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As the Commander of United States Central Command from 2016 until 2019, we confronted unprecedented complexity and change daily. If it was not the adversaries we faced in places like Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, it was the deep underlying tensions coursing through the region: corruption, disenfranchisement, poor governance, extreme poverty, toxic sectarian narratives, and malign influences. On a day‐to‐day basis, we navigated near‐term problems reasonably well. Still, the region’s complexity and sheer chaos challenged us in charting a long‐term strategy that would preserve our national interests. Any achievements that we could obtain came on the backs of skilled military planners and policymakers using the best analytic and planning tools available. I suspect if you spoke with any of them, they would tell you that an appreciation and comprehensive understanding was crucial for prevailing in this region.

Complexity reigns in today’s strategic environment. We see it in our domestic and foreign policy discussions. A hyper‐enabled information environment that reshapes facts to new truths fogs clarity for business executives and government leaders. Add to this the emergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning – technologies that are as promising as they are terrifying. Today, the United States is locked in a global competition with a rising China and, to a lesser extent, with a resurgent Russia. The battle is not just about military or economic dominance. The contest is also about the influence and domination of emerging technologies, and the one who gets there first will likely write the rules and enforce the norms. The stakes could not be higher.

The Exponential Era – Strategies to Stay Ahead of the Curve in an Era of Chaotic Change and Disruptive Forces by Michael Wright and David Espindola is a groundbreaking contribution to sense‐making and strategy development. With a revisit to various planning tools and approaches employed over the last several decades, this volume offers a fresh new approach to understanding and assessing complexity and getting ahead of the curve.

Importantly, this book offers a new methodology known as “SPX” – short for Strategic Planning for the Exponential Era. SPX is a norm‐busting approach focused on driving innovation and mapping risk, opportunities, and capabilities to create plans designed to stay ahead of exponential change. SPX is a comprehensive method of looking at exponential change caused by technology, operating environments, and conflicting interests.

The authors are highly experienced and well‐qualified in this field. Michael Wright is a global senior high technology executive and strategist at scale. David Espindola is an accomplished technology executive and consultant. Together they are the founders of Intercepting Horizons, a strategic advisory service that focuses on teaching leaders and organizations to apply SPX to stay ahead of the change and complexity curve. Both serve on the Advisory Board for the University of Minnesota Technological Leadership Institute. I work with Michael on the Board of a small private company in Saint Paul, and through him, I have come to know David. Having spent a career dealing with complexity and chaos, I can attest that these two are onto something new, relevant, and exciting with SPX.

For those who may be concerned about reading a book on strategy written by technologists – rest easy. The Exponential Era is a logical and easy read, well‐organized, and crisp in its overall presentation. I spent my military career around complexity and strategy development – I not only enjoyed reading this book, but I found it incredibly insightful and fresh in its overall approach. You will find it similarly satisfying.

Joseph L. Votel

General, US Army (Retired)