Sukhomlinov, a former cavalry officer who earned the Cross of St. George in the 1877 war against Turkey, held a firm belief that the military knowledge he gained then was timeless. As the Minister of War, he criticized Staff College instructors who showed interest in new methods that emphasized the importance of firepower over traditional tactics like cavalry charges. This resistance to change stemmed from his conviction that the nature of war had not evolved.

He expressed disdain for the concept of "modern war," viewing it as a misguided trend rather than progress. Sukhomlinov's perspective was rooted in his personal experience, as he claimed not to have consulted a military manual for 25 years, indicating a stubborn adherence to outdated military tradition and a reluctance to embrace the changes that were reshaping warfare.