism of Iraq), which assessed the impact which the last five years had had on significant archaeological sites, and the development of a museum in southern Iraq (and see Clarke 2010). Operation Heritage showed that strong, lasting relationships with mutual respect and an understanding between all parties could be developed.

Advice and assistance to the military commander on the ground is hardly a new idea; it is something which has been recognised as a critical asset for some time. Napoleon’s completion of the monumental ‘Description de L’Egypte’ was down to the 167 scholars whom he took with him to Egypt. These included engineers, zoologists, geologists, chemists, mathematicians, astronomers, mineralogists, archaeologists, arabists, poets, and painters. They have been described as ‘another corps of cadets following young Caesar into battle’ (Moorehead 1962, 53–4). The 24 volumes of the ‘Description de l’Egypte’ were used by every archaeologist, explorer or invader of the 19th century; ‘[i]t was a true census of Egypt’ (Moorehead 1962, 132).

Major General Pitt-Rivers, considered by many as the father of British archaeology, impressed on many the importance of preserving cultural heritage (see, for example, Bowden 1991). He applied his initial studies of the evolution in warfare from ‘the spear to the rifle’ to human progression, and, through this knowledge of anthropology, shaped modern archaeology. Greatly influenced by Pitt-Rivers was Sir Mortimer Wheeler, whose outlook and methods seem (like those of Pitt-Rivers) to reflect his military background (see Wheeler 1955). Wheeler was a remarkable man who served in both World Wars.