Warfare Disciplines > Warfare
War can be described as 'the consequence of not changing minds'. When diplomacy fails, war ensues. And within war, many of the tactics are psychological rather than physical. If you can confuse, surprise, demoralize or terrorize the other side, then the battle may be won with far less actual fighting. And, as with other disciplines, these principles and methods are transportable into more social settings.
Principles of war: Underlying ideas.
Military Commanders: How the great succeed.
Tactics in War: Individual actions on the ground.
Strategies of War: Overall approaches.
The Annotated Art of War: Sun Tzu's classic, with commentary.
The 36 Strategems, in Detail: Ancient Chinese wisdom on deceptive war.
The Six Secret Teachings: A classic Chinese text, interpreted.
Articles on Warfare: Additional notes and considerations.
Principles of War Disciplines > Warfare > Principles of War
In warfare, a number of driving principles can be derived which indicate basic ideas by which war is prosecuted.
Confusion: Make it so they do not know which way to turn.
Demoralization: Make it so they do not want to fight.
Disabling: Removing enemy capability.
Discipline: Train your troops.
Division: Divide and conquer.
Distraction: Make them look the other way.
Erosion: Wear them down.
Fear: Make it so they are afraid to fight you.
Generosity: Be kind to them so they are kind in return.
Intelligence: The side that knows most wins.
Overwhelm: Show and use far greater force.
Provocation: Make them angry so they act impetuously.
Sacrifice: Pay a high price for a high return.
Seamlessness: Present no chink in your armor.
Speed: Be quicker than them. Be able to react fast.
Confusion
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Confusion Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Confuse the enemy so they do not know which way to turn and will not expect what you do next.
Effect When a person is confused they hesitate, wondering what will happen and what they should do.
In war, hesitation can be fatal when it hands the enemy the initiative, giving them first strike or the choice of the next move. Hesitation by officers has a devastating amongst conscripts who assume that if officers are not sure what is going on then their doom is assured.
Invoking Confusion is invoked when the enemy expects a particular thing to happen and then something else happens instead. This includes nothing happening when, for example, an attack was expected. Confusion may also be invoked by acting unpredictably. The enemy will always be trying to second-guess you, typically by studying your past moves. If you deliberately break past patterns then their predictions will be wrong and their counter-moves counter-productive.
Analogy In argument include random and unnecessary element in your arguments that make the other person wonder what you are doing and what it all means. Demoralization
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Demoralization Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Drain them of their morale so they do not want to fight.
Effect Morale in warfare is a remarkably important thing. An impassioned small force can and has, many times, defeated a much larger force that has been carefully demoralized beforehand. Soldiers who lose the will to fight either fight poorly or throw down their weapons with relatively little encouragement. Commanders who are demoralized will likewise avoid battle and more readily sue for peace. Demoralization also works with the people back in the home nation. If the population supports the war, then there will be many more volunteers and a broad support for a bellicose government. If, on the other hand, the population believes the war is
unwinnable and unjust, then any political party supporting the war will be seen as arrogant and out of touch with its electorate.
Invoking Demoralizing the opposing force can be done in many ways and the effect of constant attacks on their confidence can be like a death from a thousand cuts. One of the main demoralizing forces is unexpected defeat, for example when a weaker enemy outsmarts you with a superior strategy. Likewise, a smarter enemy who keeps you guessing can lead you to fear humiliating or terrifying defeat at any time.
Analogy In argument, constantly keep the other person on their toes. Let them think they are winning, then snatch victory from them at the last minute. Show them your intellect and let them think you can beat them at any time. Lead them to realize that their arguments are fundamentally flawed and just plain wrong.
Disabling
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Disabling Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Gain advantage by removing a key capability.
Effect Removing capability creates weakness, which can be taken advantage of in some way. Removing capability also removes threat and can result in them losing a strategic advantage.
Invoking Blind them by taking out radar and other watching posts. Strike them deaf and dumb by taking out their communication posts and severing their communication lines. Bomb their aerodromes and aircraft to remove their air capability.
Take out artillery positions to reduce their longer-distance heavy defenses. Blockade their ports to keep their ships bottled up.
Analogy In negotiation prevent them from using particular arguments or exchanges, for example by pre-emptively showing these to be invalid. Discipline
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Discipline Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Instil strict discipline in your troops.
Effect Disciplined troops are efficient on the march and in camp. They are tidy and sharp in their actions and follow orders with alacrity. In battle they are courageous and effective, acting in close coordination for maximum results. Disciplined troops can seem relaxed at times, but they know the importance of rest and recuperation (R&R) yet are always alert and can snap into full action at a moment's notice. Discipline is particularly important in retreat, where a pursuing enemy can cause panic and consequent havoc. Like attacks it should be well-practiced.
Invoking Discipline starts with practice and ends with respect and affection. Disciplined troops rehearse until they are blue in the face and can maneuver blindfold. Ill-discipline is dealt with immediately and consistently and reflects the importance of officers also being well-disciplined. Discipline is also a mental principle and thinking about both strategy and immediate action needs to be rigorous and complete.
Analogy Prepare your arguments before the debate. Know the likely actions of the other side and have counters ready to their moves. Do not be aroused by their trickery and stick to your plans. As necessary, pull back and rethink. Division
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Division Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Divide and conquer.
Effect Large, coordinated forces are difficult to defeat. When you separate the enemy into small units you can more easily defeat each one. Separation cuts them off from one another, making communication and coordination difficult. Units which are cut off cannot even call for help. Dividing them also makes supply difficult and some of their units may go hungry or have limited ammunition.
Invoking Lure away units from the main force, for example by attacking a remote base. Divide your own forces, attacking them on several fronts so they have to divide their attention to counter your action. Drive a wedge into their main force, separating parts of the main battlefield army. Use propaganda and spies to sow dissention in their ranks, dividing their thinking from within.
Analogy Make multiple demands in a negotiation, forcing them to divide their attention. In a presentation to a group, talk to individuals beforehand to get them each onside. In the group setting it should then be just a matter of rubberstamping your request. Distraction
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Distraction Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Make them look away so you can act as you wish.
Effect The enemy looks where you want them to look, and away from things that you would rather that they did not see.
Invoking Attract their attention in the direction you want them to look. Move troops along unexpected routes. Make a loud noise. Create explosions. Attack from a different direction. Make the area you want to hide uninteresting or unobtrusive. Move stealthily and at night. Use camouflage.
Analogy In negotiation, conceal your true goals. Put a lot of attention on one area so they 'bargain you down' on this. Then slip in what you really want as an 'acceptable compromise'. Erosion
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Erosion Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Wear them out. Drain their energy until they no longer want to fight.
Effect We all have a limited amount of energy, both physical and spiritual. When we are surprised and when we have to act then we expend that energy. Further, when our hopes are dashed and expectations confused, our spirits are drained. Eventually we become so tired, we just want to give in and go home.
Invoking Wear them out. Make them move large distances, then again and again. Force their moves over difficult terrain. Pick at them, forcing them to be constantly alert. Make small and surprising incursions and attacks. Use guerilla methods. Deny them the things they need. Cut off their food and other supplies. Destroy their shelters. Lay siege. Block their paths. Raid their supply lines. If you have to retreat, use scorched earth. Make them fight one battle after another. Build their hopes then let them down. Tire them until they just want it all to end and no longer have the strength or spirit to do so by fighting. Then offer them a peaceful way out.
Analogy In negotiation, use such as nibbling and any of the many other tactics to keep them on their toes and wear them down. This includes when you are buying things. Let sales people invest so much time with you they are so desperate to get a payoff in terms of a sale that they give you a good deal. If you want to complain to a company, just keep going, writing letters, emails, blogs and keeping them on the phone until you get what you want. Do not settle for anything less than what you deserve. Many service organizations work on the principle of eroding you until you give up. Be determined and beat them at their own game. Fear
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Fear Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Invoke fear in our enemy. Create dread, horror, terror and any other form of fear such that they seek to avoid you and become weaker.
Effect One of the basic human fears is the fear of annihilation, which is naturally very prevalent if war.
Fear in warfare is a most debilitating condition that leads to abject flight, paralysis and suing for peace. It can also lead to a nothing-to-lose all-out last stand, and so needs to be managed carefully. Sudden fear thus invokes the Fight-or-Flight response. More effective can be the cold, gnawing fear that erodes and saps the will to fight.
Invoking A simple way of invoking fear is with a display of overwhelming might. If the enemy sees that you can destroy him utterly with little loss, then he will fear you. Showing a predilection for using that might multiplies the fear. If they believe you will show no mercy or actively enjoy harming and torturing them, they will fear you more again. Uncertainty will also create fear. If they cannot predict what you will do next then their imagination will work overtime, dreaming up all kinds of horrors. And if they cannot predict when or where you will strike, they will constantly look over their shoulder, growing deeply weary in the process.
Analogy In negotiation or argument throw a fit of anger about something such that they learn to fear your ire. Generosity
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Generosity Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Be kind to them so they are kind in return.
Effect If you are generous towards you enemies then their experience of you may well be opposite to what they were told, where you may well have been portrayed as heartless barbarians. In the face of your kind concern, they will likely develop good feelings towards you, and in doing so will tell others on their side, spreading the word of your good name. As
a result, they may fight with less vigor and will give in more easily, secure in the knowledge you will treat them fairly. Also, when your troops are captured, there is greater chance of them being treated well.
Invoking When you defeat them, be magnanimous, sparing lives and tending to the injured. When you capture them, be civil and treat them well and with dignity. With care, you can use brainwashing techniques to convert them to your version of the truth.
Analogy In negotiation, concede on a point that is of moderate importance to them. Then see if they give you something in return.
Example Alexander the Great, after conquering a new country would be conciliatory, worshiping at the local temples and seeking only to leave his own people in charge. Intelligence
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Intelligence Principle | Effect | Usage | Example | Analogy | See also
Principle The side that knows most wins.
Effect Intelligence about your opponents strategy, plans, weaponry, positions, troop movements and so on lets you make effective tactical and strategic decisions and avoid fatal decisions. Managing intelligence includes the supply of disinformation to the other side in order to trick them into making the wrong decisions.
Usage Military Intelligence (despite sometimes being parodied as an oxymoron) is a critical principle. Wartime decisions play with the lives of thousands of soldiers and eventually
millions of citizens and the fate of nations. The truth of the facts and observations on which decisions are identified and made thus has a highly significant effect.
Example In the second world war enormous efforts went into gathering information through spies across Europe, local resistance movements, intercepted messages, aerial photography and so on. This activity, coupled with clever disinformation tactics and massive public encouragement to protect information ('Walls have ears!'), probably led directly to the final outcome.
Analogy Before negotiations and arguments begin, do your homework about the other person, what motivates them, what they might want and how they might react to your arguments. In the discussions, test your understanding and update it with your discoveries about them. Overwhelm
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Overwhelm Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Show and use far greater force than the enemy.
Effect If you have greater strength than the other person, then by simple application of that strength, you can overwhelm them, as an avalanche overwhelms a forest in its path. Strength can be held in several dimensions, so it is important to use your superiority directly against the opposing weakness. If you have more troops, engage them in hand-to-hand combat. If you have greater firepower, fire upon their artillery. If you have superior technology, use this to attack them with great accuracy from afar.
Invoking Overwhelm is the simplest and oldest approaches, where the pitched battle between troops of roughly equal ability and motivation is won by the largest army. Quite simply, the last man standing determines the victor, even though this may still be a Pyrrhic victory.
Sometimes the best way of using overwhelming power is in display. When your enemy hears the din of your shield-beating and sees the massing of your troops, they may well, quail in their boots and concede without fighting.
Analogy One way of using overwhelm in argument is to demonstrate a high level of intellect, for example in a comprehensive dismemberment of their argument, showing in excruciating detail how they are intellectually inferior. Another form of overwhelm is simply in energy. As you put forward your points with great enthusiasm and question every detail they portray, they may well give up in the realization that your terrier personality will exhaust them before they persuade you of their arguments. Provocation
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Provocation Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Make them angry so they act impetuously.
Effect When a person is angry, they will seek to fight, and the more enraged they become, the greater will that desire for battle be. Also, and very importantly, annoyance is usually accompanied by a reduction in rational thinking as the burning desire for battle overwhelms logical considerations as to the wisdom of early conflict.
Invoking Anger is invoked when a person is insulted or their sense of identity is otherwise damaged. Thus, for example, a smaller force inflicts a defeat on a larger force (perhaps through some deceptive means), the commander of the larger force may well become enraged and seek early revenge. Insult may also be delivered by other means, for example seducing an opposing general's mistress or simply sending an insulting letter. The greater the ego of your opponent, the easier it is to insult them and hence enrage and manipulate them.
Analogy In everyday argument, anger is also often a losing strategy and winding up the other person can be an easy way to derail them. Sacrifice
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Sacrifice Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Do whatever it takes, including loss of life.
Effect When your opponents show themselves ready to make sacrifices, it can be both bewildering and terrifying. Sacrifice in the form of giving up territory or other gains is confusing as the other side wonders why. Are you giving up from weakness or is it a ploy, perhaps a lure or to attack elsewhere? Sacrifice in terms of giving up life in exchange for military gains shows an ultimate determination that is both fearsome and demoralizing.
Invoking Think strategically and be ready to expend life in order to get military gain. Sometimes losing life now saves more lives later. When fighting, do so with great ferocity and abandon. Always appear courageous and heroic. Face firing with determination and no signs of fear. Encourage fighters to die for the cause. Promise reward in the afterlife and good support for those left behind. Acclaim those who went on suicide missions as heroes.
Analogy In argument, be prepared to capitulate on some point and situations if you can use this for a greater future gain.
Example In the second world war the Japanese kamikazi pilots terrorized not only American shipping but all those who opposed Japan.
The 2001 '9/11' attacks on the New York Trade Center were very effective in drawing America and its allies into war and hence polarizing and radicalizing sections of the Moslem world. Seamlessness
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Seamlessness Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Present no chink in your armor through which the enemy can attack.
Effect You are as strong as the weakest link in your defense system. The enemy will prod and probe your defenses to test their efficacy and to seek out the weak points and attack these with vigor. You are also as strong in advance as the weakest part of your attack.
Invoking In an encampment, city or other gathering of people, ensure the boundary in defenses cover all angles with sufficient firepower to repel all potential attacks. In a military advance, use a seamless wall of armor to defend the advancing troops. Keep appropriate defenses to the sides and behind in readiness for the enemy's flanking attacks. In attacks advance with a consistent wall of weaponry and troops so, as you tighten the noose, there is no escape for your enemy.
Analogy In argument, present only evidence with a consistent level of evidence to back it up. Beware of the other side destroying your position by attacking weak minor points. Speed
Disciplines > Warfare > Principles > Speed
Principle | Effect | Invoking | Analogy | See also
Principle Be quicker than them. Be able to react fast.
Effect No matter how powerful you are, if you cannot land a punch or the other person gets in first, then you are doomed. Speed conquers might every time, not only allowing its wielder to avoid the attack of others but also to get in effective attacks and then get out again before the other person can respond. Speed also multiples the damage of an attack. Newton noted that force equals mass times acceleration. Speed also increases emotional shock, as the suddenness of your attack causes surprise and fear.
Invoking Be fast. Train rigorously so you can react at maximum speed. Use small groups who can move quickly. Sheer speed makes up for many weaknesses. If you can react in time to unexpected attacks, then you need less defensive readiness. Sometimes speed is helped by apparent prescience. If you can read the other side's moves before they move, then you can move before they do and with the illusion of lightning reflexes. Martial artists thus appear to be quick less because they have faster reaction but because they read the intent of others. Armies can also appear fast when they pre-empt the enemy.
Analogy If you give the other person no time to think and argue then they will not be able to think and argue, and your points will stand unchallenged. If you respond immediately and powerfully to their comments, they will be left reeling and impotent. Speed in argument, just as speed in war can disempower and confuse the other side, and sometimes may not even need to make sense as the psychological impact suffices to win the day. Horatio Nelson
Disciplines > Warfare > Military commanders > Horatio Nelson Early years | In battle | With sailors |
Horatio Nelson (1758 - 1804) was one of 11 children of Norfolk cleric, but received the best education his father could afford.
Early years He was inspired early on by uncle who was a naval captain and went to sea in 1771 at the age of 13 with his uncle to defend the Falkland Islands against the Spanish. After this early adventure, he learned seaman ship from the ground up on merchant vessels, including trips to Caribbean and the Arctic. He joined Royal Navy in 1776 and showed early courage in capturing a US ship in a gale. He was promoted to captain and then post-captain at the age of 20. After the war, he got post escorting Prince William (later King William IV). William said of him: 'Captain Nelson ... appeared to be the merest boy of a Captain I ever beheld. ... There was something irresistibly pleasing in his address and conversations; and an enthusiasm, when speaking on professional subjects, that showed he was no common being.'
In battle He was courageous in battle and would even ignore orders if he believed they were too timid. He distinguished himself in the Mediterranean in 1797, taking Corsica and ramming/boarding a Spaniard ship during a skirmish. A fellow officer described his leaving the line to attack the Spaniard as 'a piece of individual initiative...unsurpassed in Naval history.' He was injured more than once. Leading a landing at Tenerife, his right arm was hit and had to be amputated at the shoulder. In another battle, his eye was damaged by sand from sandbag nearby that was hit by a cannonball. As a result, he was knighted and made rear-admiral. In 1801 he took Copenhagen after ignoring orders to leave off action, where he famously put his telescope to his blind eye and declared 'I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal.' He was endlessly tenacious and blockaded Toulon for 18 months, sailing up and down outside. When Villeneuve escaped, he followed him all the way to the Caribbean. In the Battle of the Nile, bold action caught the French by surprise. He was grazed on the forehead and exclaimed 'I am killed, remember me to my wife.' (He understood drama and this normal melodramatic approach).
At Trafalgar, where his bold strategy led to the British overcoming a far superior force, he stayed on deck in full uniform in order to motivate his sailors, and was picked off by a sniper.
With sailors Having worked his way through the ranks, he respected the ordinary ratings, This time below decks also gave him credibility and ability to talk detail. He looked after his crews and was well liked for this as he ensured troops were well-fed and watered. He also fought for prompt payment of wages, improved hospital treatment and better pensions. He trusted his captains, after thoroughly briefing them in the overall strategy, he let them have their heads. He was not soft, though. For example, on the way to Trafalgar, he had five men flogged.
At home In between wars he was mostly pensioned off on 1/2 pay and absolutely hated it. In 1793 France declared war and in 1796 Spain joined in. In 1801 Scandinavia and Russia threatened to join in too, making his rest periods thankfully short. With his exploits, he became a national hero. Easily recognized, he was feted wherever he went. He spent much time with his mistress, Lady Hamilton, whose ever-suffering husband accepted the relationship. On his death there was national mourning. And a huge procession to his burial in St. Paul's. Today he stands atop the huge column in Trafalgar Square, London.
Critical factors
He was very courageous and would break rules and ignore orders in order to attack.
He was tenacious and disciplined and expected others to be the same.
He was driven by duty and honor and said: 'Life with disgrace is dreadful. A glorious death is to be envied.'
He cared about his crews, looking after them and fighting for their rights.
He trained his men hard and punished slackers severely.
He had the common touch and was good oratory.
Napoleon Boneparte
Disciplines > Warfare > Military commanders > Napoleon Boneparte In the army | In politics | With troops | Making war| The eventual end | Critical factors | See also
Napoleon Boneparte (1769 - 1815) was born one of 13 Corsican children. He was sent to a French school run on military lines. Small and weak, he won respect through organising war games and maths and science. Never to be an original thinker, his strength lay in the acquisition and exploitation of knowledge. Lucien, his brother said, presciently, in early letter: 'I have always discerned in Napoleon a purely personal ambition, which overrides his patriotism...He seems to me to have a strong leaning towards tyranny.'
In the army He joined the army in a artillery regiment, from which experience he learned the power of cannonry and later made great use of them in warfare. The revolution and war with British in 1793 was his opportunity to gain power. He wrote a political pamphlet supporting the revolution. He gained charge and displayed skill in the retaking of Toulon where he created the 'battery of men without fear' and recruited many to this bold enterprise. After a 7000-man assault, the British fled. In the battle, he was bayoneted in the thigh, which helped display his courage. As a result, he was promoted to brigadier-general. He was driven by personal gain rather than duty. Early on, he killed 200 demonstrators to gain favour with authorities, when other soldiers had turned down the request as immoral. After further action he was given control of the army in Italy, where he reinvigorated a demoralized army and won many battles. After this, he was sent to Egypt, where after two battles he was defeated byNelson at the battle of the Nile. Nevertheless, e stayed in Egypt to improve their infrastructure.
In politics Predictably, the revolutionary government fell into corruption, leaving the country ripe for dictatorship. He was installed as 'consul' with several others, but before long, he was First Consul. He did much good, reforming the corrupt judicial system, created the Banque de France, restructured financial policies, and made education a public service. He believed the French preferred glory to liberty and slowly replaced revolutionary fervour with enthusiasm for his own person. Like Julius Caesar, he thought about himself above all else. He did not believe in the pre-eminence of 'The People' and mocked the ease with which he could control them with gesture and display. He projected a careful mix of the grand and the common, using .every means of propaganda available - the press, war bulletins, the pageantry of a noble empire, the artful creation of his own legend. He would lie as frequently as he thought necessary to ensure success. In 1804 in a huge ceremony (including a coerced Pope) he crowned himself Emperor. He also appointed many of his family as princes, kings and queens. He lacked Alexander's political sensitivities and distained all who he had beaten. Eventually, his dominating tactics led to the conquered peoples revolting, and he had non-stop fires to put out.
With troops He knew how to motivate troops, though was cynical about it. In his address to the French army in Italy he said 'Soldiers, you are naked, badly fed...Rich provinces and great towns will be in your power, and in them you will find honour, glory and wealth. Soldiers of Italy, will you be found wanting in courage and steadfastness?' He impressed the officers with his knowledge and strategies, yet his real success was less about his knowledge of rules and strategy, as by by a profound knowledge of human nature in war. He said 'A general's principle talent consists of knowing the mentality of the soldier and gaining his confidence.' -- Napoleon. Yet he mocked the ease of motivating with simple rewards. Once, when handing out medals, he said 'with such baubles, men are led.' Nevertheless, he tried to visibly be a soldier amongst soldiers, a father amongst children. He could talk to them, collectively or man-to-man, in their own terms.
In his wars, he lost an estimated 2,500,000 men dead and showed little sorrow at having done so. He was ruthless, self-centred, and arrogant, and yet had the ability to make his men love him even when he sent them to his deaths. Like other famous commanders, he castigated and punished those who failed him.
Making war He built a huge military machine, with 400 officers in a central headquarters staff, and about 500,000 in the Grande Armée that was able to fight on a number of fronts at once, allowing him to rapidly expand his empire. Like Alexander, he took builders, administrators, etc. with him, ruling wherever he was and creating a glorious history. In 1800 he attacked and subdued Austria. He gave up on invading Britain after Trafalgar (1804). In the Battle of Austerlitz he defeated a massive Austrian/Russian force with a much smaller group through brilliant strategy, well executed. Prussia declared war in 1806 and were defeated in 1807. France declared war on Portugal in 1807. Spain rebelled then also and it took seven years to put them down. In 1812 he invaded Russia, which was a famously bad idea. Following scorched earth and Russian winters, he retreated, losing most of his best troops in the process. Of 650,000 that set out, only 75,000 returned. In Waterloo, his weakened army was beaten by Wellington's Brits, with (if it be known) a little late help from the Prussians.
The eventual end He was exiled to Elba in 1814 after a forced abdication, but he was back in 1815 and defeated the Prussians again. After Waterloo, it was the real end and he was sent to St. Helena, where he wrote his reminiscences and died six years later. After his death, his renown grew further and he was given a state funeral in Paris.
Critical factors
He had a mathematical mind, phenomenal memory, boundless energy and prolific imagination.
He studied enemy personalities, terrains, supplies and manoeuvres and would consider all eventualities before acting.
He could persuade and inspire (although he was cynical about it).
He learned deeply from lessons of history and applied strategy well.
He was courageous and daring, although he led more from the general's position on the hill.
He managed his image well, which was his first concern.
Ulysses S. Grant
Disciplines > Warfare > Military commanders > Ulysses S. Grant Early years | Battles and presidency | In battle | With troops | Critical factors | See also
Early years Ulysses S. Grant (1822 - 1885) was born in Ohio into Tanning/Farming family. He went to West Point in 1839, but with no military ambition. Despite being morally opposed to the war, he fought with distinction and innovation in the US-Mexico wars, for example by bombarding Mexican positions from a church tower. He resigned commission in 1854 to be with his wife, but was no good at farming and joined the family tanning business. In 1860, with the election of Lincoln, the Southern states seceded. Grant started by drilling local volunteers then joined up again.
Battles and presidency In early 1862, he coordinated a land and river assault to take Fort Donelson which led to the capture of 16500 soldiers for loss of just 3000. This gave him his first national prominence. Later in 1862 he forced a draw at Shiloh and 1863 (now in charge of the Armies of Tennessee) he besieged Vicksburg. In 1864 he was made Union commanding general. Lincoln had been seeking initiative and action and saw this in Grant's actions. In 1864 he fought the battle of Wilderness and in April 1865 Lee surrendered after great losses on both sides.
In 1869 he was elected president. He was pretty average, as they go, being better on the battlefield than in politics. Afterwards he wrote up his memoirs, which are now considered great works of literature.
In battle he learned about war by trial and error as he went along. He nearly lost his first battle due to lack of discipline in troops. He realized that his West Point education was not that helpful. It was based on older open-plain forms of battle, yet the American Civil War was mostly skirmishes in undergrowth. It also was changed by train and telegraph. He said: 'Some of our generals failed because they worked out everything by rule...They were always thinking about what would Napoleon do. Unfortunately for their plans, the rebels would be thinking about something else.' He understood the strategies of war and innovated as necessary. At Vicksburg, he abandoned supply lines to live off the land. He united the armies into a single campaign and kept plans very secret as long as possible. He said: 'I look upon the conquering of the organized armies of the enemy as being vastly more important than the mere acquisition of their territory.' He once said: 'Find out where you enemy is, get at him as soon as you can and strike him as hard as you can and keep moving on.' He was one of the very few who seemed to have the courage to accept that war was murderous but had to be fought as such and not shied away from. Knowing this, he was ruthless and determined. He played a war of attrition against Lee, knowing he had more men and spent their lives in order to win. Overall, Union losses were 40%. Confederates lost 60, though totals were higher for Union.
With troops He ensured his soldiers were self-sufficient and each soldier carried three days rations and 50 rounds. He also kept ten days' rations and ammunition in wagons. He injected energy into his people, always encouraging fortitude. At Shiloh despite pain from an injury he was a rock of strength and organized ammunition supplies, redeployed new troops and rode about the front line plugging gaps, offering encouragement and trying to stop the fleeing troops. He also visited every divisional commander in turn, and inspired them with his own determination.
He cared about people and liked to be at the front. He did not pursue Confederates at Shiloh as he felt his men were too tired, for which he was reprimanded. He understood the psychology of defeat and after Vicksburg, he allowed Confederates to go home if they promised not to bear arms again. He preferred to stay with his troops and even later on, he only went to Washington once a week. He normally wore simple clothes with General's insignia pinned to shoulder. In person, he was calm, personable and perceptive. His silence was remarkable. He knew how to keep his temper. In battle, as in camp, he went about quietly, speaking in conversational tone, yet he appeared to see everything that went on, and was always intent on business. Whether the news was good or bad, whether the noise of battle was close or not, he remained calm and collected
Critical factors
He was driven by idea of 'the Union' rather than being anti-slavery.
He cared about his troops and demonstrated this.
He inspired his people by clarity and action rather than oratory.
He had a strategic understanding of war (not just battle
He pushed his men and sacrificed them as he saw fit.
He was tenacious and determined.
He was composed and cool in battle.
Georgy Zhukov
Disciplines > Warfare > Military commanders > Georgy Zhukov Army and politics | In battle | With troops | Critical factors | See also
Georgy Zhukov (1896 - 1974) was born in a poor village family in 1896. He was sent to Moscow at the age of 10 to work for furrier uncle, where he had to work very hard and slept on the floor.
Army and politics At 19 he joined the cavalry and soon realized the folly of autocratic, aristocratic officers. He was wounded and decorated in the first world war. After the war, he supported the revolution and joined the Communist Party early on. Determined to succeed, he studied hard, adding another 3 to 4 hours of learning to 12 hour working days. He rose through the ranks and commanded a regiment in 1923. He escaped Stalin's 1937 early purges through his outstanding action against Japanese and became chief of staff in 1940. In 1942 he was appointed Deputy Supreme Commander-in-Chief. After the war, Stalin, fearing Zhukov's popularity made him an un-person, sending him to a remote post. Zhukov returned as Khrushchev's Minster of Defence, but was not skilled at politics and was often too heavy-handed.
In battle Perhaps as a result of his studies, he understood military strategy well and used this knowledge to his advantage. He once said: 'To exaggerate the capabilities of one's forces is just as dangerous as to underestimate the strength of the enemy.' He was totally determined to win and nothing could deflect him from his path of aggression against his enemy. He would sacrifice large numbers of soldiers to achieve this end. He was very innovative and, although not all worked, he was alway experimenting. for example he used short (30 minute) but massive bombardments at Seelow and attacked at night with searchlights shining at enemy. In the second world war, Zhukov built Leningrad's defense system and Leningrad was never defeated by the Germans. He successfully defended Leningrad but with casualties estimated at around a million and many executed for cowardice. Before Zhukov, defense was considered a defeatist activity, but he showed it to work in the Russian system. In charge of Moscow's defense, he was perhaps fortunate that Germany withdrew before the winter, fearing a Napoleonic freeze. He harried the Germans all the way back to Germany, who were perhaps justified in their terror of the Soviet advance. In Germany, he built a model of Berlin which he used to meticulously plan its defeat and capture.
With troops Starting with a revolutionary group of illiterate peasants, he turned them into a serious army, which was necessary to fight the well-trained Nazi troops. He was a disciplinarian. Did not believe in the personal touch. His iron character was apparent to all in his attention to detail, his will and discipline, his strictness of appearance and behavior. Although he was a disciplinarian, he engendered awe rather than fear. He expected efficient, dedicated soldiers who wanted to fight through discipline, fear, love of homeland and hatred of the enemy. Cowardliness, shirking and other similar offences were dealt with in such as way as to deter others. Officers who disappointed him were sent to most hazardous positions.
Critical factors
He was a master of all four basics of command: o
a clear strategy,
o
efficient logistical supply,
o
fierce determination
o
and overwhelming strength of character.'
He was driven by loyalty to Stalin and Russia, even though Stalin was not always appreciative of this.
He was strategically very capable and outmaneuvered the Nazis.
He was a disciplinarian who expected discipline and doled out heavy discipline.
Tactics of War Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics of War
There are a many tactics that are used on the battlefield. Some planned within the overall strategy. Others will be decided on the spur of the moment as opportunity presents itself or events force some particular action.
Ambush: Catch them unawares.
Beheading: Take out their leaders.
Decoy: Confuse them about what's where.
Encirclement: Surround them, then tighten the noose.
Feint: Moving to deceive.
Flanking: Go around to attack their sides.
Harassment: Keep them on their toes.
Hold by the nose and kick up the backside: Engage at the front whilst outflanking.
Isolation: Cut them off.
Lure: Tempt them away.
Pincer Movement: Two groups to encircle or attack.
Retreat: Living to fight another day.
Starvation: Cut off their supplies.
Surprise attack: When they are least expecting it.
The Wedge: Cut into their force.
Ambush
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Ambush Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Lead your enemy into a zone where you can suddenly and unexpectedly attack them in a 'killing field'. When ambushed, they should find it difficult to escape. It should be possible to kill or capture all of them with relatively few losses on your part, although a terrified rout may be an effective warning of your power.
Analysis A classic way of leading the enemy into an ambush is to retreat in apparent terror from a battle. This abject behavior on your part makes the enemy feel superior. However, when you leave, the symbol that made them feel superior also leaves. Also, when a soldier is in the bloodlust of battle, a retreating enemy denies him the primitive satisfaction of slaughter. From a logical position too, a retreating enemy may regroup and attack you another day. In other words, there are good reasons to pursue a retreating enemy, and several of these may be done in a state of high emotional arousal and hence low rationality. Thought of ambush may thus only occur to the very wary. When the ambush occurs, bloodlust can turn to confused terror very quickly as the enemy, having closed on the notion of conquest, suddenly becomes the trapped victim.
Example Analogy People can be ambushed in argument, for example be appearing to give in to an aggressive onslaught but then, as they pursue you, neatly pull the rug out from under them with incisive comment. Beheading
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Beheading Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Beheading means killing, capturing or isolating your enemies leaders.
Set snipers in high places along the routes where your enemies travel. Send a wedge into the heart of the enemy with the express goal of killing its leaders. Send assassins to the land of your enemies. Perhaps they might even be able to gain a trusted position in the leader's household and kill the leader at a critical moment. Bomb the enemy's headquarters and command posts. In general battle seek out the enemy leaders and kill or capture them.
Analysis Beheading the enemy takes away its source of command and throws the main troops into confusion as decisions are not made or are made in uncoordinated ways by leaders lower down the tree. To lose one's leaders is also highly demoralizing and can lead to capitulating or widespread panic. Thus when leaders are taken out, this should be done as publicly as possible. A wise enemy protects or conceals its leaders. Thus the leader may be surrounded by crack troops or look-alike decoys may be used. Leaders are also trained at all levels so sub-units are not paralyzed when their commanders are lost.
Example Analogy In argument, leaders can be verbally attacked and discredited, for example where politicians are tripped up in debate or the skeletons in their closet are exposed. Decoy
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Decoy Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action A decoy is a substitute for something real that distracts the enemy.
Build silhouette models that are visible from afar. Light many campfires at night over a wide area or in a place away from where you are. Play loud recordings of military movements. Send false messages and allow them to fall into enemy hands. Send out trucks dragging long chains that send up long dust clouds. Drop metal flakes from an aircraft to distract homing missiles.
Analysis Decoys can be used to make the enemy think you are somewhere other than where you are, thus drawing their fire or allowing you to get closer without being noticed. Decoys can also be used to make the enemy think you have more soldiers or armaments than you have. Decoys thus distract and deceive, causing your enemy to believe things that are not true. This may offer you some protection or distract them from your real intent.
Example In WW2, model armaments placed near Dover and visible to aircraft were used by Britain to fool the Germans into thinking that the D-Day landings would be near Calais.
Analogy Offer the other side some plausible story that sends them on a wild goose chase whilst you move closer to your target. Encirclement
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Encirclement Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Encircle your enemy. Block off all routes so they cannot escape your clutches. Make it difficult and unwise for them to attack you at any one point. Prevent communications out and supplies in.
Gradually tighten the noose, narrowing their choices until their only option is surrender.
Analysis Encirclement is different from siege in both scope timescales. A siege is of a fixed and fortified settlement, and can last months or years. Encirclement happens anywhere and can last minutes to days. Encirclement is a very disempowering and disconcerting position for the encircled force. They realize their dilemma slowly and with increasing panic as they wheel this way and that, only to find all exits blocked. As a trapped animal, after the panic of discovery, they eventually quieten into a morose depression. It is when they are in this state that they become open to negotiation and consideration of peaceful conclusion. If you would destroy them utterly, now is a time this may best be carried out, though when people a cornered they will often fight with a desperation that makes obliteration an expensive affair.
Example Analogy In negotiation show the other person that there is no way out other than a mutually agreed settlement. Find out their intended walk-away alternatives and block these. Whichever way they turn, they should find no way out other than the way you want them to go. Feint
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Feint Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Move as if to attack, but do not actually attack -- at least where it appears where you are attacking. Watch the response of the enemy and assess their skill and readiness ti respond. If you do not intend to attack, then do retreat in plenty of time. When they get used to you feinting, you can dive in closer to wake them up, or even make an actual surprise attack.
Analysis The feint distracts the enemy, giving you the possibility of attacking elsewhere, especially if key troops break ranks and chase out after the feint. The feint also keeps the enemy on its toes as you dance around them, always just out of reach. This can frustrate them, tempting a breaking of ranks.
Example Analogy In negotiation, appear to be interested in one thing but then back off when the other person starts to negotiate. Repeat this in several directions to confuse them. Flanking
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Flanking Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Whilst one force engages the enemy head on, others attack from the sides or rear. This may be done secretly, as by ambush, or openly and dynamically on the field of battle. Where the latter option is chosen, speed is of the essence. The flanking attack need not require many troops; it is the effect that is important.
Analysis Armies, like people, tend to face one way. They have a vector, a direction towards the enemy or target. Thus their sides and rear may be weaker as the main weaponry is towards the front. For this reason, flanking attacks can effectively be carried out by a relatively small force. Their whole attention is also towards the front, where any conflict is assumed to occur. Attack from any other direction is thus a surprise. The need to rush forces to defend these new attacks also weakens the main front and distracts commanders. Finally it is highly demoralizing for the men who may feel they are being attacked from all directions and that their commanders are not in control.
Example In Operation Desert Storm, the Americans swept through the desert around Iraqi front line, whilst pinning down the Iraqis with heavy bombing.
Analogy In a debate, go off-topic and suddenly attack on a completely different topic, forcing them to defend this alternative attack and hence taking their mind off the main argument. Harassment
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Harassment Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Make regular, random, small attacks on the enemy's positions. Get in quickly or sneak in quietly, do some damage, then get out again quickly, before they can respond. Make these attacks in a way that they are unable to predict what you will do next or where you will attack. 'Shoot and scoot' is a name sometimes used to indicate the idea of getting in, shooting, and then scooting away before they can catch you.
Analysis Harassment is not intended to gain position. It's primary purpose is to keep the enemy on its toes, unable to relax and always worrying about where the next attack will come. When the attacks are random, the enemy has to keep troops on alert in all quarters. This reduces their ability to concentrate an attack on you and prevents the troops from resting and hence being emotionally ready for attack. Harassment thus wears the enemy down with relatively little effort. For your troops it can be relatively safe fun as they are not being asked to engage in direct combat and not over any extended period. Of course there is danger, but often this is just enough to make it exciting for them and let them come back telling tales of the enemy in disarray.
Example In the wars in Afghanistan both against the Russians and against Western forces at the start of the 21st century, the local militia would attack supply columns and encampments on an unpredictable basis. The Western forces also used the same methods in return.
Analogy In an argument, make unpredictable attacks on minor elements of the opponent's case. When they defend, back off, but then attack somewhere else a short while later. Hold by the nose and kick up the backside
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Hold by the nose and kick up the backside Action | Analysis | Analogy | See also
Action Advance down the road until you meet the enemy. Then use a third of your force to pin them down with gunfire whilst the rest of your troops takes a wide circle and attacks them from the rear.
Analysis This was a method described and used to great effect by General George S. Patton. The underlying pattern is that you are doing what the enemy expects, creating a pattern of forward conflict and engaging their attention whilst the main force pulls a flanking move. This cannot be easily done if the enemy is advancing on a wide front. There is also a risk that they will do likewise and perhaps faster than you.
Analogy In business, you may come face-to-face with a competitor, whether in bidding for a particular deal or with competing general products. In such cases split your reaction. First, do what the competitor is likely to think you will do, for example by discounting prices and engaging them in a price war. Whilst this is going on, develop a superior approach, for example by quickly bringing out a superior product that eclipses the products where the competition is taking place. Isolation
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Isolation Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Prevent them from traveling, effectively containing them in one place. Lay siege to their main cities and fortresses. Blow up bridges and mine roads so they cannot easily travel along particular routes. Blockade or bomb ports so they cannot receive supplies or support by sea, or otherwise gain naval advantage. Break up their great armies into smaller units, then do not permit them to reform. Then destroy or capture each unit separately. If you cannot do this to the entire enemy, do so to parts of it. Isolation can also be bone politically. Turn all parties against your enemy. Seduce their allies. Conquer their friends. Give them no place to turn for succour or support.
Analysis When you are cut off from the world, communication is often difficult, making choosing one's next move difficult. Isolated armies are unable to rejoin a main force and are easier to defeat. This can be a demoralizing position. Isolation is similar to encirclement but does not force the choice between fighting or capitulation. An isolated force can stay where they are or perhaps move further away in unguarded but unhelpful directions.
Example In the first Gulf War, the United Nations resolution effectively isolated Iraq and removed most sources of support. In the second Gulf War, initiated by George W. Bush, the lack of UN support means that the US and UK were isolated with very little other support.
Analogy In argument show that they stand alone in their position with no supporters and many opponents. Show them there is no-one they can turn to. Show how their views are not shared by others and how they are in danger of complete social isolation. Lure
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Lure Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Tempt the enemy into moving somewhere you wan them to be or away from where you do not want them to be. Make feints at them until they attack back. Retreat such that they chase after you or just back away so they can advance. 'Be seen', such that the come to investigate. Attack a minor target so they send a rescue force.
Analysis If you can get the enemy to move into a position of weakness then you can attack them, perhaps by ambush. Luring a small force away from a larger force makes the small force vulnerable and weakens the larger force. Luring the enemy away from a position allows you to take that position or pass through it. Like a mother bird luring a predator away from the nest, you can also lure an enemy away when they are likely to discover your secrets.
Example Analogy In discussion, offer weak arguments for an unimportant point that lures the other person away from arguing against points which are important to you. Pincer Movement
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Pincer Movement Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Send two columns out to the left and to the right of the enemy position. Do this covertly or quickly so they have no chance to react. Then simultaneously turn inwards to attack the enemy in the 'pocket' created. The pincer may complete a full encirclement or it may attack from the sides, like a double flanking movement.
Analysis The power of the pincer is the attacks from multiple directions that it enables. The enemy has to mount multiple defenses and usually has no way of retreat. The weakness of the pincer can be that, being spread out, it is vulnerable to concentrated attack at a single point. It also is vulnerable to attack from behind by a rescue force.
Example In the Second World War battle for Stalingrad that lasted through 1942 and into 1943. A turning point happened on 20th November when a pincer movement led to an encirclement of 250,000 Nazi troops. This led to an effective siege, in which the German army slowly starved. After tightening of the noose and fierce fighting, the 91,000 surviving troops eventually surrendered in what was a critical turning point in the overall war. Eventually, after being sent to labor camps, only 6,000 found their way home.
Analogy Get two arguments ready then attack with both at once. If they try to wriggle out, quickly cut them off, perhaps with yet another argument. Then steadily move in, crushing any remaining opposition. Retreat
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Retreat Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action When you are being worn down and there is little sign of victory, it can make sense to withdraw.
There are two broad ways you can retreat: flight or disengagement. In headlong flight, you stop fighting, turn and run, literally for your lives. In steady withdrawal you may continue to fight whilst falling back in an ordered and controlled manner, disengaging from the fighting without allowing the enemy to overrun you.
Analysis Beyond irrational panic, headlong flight is based on the principle of speed. When in fear of death, a person's adrenaline helps them run very fast. They may also cast away weapons and other encumbrances to help go faster. An unarmed person is less of a target and may be permitted to live by opposing troops. Fleeing people make easy targets and an excited enemy might pursue, seeking to do maximum damage. This can lead to total destruction. It can also be used to lead the enemy into a trap. In a steady withdrawal, some troops typically provide covering fire whilst others fall back and prepare to provide cover in return. Provided you are not overrun by the advancing enemy this can be an ultimately more successful approach.
Example The retreat of the British and Allied forces from Dunkerque, France in the Second World War was facilitated by a huge flotilla of over 900 mostly small boats from England. Only 50,000 were expected to escape the German advance, but in practice 338,000 got away.
Analogy In an argument, if you know you are beaten, you can suddenly walk away or change the subject. If they pursue you, snipe at them or otherwise make comments that dissuade them from chasing you. Starvation
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Starvation Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Remove all sources of food for your enemy's armies and citizens.
Sink their supply ships. Lay siege to their cities. Cut off their supply lines. Poison their food and water sources. Burn their fields. If you are retreating, use Scorched Earth. Then when they are weak and ill from hunger, threaten attack unless they concede.
Analysis 'An army marches on its stomach' as they say, and requires a huge logistical exercise to keep it fed. This either requires a supply train or taking food from the local populations. Without sufficient food the army becomes weakened, demoralized and mutinous. Likewise a well-fed population may well support a distant war, but if it is being starved, it will argue more quickly for peace.
Example In the second World War, the German U-boats sank many supply ships heading for Britain, which had to implement a system of food rationing.
Analogy In negotiations one tactic that can be used is to keep talking through meal times. The other side, desperate to eat, may well concede a few points. Surprise attack
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > Surprise attack Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Attack your enemy when they are not expecting it. Sneak up on them or otherwise cloak your actions so they have no time to get ready to defend themselves. Use intelligence to identify the time and place when they will be least and least able to defend themselves. Attack from multiple directions. These may be staggered such that when they are rushing to defend against the first attack, another attack is launched against them. Surprise can also be achieved from afar, such as in bombing raids or artillery fire.
Analysis The surprise attack may have several purposes. When it is launched using a larger force, the intent is defeat. A smaller force that could be easily overwhelmed by the enemy may be used either to sow seeds of confusion or fear or to achieve a particular mission such destroying an arms dump or freeing captured troops. In any case, the small force retreats soon after attack. Surprise often causes confusion and it is a mark of an army's discipline as to how it reacts to a surprise attack. If they are well-organised, they will respond quickly. You can thus use a small surprise attack to test them. Repeated surprise attacks, however may have diminishing value as they prepare more and are surprise less.
Example The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in World War 2 was totally unexpected by the Americans. For the Japanese it was a huge success, killing 2403, injuring 1178 and destroying or crippling 5 battleships, 3 destroyers, 3 cruisers, and 188 planes. Japan lost 64 people, 29 planes and 4 submarines.
Analogy Use surprise in an argument to throw them off track, for example by bringing in a surprise witness. Then as they fumble you can demand particular concessions. The Wedge
Disciplines > Warfare > Tactics > The Wedge Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action A wedge is a relatively small, well-armored, mobile and tightly-bunched group of soldiers that acts like a spear, punching a hole in the shield wall of the opposing side. To cut through the opposing side, the wedge is often V-shaped, with a relatively narrow front and widening flanks that push open the hole created. Once through the opposing front-line wall, the troops in the wedge may then cause mayhem amongst enemy soldiers who thought they were well-defended by their battle front. Other troops may also stream through the breech.
Analysis The wedge works best when it is well-targeted against a weak point. Like a knife, it is often best if it separates rather than pausing to fight. The modern tank can perform the penetrating function of a wedge and may have been designed with this in time.
Example Analogy Take the weakest point of their argument and attack it hard, criticizing and questioning the detail. When the concede that point move quickly on to another weakness.
Strategies of War Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies of War
There are overall approaches to warfare that change how wars are conducted. Here are some of the ways of doing this:
Alliances: Bringing your friends in to play.
War of Attrition: Wear them down.
Battle war: Engage in a series of pitched battles.
Blitzkrieg: Power and speed.
Cold war: Conflict without direct fighting.
Crippling: Take out key abilities.
Guerilla war: Asymmetric force.
Scorched earth: Retreat, leaving them nothing.
Terrorism: Random acts, big impact.
Trench war: Dig in and fight every inch of the way.
Siege War: Taking out major citadels.
Alliances in war
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Alliances in war Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action The first task of diplomacy in war is to ensure other countries do not side with the enemy, remaining at least neutral and hopefully sympathetic to your cause. The next step after making friends is to get them militarily involved. A classic mechanism for this is mutual defense agreements that broadly say 'If you are attacked I will leap to your defense (and vice versa)'. Such agreements can extend across many countries. Once your allies have joined the fray, the next step is to agree who does what, who commands what and work together as a single coherent unit.
Analysis War is an expensive business. Transporting troops and weaponry requires a massive logistics exercise. Every gun fired, every bullet shot has to be paid for and individual missiles can cost millions. Having allies reduces your cost significantly. War can also be tricky around friendships. Countries who you think are neutral or even friendly towards you may speak out against you. They may even, heaven forbid, help your enemy in any way from intelligence to joining in with troops and weapons. When bystanders are on your side, they at least will provide moral support and perhaps more than that. Friends in war can and often must be bought and there may be much horse trading with export quotas, technology access and so on. Obligations can ripple down the years and people who
Although alliance agreements are not always honored well, they do lead to a strong defensive position that says to the aggressor 'If you attack me then all of my friends will attack you'. When joined with allies, political in-fighting can easily muddy the waters as jostling for control leads to arguments about which general is controlling what.
Example In the 20th century communist-capitalist Cold War, Eastern European Soviet bloc and the opposing Western NATO countries formed alliance groups. Obligations: British involvement in supporting America in Iraq was probably linked to American support in the Falklands War and even back to the First and Second World Wars. Leadership struggles: In the Second World War the exiled Charles DeGaulle fought hard to retain control of the Free French whilst American and British commanders decided who would do what.
Analogy In negotiations, combine with other parties to provide negotiating strength. Leverage other friendships as well, for example showing how an unsatisfactory conclusion will make many enemies. War of Attrition
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > War of Attrition Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action A war of attrition works through steady erosion. As you wear down the other side they will hopefully realize that they are slowly being annihilated and will eventually capitulate. This may be done through a series of open battles where you gradually exhaust and kill their military forces. It may also be done through multiple covert actions that slip in and cause limited mayhem time and time again.
Analysis The goal of this strategy is that repeated defeat, even on a small scale should lead the enemy to forecast eventual total loss and so submit. However, the sting of defeat and the
cost of capitulation may be such that commanders fight on to the very bitter end. Against this, troops who also realize the inevitable may mutiny, desert or fight without spirit and so accelerate their doom. Attrition also affects public opinion, which often the military resolve, and sentiment can turn against continued fighting. A war of attrition can be very costly, especially where both sides are of similar size and neither will give in. This can easily lead to a Pyrrhic victory where the cost to the victor leaves little to celebrate. A war of attrition is thus more common in asymmetric war where either side may use it, albeit with different tactics.
Example In the Iraq war, continued bombing and killing of troops turned public and eventually political opinion against continued American involvement, who sought to withdraw as soon as they could. Like the Vietnam war, where the great American army sought to wear down their enemy, they eventually struggled against an invisible, distant enemy and vanishing support at home.
Analogy In a negotiation wear down the other side by constant attacks and few concessions. Stress their negotiators until they have to retire, then do the same to the next one and the next until you get what you want. Battle War
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Battle War Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Select a battlefield. Line up against the enemy and charge! The battle ends when one of the following conditions apply:
Your side are the only ones left standing
The other side submits
The other side runs away
Both sides back off
Before the charge, the other side may be softened up with artillery fire or a rain of arrows. Cavalry charges and flanking action may be used to sow further chaos. The charge may be an 'every man for himself' run or an orderly advance, perhaps using an armor wall to give some protection. When lined up, charging and fighting, as much as possible should be done to terrify the other side, such as playing drums or bagpipes, beating shields, screaming and otherwise giving the impression of being completely demented. Repeat this process, fighting the enemy in various battlefields until one side wins the entire war.
Analysis The pitched battle a simple, primitive form that is now seldom seen, despite being a traditional form of fighting, where an entire war would be a series of pitched battles between opposing armies. In a curious way this was quite civilized as it moved the fighting away from civilians. Nowadays, the advances in weaponry and armor, coupled with air-power, makes pitched battles less relevant. Also, the frequent modern asymmetry leads to very different forms of fighting.
Example At Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by the Duke of Wellington in a traditional pitched battle. There are many other examples through history.
Analogy Dive into an argument with all guns blazing. Attack them personally and attack their arguments with equal energy. Alternatively advance your arguments steadily and powerfully, destroying all counter-arguments in your path. Blitzkrieg
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Blitzkrieg Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Make lightning attacks, overwhelming the enemy with speed and concentrated firepower. This is typically led by tanks which combine weaponry with speed. The basic principle is to bombard a designated weak point (schwerpunkt) in the enemy defense, followed by feints and probes to find a breakthrough point, plus a followup encirclement (kesselschlacht) to prevent flanking and capture remaining forces. When the enemy is defeated, the position may be held by a follow-up force whilst the main force moves on quickly to the next target.
Analysis Blitzkrieg works first and foremost by shock. When the enemy arrives at speed you may well not have time to get ready. And when they have strong weaponry they can create physical shock in the noise and damage that leads to rapid collapse and giving in. Blitzkrieg is not war of attrition, depending more on maneuver and surprise than wearing them down by long bombardment or pitched battles. It is thus not a method for attacking a major army -- it is a typically cross-country technique for conquering large tracts of relatively lightly defended land. Blitzkrieg can also distract an enemy who has to dispatch forces to deal with your attacks. If, however, you are nimble enough, they will never Be able to catch you. Note that although the term comes from the German strategies of the second world war, much of their ideas for this came from Napoleon's successful mobile attacks against the Prussians. In German, Blitzkrieg means 'Lightning War' or 'Flash War'.
Example The Germans made great use of Blitzkrieg in World War 2, initially using it to defeat Poland in which tanks and armored columns raced many miles ahead of the main force.
Analogy In an argument, suddenly change tack and strongly attack a minor point held by the other person. When they concede, rapidly move on to another point you can quickly win. Cold war
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Cold war Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action A cold war is one where there is no direct fighting but where overt or covert conflict is carried out by other means. One way to fight (of sorts) is to work on the principle that my enemy's enemy is my friend -- or at least could be a puppet I can manipulate. I can give them weapons and advice, winding them up to attack our common foe. Further, both sides can get involved in some foreign war, each supporting one side in a 'war by proxy'. In this way Capitalism vs. Communism was played out across the world with the backing of America and Russia on opposite sides. Outright war may appear come close as threats and counter-threats fly across the table in managed sword-rattling exercises. Arms races are a typical form of escalation as each side spends many fortunes on weapons which will most likely never be used. The other characteristic of Cold War is the number of direct, but covert, operations that go on. Spies and surveillance are used to gather valuable intelligence and special operations may engage in unattributable sabotage and other mischief. Thus you get bugging of embassies, agents and double agents, mysterious illnesses and the rest of the show.
Analysis All wars can be assessed by a temperature metaphor. A hot war is characterized by intense and frequent fighting. At the other end of the scale there is no obvious fighting, yet there is much conflict. So why do the antagonists just 'duke it out'? Why not do battle and sort out a victor? There can be many good reasons not to fight. In the famous American-Russian cold war that occupied the latter half of the 20th century, the symmetry of a nuclear stand-off and the threat of the aptly-named Mutually Assured Destruction kept the two sides from going the full distance. To fight you also need lots of money and other resources, as well as a political mandate from your country. If both sides lack the will or the wherewithal, then a cold war by other means may ensue. An arms race is good for the arms manufactures but it is crippling for the governments who must pay. Despite the sword-rattling that it permits, the simple economics of escalation is also good reason to quit. (This, arguably, was a key reason why the Soviet
communist system collapsed: by the very money-generating nature of capitalism, it allowed the West to out-spend the Russians.) The spying of the US- and Russian-led cold war led to a whole genre of stories such as James Bond. In practice, spying is mostly very boring and although fantasy weapons such as guns in pens have been produced they are seldom used.
Example War by proxy: The Americans supported the Afghans against the Russians and Saddam Hussein against Iran (which illustrates well the longer-term risk in this strategy). Making threats: Kruschev famously banged the table with his shoe, making the Americans think he was insane. The Defcon system of escalating 'levels' is also a system for sending threatening signals without actually pushing the big red button.
Analogy Rather than argue, find subtle means of getting at the other person, perhaps seducing their friends or finding secrets by which you might blackmail them. Crippling
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Crippling Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Crippling takes away a critical ability, removing the enemy's potential for specific actions. Then exploit the weakness created. For example:
Bomb their airfields so the cannot use their aircraft.
Mine particular areas so they cannot be used.
Destroy power stations, pipelines, dams and other means by which they obtain basic utilities.
Take out their gun positions so they cannot fire back.
Destroy their telecoms stations so they cannot communicate.
Analysis When the enemy loses a particular capability they are weakened such that you can now use this as a strategic advantage. If their airfields and aircraft are destroyed, this gives you air superiority by which you can attack targets at will. If the weaponry in certain installations is disabled, you can mount frontal assaults. If an enemy cannot communicate, it cannot report on your positions or actions. Nor can it send commands or requests between its various parts. It thus runs open loop ands effectively rudderless, allowing you to sneak up unnoticed, to divide and confuse and otherwise cause chaos.
Example In the 1990-1 Gulf War, the US forces started by disabling Iraqi communications systems. Later, they destroyed utilities for Bagdad, including electricity supplies.
Analogy In negotiations keep people in the negotiating room, stopping them from taking breaks and stepping out to call headquarters for advice and information. Guerilla war
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Guerilla war Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Guerilla warfare is surreptitious and hidden. Guerillas hide secretly in the hills or jungle. They might also hide openly amongst the population, gaining local collaboration either through sympathy that is diligently earned (for example by providing scarce food) or by fear of retribution. Guerillas act in relatively small groups where they attack specific targets rather than engaging large forces.
Analysis Guerrilla warfare is a form ideally suited to a smaller, weaker group but who are far more familiar with the territory and culture than the enemy.
In traditional pitched battles they would quickly be overrun, but in guerrilla form they can deliver 'death by a thousand cuts'. Guerilla warfare needs a suitable territory into which the fighters can melt after an attack, such as dense jungles or vast, impenetrable mountains.
Example In the Vietnam war, the Vietcong lived in the jungle and amongst the population, from which they harried the American forces and destroyed buildings and installations. Unable to defeat them, the Americans eventually left.
Analogy In negotiation, attack the person outside the negotiation room, destroying their credibility by nefarious means. Scorched Earth
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Scorched Earth Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Retreat before an overwhelming enemy, but do not leave anything to succor the ravaging conqueror. Destroy everything you own, from houses to crops, rather than let one morsel lall into enemy hands. With no food left, the whole population must retreat as well, of course.
Analysis Rather than sustain enormous supply trains, conquerors far from home feed themselves on the food of their victims, plundering their food stores and drinking their best wine. Finding the 'scorched earth' (named after the results of a basic burning of crops) the conqueror is unable to feed the troops who become hungry, weakened and demoralized. This tactic also invokes mixed emotions, from futile and tiring anger to fear of an enemy ready to destroy everything rather than surrender. Soldiers also tend to consider it their right to loot and pillage anything of value they can find. When their booty is also denied them, they are likely to displace their anger onto one another in the form of petty in-fighting that loses focus on their true purpose.
Example When Napoleon attacked Russia, as the Russians retreated they burned all fields and destroyed all towns and villages so the French would not even have shelter.
Analogy When it looks like you are going to lose an argument destroy or trivialize all aspects of your own position, thus denying the other person the pleasure of taking you apart, bit by bit. Terrorism
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Terrorism Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action Terrorists work on the principle of causing maximum fear through contained action. They emerge from nowhere and may kill men, women and children indiscriminately, often with scant regard for their own lives. They may use guns, though explosives or even chemical weapons can provide for greater impact in a short period. They typically work through their own code of values whereby they feel justified in the harm they cause to innocent bystanders. One of the most feared forms of terrorist act is the suicide bomber who sacrifices their own life to kill many others and spread fear. Terrorists often have fairly narrow aims, but these are often unacceptable to the existing government, for example when they seek religious domination or the replace of an ethnic group in a given tract of land. Terrorists often work in autonomous cells that are aligned with overall strategy through initial training or indirect messages.
Analysis Terrorism is often a strategy of choice in asymmetric war, where the weaker side seeks to create maximum impact with a relatively small force. When the purpose is terror, the killing of innocent civilians deliberately serves this end as it causes all other civilians to fear for their lives and hence pressure the government to submit to the terrorist's demands. Random attacks make their occurrence more difficult to predict and hence more worrying.
The very notion of suicide bombing is totally alien to most people and hence more terrifying than other forms of attack. The consequent thought is if they will do this, how can we get them to give in? For most people the threat of annihilation is enough to encourage submission, but if they willingly self-annihilate, what now? So why do terrorists put themselves in such danger or commit suicide? One reason is that conversion methods are used to effectively brainwash them, for example framing martyrdom as a short-cut to heaven. Working in small cells supports this. Their home communities may also lionize them as heroes and the families of those who die in the cause get special support (thus one form of personal martyrdom is to sacrifice oneself so one's family get support). One of the reasons for working in cells is that the leaders of the organization are protected, for example should a cell member be captured and forced to name people. In this way, terrorist leaders can walk in public without being known.
Example One of the earliest known uses of terrorism is believed to be when the original Ismaili Muslim 'assassins' randomly killed members of the Abbasid ruling group, typically infiltrating their household staff to get close the the leader. Perhaps the most successful terrorist act was the destruction of the New York twin towers on 9/11/01. This single act drew America into Middle-Eastern conflict which led to the radicalization of many young Moslems whilst costing the demonized America billions of dollars.
Analogy In argument attack innocent bystanders and make bold sacrifices that make the other side wonder what you will not do to achieve your goals. Trench War
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Trench War Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action The two sides face one another in effective impasse. Trenches are dug for shelter, allowing lateral movement of foot soldiers. They are deep enough to provide protection from snipers and explosions but also shallow enough to permit peering over the edge and scrambling out as required.
The distance between opposing trenches is determined by a complex mix of factors such as the ability to observe, attack and defend. Betwen the two sides is a 'no man's land' where mines, barbed wire and other dissuasions against a surprise attack may be pkaced. At strategic moments, one side may go 'over the top' to charge the enemy lines in the hope of breaking through. Where this is successful, the enemy might then fall back to trenches further away. A more extreme form of trench war may be found where underground tunnels are built, particularly to protect from aerial bombardment.
Analysis Trench war may be used when both sides have the symmetry of approximately equal force and in particular where the defense system of each is stronger than the attack force of the other. The stalemate that this causes means that soldiers need semi-permanent shelter from opposing gunfire, particularly when they are in open countryside. These entrenched positions then become places of relative safety that, paradoxically, dissuade the soldiers from moving elsewhere. Trench war becomes less effective when the trenches can be bombed or where other means allows forces to go around the trench system.
Example Trench war was particularly prevalent in the First World War in Europe where the recent invention of automatic weapons meant that an infantry charge could be mown down before it reached its target.
Analogy In an argument, dig in. Refuse to retreat. Snipe at the other person from a safe distance. Wear them down and then launch sudden attacks. If they repel your attack just return to your safe position. Siege War
Disciplines > Warfare > Strategies > Siege War Action | Analysis | Example | Analogy | See also
Action When the enemy has fortified positions that seem impossible to penetrate, first surround these positions so no-one can enter or leave. Then try to wear them down so they surrender. Use heavy fire at the walls, trying to make them crumble. Launch occasional attacks with battering rams and ladders. You can also try to entice them out. Where your enemy has many castles and you have superior military force, defeating them largely means laying siege to each castle. If you have sufficient forces, you can do this to several castles at once.
Analysis Siege war is the natural response to heavy fortification, which itself is a response to regular conflict and lawlessness and where a small force can hold a much larger one at bay. Fortified castles are often designed to withstand sieges, with all angles covered, moats, reinforced doors and traps for the unwary invader. They may have bigger cannons than you, forcing you back beyond firing range. When expecting a siege they may lay in a large food supply, allowing them to be independent of external supplies for many months. A circumvallation is a is circle of fortification facing towards the target that protects against sorties. The greatest danger of laying siege is that you are in an exposed position and forces from elsewhere may come to the rescue, perhaps even sneaking up on an unprotected rear. A contravallation matches the circumvallation in being an outer circle of fortification, facing outwards to protect against rescue attempts. Fortified positions still continue to the present day, although the power and accuracy of bombs and artillery make them less relevant.
Example In 1993 the ATF and FBI laid siege to David Koresh' Branch Davidian sect in Mount Carmel, near Waco, Texas. Koresh' group were heavily armed and repelled an early attack, killing four agents. The siege included the use of loud music, tanks, helicopters and CS gas to wear them down. Eventually, after negotiations failed a tank incursion was followed by a fire in which many died.
More traditionally, the medieval castles were built as impregnable defensive positions and defeat was only possible through siege. This was a very common form of war up until around the mid-eighteenth century.
Analogy In negotiations, do not allow people any breaks. Attack the walls of their arguments. Do not let up until they concede.
Force Multiplication
Disciplines > Warfare > Articles > Force Multiplication The problem: Limited resource | The solution: Force multipliers | See also
'Force multiplication' is a simple principle in warfare that dramatically increases the power of the forces that you have at your disposal.
The problem: Limited resource A problem in warfare is in how to use the limited resources at you disposal. Forces are almost always short as demand exceeds supply, for example where regiments are spread across multiple fronts or where you just have a small military force in comparison with your enemy. The problem is then how to maximize the force that you have.
The solution: Force multipliers The basic principle of force multiplication is to find and use factors that increase the effective power that you have (or reduce that of your opponents). Using multiple multipliers has an even greater effect, such that a well-multiplied small force can successfully take on a much larger force. People
Whilst you have limited people, you can make them more effective in many ways, such as ensuring they are well trained and optimally equipped. A particularly powerful people-based multiplier is morale. A charged-up group of people will fight far more fiercely, increasing the chance both of success and also of demoralizing the opponents.
Technology
Technology can provide many advantages, from satellite pictures of enemy deployment to advanced weaponry. A well-equipped soldier alone is far more powerful than one with just a basic weapon, especially when trained and deployed effectively. Add to this the backup of motorized equipment, computers, range-finders and so on, and a small group can have a huge effect. Natural resources
There are always natural resources around, and even at the immediate tactical level, soldiers will use the shape of the ground for cover and may at worst use sticks and stones for makeshift weapons. More strategically, mountains, lakes, rivers and other geographic features should always be included in battle planning. The weather can also be used, for example attacking when the cold and wet has driven the other side indoors. Psychology
Psychological methods can always increase your power. First, as above, motivating your own force can make them more effective. People who think they will lose are more likely to lose. And if they believe they can win, then this will give them confidence (of course the danger of gung-ho over-confidence should be managed carefully). It can be very powerful also to find ways to demoralize the other side, from the surprise and ferocity of your attacks that builds a fearsome reputation to the subtle use of propaganda and other forms of deception that sap confidence and make them think you are more powerful than perhaps you are. Techniques for changing minds can be powerful force multipliers, whether they are for boosting morale of troops, creating support in local populations or demoralizing the enemy. Propaganda is a classic wartime persuasive force multiplier. Strategies and tactics
There are many other strategies and tactics that can be used to increase your ability, such as the use of guerilla methods in asymmetrical warfare. In fact the main purpose of most strategies and many tactics is to make the most of what you have, whilst decreasing the ability of your enemy. A classic historical approach was taken by Leonides who held back the vastly more powerful Persian army of Xerxes at Thermopylae in 480BC by holding a 'pinch-point' where the mountains came very close to the sea.
Four Battle Personalities
Disciplines > Warfare > Articles > Four Battle Personalities Think-Feel | Hot-Cold | Four types | In summary | See also
In everyday life we each have assorted personality traits and preferences, but when we are stressed, our values and personality factors seem to switch to survival mode and we will act 'out of character' -- or perhaps somewhere closer to our truer selves as our everyday masks are stripped away. Battle can invoke extreme forms of stress as we literally fight for our lives, taking the lives of others in scenarios far removed from everyday life. This article offers a simple model of the battlefield personality, based on two primary dimensions: Cognition and Arousal.
The Battle Personality
Arousal Hot
Powerhouse
Berserker
Cognition
Thi nk
Feel
Ice Warrior
Mechanic
Cold
Think-Feel (cognition)
When faced with stress, people often retreat in one of two directions. Feeling The first possible direction is towards an emotional state and away from thinking. This happens naturally as the brain chemistry of emotional arousal in the mid-brain suppresses cortical thought. The natural emotional response to a threat is fight-or-flight. In battle, flight is difficult and is often trained out of soldiers and so they enter a primitive fighting state in which they are driven by aggressive emotions. Thinking When faced with stress, other people respond by grabbing control, and the one thing they can control is themselves. They hence become very rational and deliberate, thinking hard about everything they do.
Hot-Cold (action) Beyond thinking or feeling, people on the battlefield may be highly aroused or may be calmer in their approach. Hot In the 'hot' state a person is suffused with adrenaline which gives them enormous energy. They fight with force and speed. Tackling the hot fighter, you are more likely to be overwhelmed by the sheer number and power of blows. Cold In this cooler state, the fighter is more economic in action, making every movement count. Tackling the cold fighter, you are more likely to be caught out as they slip through a hole in your defense.
The four types So here are the descriptions of the four personality types, based on the dimensional division above. Feel-Hot - Berserker In some ways the Berserker is the simplest of battlefield personalities, but this does not make them an easy target. The classic Berserker scenario is of them standing alone in a sea of bodies as they rapidly overcome any opponent who comes near.
The Berserker is driven by a high-energy rage that appears something like a massive temper tantrum. They lose all self-control as they turn into a whirling killing machine. Their anger and arousal gives them great power and speed. Feeling no pain, they continue to be highly dangerous even when wounded. Fighting the Berserker is very difficult as their sheer speed and power means you may never get a blow in. The best approach against a Berserker is often patience. Nobody can sustain that level of energy for ever and eventually they will slow down, at which time you can step in for the kill.
Think-Hot -The Powerhouse Whilst the Mechanic uses lithe economy, the Powerhouse is more of a bull. They largely succeed through the energy they put into both thinking and fighting. The Powerhouse is a strange combination of thought and apparent rage. The way they do this is to use the body's natural ability to generate adrenaline under stress but then grab cognitive control from the emotions, sublimating suppressed rage into even more energy in delivery. The Powerhouse thus retains rational control whilst being able to direct enormous energy to selected targets. Having a larger body is advantageous to a Powerhouse and, when fully charged, they can kill with a single blow, even cleaving their opponent on two. Fighting against a Powerhouse thus makes avoiding their blows of paramount importance. As they are also crafty thinkers they are difficult to deceive and simply slipping around an attack may lead you into a careful trap. If you cannot match their power, the best attack can be thoughtful speed, though you should never underestimate their ability here either.
Feel-Cold - Ice Warrior The Ice Warrior is suffused with emotion which they channel into a deep, cold hatred of their enemy. They are sly and deceptive in battle and may be cruel in their attacks, often deliberately wounding an opponent to prolong their suffering. This is perhaps in endless revenge for a persistent past hurt that still drives them. It is said that revenge is a meal best served cold, and the Ice Warrior may well be driven by such motives. They enjoy killing more than other battle personalities but are never fully satisfied by it and so seek
more. Fighting the Ice Warrior can thus be a dangerous and painful experience. Their greatest weakness is their prolonging of the fight during which you may find a way through.
Think-Cold - The Mechanic The 'mechanic' is a highly skilled soldier for whom fighting is a fine art. Each battle, each blow is an interesting problem to be quickly thought through logically and executed with fine skill. Each opponent is to be sized up, weaknesses identified and then efficiently dispatched. Fighters whose bodies lack the strength to be a Powerhouse but whose minds can remain steady under fire may well become mechanics. In some ways the mechanic is the most terrifying and inhuman opponent as they treat you as little more than another specimen. In fighting the Mechanic you need a good defense. Their greatest weakness can be an arrogance and belief in their own ability and an effective attack may stem from random action that leaves them wondering and unable to predict your next attack.
In summary Understanding the different battle personalities can help you understand both yourself and others when you get into a fight. You can hence take the best approach that will minimize exposure of your weaknesses, and play most to you strengths in the face of the style of your opponent.
Maneuver and Encounter
Disciplines > Warfare > Articles > Maneuver and Encounter Maneuver | Encounter | See also
War can be divided into two activities: Maneuver and Encounter. Or, to put it more simply, moving and fighting.
Maneuver Maneuvering means moving troops and equipment about the place, from battle to battle or otherwise to position them for specific effect. This is no mean feat when you have an army of tens or hundreds of thousands who need to be fed and watered several times a day. A mark of a good general is not so much the battles won but the deaths avoided whilst winning the war. This can be achieved by positioning forces much as a game of chess, not in order to fight but to cause a desired counter-maneuver by the opposing side. Thus by positioning apparently superior forces the enemy will avoid or move away from you, whilst by exposing a weak force you may lure the foe into a trap or away from a vulnerability. Maneuver and the avoidance of encounter can be a deliberate strategy and form a critical part of planning of the war.
Encounter The goal of virtually any encounter is to win, killing or capturing enemy troops or positions. This may be done using a superior force, although superior maneuvering both before fighting and on the battlefield can give an inferior force significant advantage. In this way, maneuvers such as feints, wedges, flanking and pincers can be used to great effect in winning the encounter with maximum economy. Encounter can be a deliberate strategy, as in Battle War.
The Six Secret Teachings Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings
In the Chou dynasty of the 11th century BC, an elderly, eccentric advisor known as T'ai Kung set out principles of government and warfare through reported conversations with King Wen and his successor, King Wu. Chinese history has many 'secret teachings'. Making things secret makes them more desirable as they seem scarce and harder to access. To gain access to secrets typically
requires investment that leads to greater commitment, as the person acts to sustain consistency with their investment. These pages include brief notes on observed key learning points and further discussions of these. For detail and full translation, see Sawyer (1993).
1. Civil Secret Teachings 1.1 King Wen's Teacher 1.2 Fullness and Emptiness 1.3 Affairs of State 1.4. The Great Forms of Etiquette 1.5. Clear Instructions 1.6. Six Preservations 1.7. Preserving the State's Territory 1.8. Preserving the State 1.9. Honoring the Worthy 1.10. Advancing the Worthy 1.11. Rewards and Punishment 1.12. The Tao of Military
2. Martial Secret Teachings 2.1. Opening Instructions 2.2. Civil Instructions 2.3. Civil Offensive 2.4. Instructions on According with the People 2.5. Three Doubts
3. Dragon Secret Teachings 3.1. The King's Wings 3.2. A Discussion of Generals 3.3. Selecting Generals 3.4. Appointing the General 3.5. The General's Awesomeness 3.6. Encouraging the Army 3.7. Secret Tallies 3.8. Secret Letters 3.9. The Army's Strategic Power 3.10. The Unorthodox Army 3.11. The Five Notes 3.12. The Army's Indications 3.13. Agricultural Implements 4. Tiger Secret Teachings 4.1. The Army's Equipment 4.2. Three Deployments 4.3. Urgent Battles 4.4. Certain Escape
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.1 (1)
Observed lessons
A true man of worth reaches for ambitions. A common man looks only to ordinary affairs.
True men are drawn together by common interest in important affairs.
To lure a big fish, you need a big bait and a strong line. This may require significant commitment from you. Simple, glittering rewards only attract the small fry.
A sage ruler establishes ways that play to emotions. He shows humanity, virtue and righteousness by sharing, sparing, relieving and eliminating hardship. This is the way to create followers.
Discussion This lesson introduces King Wen and his meeting with his teacher, the T'ai Kung, who uses the analogy of fishing to offer learning points. 'True men of worth' are of course the sort of person that a ruler should be. By talking in this way, the T'ai Kung immediately positions himself as an expert coach. The king, having sufficient wisdom (and being directed by his scribe), accepts this relationship. The point about requiring big bait and a strong line to catch big fish is notable in the importance is places on commitment. If you are cautious or offer only simple bait, the big fish will detect your lack of commitment and either ignore you or take advantage of your weakness. This introduction includes a direct admonishment to the king to be kind to his people, pointing out how followership is thus created. Here is a lesson that many of today's leaders still need to learn. It seems that there is a base human nature towards using punishment and reward when they seek to motivate others. It requires more skill to use kindness that leads people to truly want to do as you ask. In this way, you need seldom have need to command.
Fullness and Emptiness
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.2 Fullness and Emptiness Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.2 (2)
Observed lessons
Some countries are chaotic while others are ordered.
The state and fortunes of the country are due to the ruler, not luck, gods, etc.
A worthy ruler does not live in great comfort nor adorns himself with beautiful trappings.
Greatness comes from integrity and how you treat people.
Reward those who are loyal and who respect others.
Reward good acts from people who have done bad things.
Mark out and prohibit evil.
Discussion 'Full and empty' is a principle used in Taoism and Chinese martial arts, and is linked to the idea of Yin and Yang. In moving, like breathing, we alternate full and empty, yin and yang. When another person attacks us, we show emptiness and yin, giving them nothing to press against. They then flow back to their position and we follow, sticking to them with power, yang and fullness. Fullness can also mean being full of the country, feeling everything within yourself. Emptiness can be divesting yourself of that which is not worthy of you and which alienates you from the people. Fullness implies action. Emptiness patience. Both have their place. Affairs of State
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.3 Affairs of State Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.3 (3)
Observed lessons
All the ruler needs to do is to love the people as their close family. Everything else follows.
Help them. Do not harm them. Give them comfort, jobs, meaning, happiness.
Be more equal. Do not increase the gap between you and your people.
Impose rewards, punishments and taxes as if they were for yourself.
Discussion Love is a much misunderstood thing. Many see it through the eyes of desire, as romantic/sexual or parental control. A better view is one of deep care for another person, with the focus of attention in the other rather than yourself. Unconditional love is hard. Human nature seems to make us want to punish, to avenge the slights we perceive. To love people, complete with their imperfections and without wanting things in return, is something that few achieve. And yet, if you can find it, it is a source of great joy. Love, trust and respect are highly reciprocal. To get them, you must give them. This is a lesson that many business leaders should learn. The Great Forms of Etiquette
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.4 The Great Forms of Etiquette Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.4 (4)
Observed lessons
The ruler should stay close to his ministers.
Ministers should not hide things from the ruler and should submit to the wishes of the ruler.
The ruler should be composed, dignified, restrained.
The ruler should see and hear with clarity, integrating different perceptions and understanding deep matters.
Discussion The ruler is compared to heaven and the ministers to earth. This is a good analogy as the ruler takes a high-level view but does not get involved with the day-to-day running of the country -- this is the work of the ministers. It can be tempting to get involved with the detail, but to do so is to lower oneself to the position of ministers and will also lower their respect.
The question then is how does a ruler rule, if they say little? The answer must be that what they say should be of great import. They pull the larger levers of power. The ministers and those below them turn the wheels of administration in aligned response. In this way the wishes of the ruler are achieved with grace and ease. A key element is listening. Each person who speaks to the ruler does so with an agenda, a purpose in what they say. The ruler should see this purpose and find the truth amidst the bias. A way to help see the truth is to listen to different views and hence find the underlying common issues. Clear Instructions
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.5 Clear Instructions Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.5 (5)
Observed lessons
The tao stops when you sanction things about which you are doubtful or when you fail to act when it is needed.
The tao begins when you are soft and quiet, dignified and respectful, tolerant yet hard.
Discussion The title 'Clear Instructions' is about the king asking the sage for clear instructions on how live. The question 'what is Tao' is a difficult one. At a grand level, it is the absolute principle underlying order in the universe. It is the root of Taoism. And most of all, it is practical guidance in how to live in harmony with the world. Literally, 'tao' means 'the path' or 'the way'. It can also mean 'discipline'. The book Tao Te Ching, by Lao Tsu says much about the Tao. It is related to Buddhism in its peaceful intent and preaching of tolerance, simplicity and humility. It includes the duality of yin and yang, where each is contained deep within the other and each defines the other. Hence within soft there is hard, and within hard there is soft, as may be found in the forms of Tai Chi.
The path of a great leader is followed like the path of a warrior, sensing the way and flowing with the forces around. Tao is ineffable, inexpressible, yet essential and ultimate. We can never fully define it, yet we constantly strive towards it. Six Preservations
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.6 Six Preservations Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.6 (6)
Observed lessons
To keep their position, a ruler should use six preservations: benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, trust, courage and planning.
To find people who will use these, give them power and responsibility, then watch how they behave. Endanger them and watch.
Never lose the three treasures: agriculture, industry and commerce.
People who do similar work should live near one another.
Discussion Of the six treasures:
Benevolence shows care of others, who will care in return.
Righteousness shows fairness and so avoids indignation.
Loyalty engenders love and reciprocal loyalty.
Trust gives people the scope to betray, exposing those who cannot be trusted.
Courage leads people to admire you and inspires them to bravery too.
Planning leads to deliberate and reliable action that benefits from thought rather than hope.
Putting people into situations of stress, where they can use their power to save themselves by harming others, is a great test of character. We all have stress values, which are different to their everyday values. Of the three treasures:
Agriculture is performed by farmers and feeds the people.
Industry is the characteristic of artisans who make things.
Commerce is the tool of merchants who bring you all you need and who sell your excess products.
The three treasures are the basis for national success today, as well as in ancient China. If you are doing all well, then your economy will thrive. The point about similar workers living in the same district is interesting. When farmers, artisans and merchants live each within their own areas, then they will learn from one another and will also police their trades, dealing with rogues who bring the profession into disrepute when they put themselves and quick money above their colleagues. Such people are quickly dealt with. Preserving the State's Territory
Disciplines > Warfare > T'ai Kung's Six Secret Teachings > 1.7 Preserving the State's Territory Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.7 (7)
Observed lessons
Be friendly with nearby countries.
Keep your relatives close.
Remember the common people.
Maintain personal control rather than letting others manage this.
Be ready for invasion. Build resources before you need them.
When you have power and it needs using, then use it.
Do not lend your weapons to those who could attack you.
Discussion A critical concern for a ruler is to sustain their territories, protecting against both attack from without and division within. To avoid invasion, pay attention to the politics in other countries, especially those with who you share borders. Notice leaders with aggressive and acquisitive nature. Build alliances, yet never fully trust your allies. Power is often more to do with the power others think you have than the actual resources at your command. Managing their perceptions is hence important. If you fail to act when others expect you to do so, then they will assume you have less power and, in doing so, reduce your power. Appropriate action is hence important, and none more so than when there is a threat of invasion. When a person has power, then their relatives may become envious and try to usurp the ruler, killing them and taking their position. History is full of examples of this happening. Managed well, however, relatives can be your greatest supporters. It is also important to address the concerns of the common people, for who the idea of invasion can be terrifying. Those who would attack you will often pretend first to be your friend and may even weaken you by borrowing or using up your resources. Preserving the State
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.8 Preserving the State Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.8 (8)
Observed lessons
Everything changes, and often in cycles like the seasons. Understanding these can help you manage them.
There are times of birth, growth, flourishing, decay and death. We do different things in each time, for example as in the seasons of the year.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Neither good nor bad times are permanent.
When times are good, prepare for worse times.
When times are bad, work towards better times.
It is a leader's job to look ahead and get people to prepare now.
Discussion Many people see things in the short term, and assume that tomorrow will be much like today. In times of plenty, they relax and enjoy themselves. In times of difficulty, they become depressed and may give up hope. The leader should know that all things change, and that both good and bad times are temporary. They hence must act to prepare for the bad when it is good and keep the people positive and motivated when it is bad. Honoring the Worthy
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.9 Honoring the Worthy Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.9 (9)
Observed lessons
Promote or otherwise recognize people who are worthy.
Worthiness includes sincerity, trustworthiness, fairness.
Demote or contain those who are unworthy.
Unworthiness is seen in the six thieves: extravagance, lawlessness, disloyalty, contempt and stealing.
Also beware the seven harms, where those who appear to deserve reward actually do not. These include those who:
o
Have courage, but not strategic ability.
o
Have high reputation but who lack substance.
o
Speak well but seek only personal gain.
o
Appear as modest sages but live outside society.
o
Are daring and bold in their quest for promotion.
o
Live a material and ornate existence.
o
Manipulate and confuse to get what they want.
When the thieves or harms are seen, act without delay.
Discussion The most important process in any business is selection, both in recruiting from the outside and promotion from within. Many people are highly motivated by promotion and all such advancements will be scrutinized and discussed by employees. One of the most common problems in business is where those who underperform, who are self-focused, or who are toxic in their dealings with others, get away with their actions. Managers often fear confrontation and so selfishness and corruption can seep into the culture. Those who get away with actions that damage the organization are watched by others, and soon it becomes endemic. Advancing the Worthy
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.10 Advancing the Worthy Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.10 (10)
Observed lessons
You can advance worthy people yet see little benefit from doing so. You need to put them to good use as well.
Beware of mistaking people who are liked for people who are worthy.
Discussion If you promote those people who others think are good, then you encourage games where people present themselves as likeable and charismatic, seeking the votes of others rather than doing good and letting the evidence speak for itself. This is a common game in politics, where the politician manages their image while the real person may be somewhat less than that portrayed. The same game also appears in business, with climbers who present a different face upwards to that shown to their subordinates and peers. The task of the leader, then, is to see masks and to see through them to the person beneath. This is a very important skill, perhaps the most important one. If you surround yourself with players, then you will be played. If you surround yourself with worthy people, you will be elevated as the organization thrives. Rewards and Punishment
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.11 Rewards and Punishment Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.11 (11)
Observed lessons
Reward and punishment sends signals not just to the person but all who know about this action. If more know, then more will respond to the signals.
Reward indicates trust.
Punishment indicates a need for certainty.
The rewards and punishments given by the ruler are far more significant than those given by lesser people.
Discussion Reward and punishment are two sides of the same coin. They are both forms of extrinsic motivation, which can be rather pernicious in the way it appears to work at the time. In conditioning, punishment stops action while reward encourages it. Yet many use punishment with the intent of persuading people what they should do. This is one reason
why punishment can be ineffective. It can also cause reaction or other forms of coping that easily becomes dysfunctional. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, seeks to build deep personal motivation through inspiration and other more difficult forms of motivating people. The main problem for many leaders is that intrinsic motivation is harder, requiring more time and skill. Yet done well it is far more powerful. In general, the Civil Secret Teachings puts far more emphasis on intrinsic motivation, which illustrates the maturity of the author, even though it was written many centuries ago. The Tao of Military
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 1.12 The Tao of Military Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Civil Secret Teachings 1.12 (12)
Observed lessons
A unified military is critical.
A good ruler manages the configuration of power and holds ultimate sway in all things.
To sustain peace, you must be ready for war.
War is often won by deception, showing confusion while being organized, seeming hungry while being fed, seeming poorly armed while having concealed sharp weapons, seeming to have few troops while having many.
War is also won by spying, secrecy, speed and surprise.
Discussion While military forces may be trained to obey, they also, and especially at the higher levels, are very knowledgeable about conflict. People at the top do not always agree and unless they are managed with a strong hand may squabble with one another as each seeks more power and glory.
In war, unification should be very strong, with forces who respect one another and with plans that all align towards the ultimate goal. Many military texts preach deception as a way to minimize fighting while winning the war. While true for all armies, this is particularly important for weaker ones, where intelligence and innovation can more than make up for inferior resources.
Opening Instructions
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 2.1 Opening Instructions Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 2.1 (13)
Observed lessons
To understand a ruler, look at the person, their advisors and government, and at the actions they take.
Avoid fighting if at all possible.
Seek win-win. Work with people to mutual benefit.
Be inscrutable. Let nobody know how you will act until you do.
Corruption is a signal of decay and a doomed state.
To see truth, shine a bright light.
Discussion Like other military texts, the critical principle is to innovate and surprise rather than attack head on. The ultimate success is to win without fighting, positioning yourself and using deceptions such that the enemy has no alternative than to concede. As is noted, 'He who does not take from the people takes the people'. Concern for the common people can pay great returns. While each may not have much power, together they are a huge force. With their general support, you can do much with confidence.
Exposing corruption is the first step to removing it. Removing corruption and bringing moral government is a common reason for invading another country. Civil Instructions
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 2.2 Civil Instructions Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 2.2 (14)
Observed lessons
Most things find their own position.
Nothing is permanent, yet patterns repeat.
Be subtle. Act without others realizing what you are doing.
Build a state with clear hierarchy and common purpose.
Discussion One of the traps of change is to assume that the world exists in stable stages, and that all you have to to is to shift things from the present, 'as is' state to the desired 'to be' state. Things are not as simple as this as they are constantly in flux. Yet people are limited and repeat the mistakes of history. There are also grand patterns for those who can see. So if you seek change do not expect it to be simple and do not think it will stay in its new shape without controls. It is often better to work from guiding and adaptive principles than from fixed ways that can easily become outdated. The subtle ruler seems to do nothing and so cannot be easily criticized. Hierarchy is a natural human (and animal) order. Done badly, it creates conflict between factions. Done well, with common purpose and clear leadership, it can be very effective. Civil Offensive
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 2.3 Civil Offensive
Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 2.3 (15)
Observed lessons
Let them do as they like, let them become corrupt, then remove them.
Become friends with their friends and so create divided loyalties.
Bribe and build close relationships with their assistants.
Give them gifts and respect in order to soften them.
Give their officials more gifts than you give them.
Delay, distract and treat well visiting officials.
Secretly ally with their best people.
Build plans together that seem to offer great benefit to them.
Praise and admire them so they become vain and blind.
Agree to their ideas and requests while watching and listening.
Discussion A 'Civil Offensive' is effectively a direct but subtle attack on the heart of the enemy, at the ruler and his court. It acts to weaken them, often while appearing to be friendly. It may precede open aggression, perhaps by some years. Every person has their price and buying their advisors gets you both spies in their camp and the ability to feed them false information. Through apparent friendship, great trouble can be wrought. A traditional way of subverting officials (and rulers) is with women who seduce, distract and corrupt. Other ways include simple friendship and support. Ambitious officials may well feel aggrieved at not being sufficiently recognized for their contribution. You can be a sympathetic ear and perhaps make promises for their illustrious future. 'Turning' foreign officials was a classic activity during the 20th century Cold War. It probably continues in various forms in the ongoing inter-country spying that inevitably happens (even in 'friendly' places).
Instructions on According with the People
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 2.4 Instructions on According with the People Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 2.4 (16)
Observed lessons
To gain the followership of the whole country, you must be widely seen as trustworthy, benevolent and gracious, yet also a strong and assured authority.
Citizens are not stupid. They recognize whether the ruler cares or not about them, and response accordingly.
Discussion If the population is unhappy with the ruler this discontent will appear in many ways, from general truculence to outright rebellion. A happy population, on the other hand is loyal and hard working, leading to a far more prosperous country (as well as a more secure crown). This applies particularly to a conquered country, where the new ruler should act to calm the population and ensure they are comfortable with the new regime. It can be helpful if they were unhappy with the previous government (which you can encourage in the period before invasion). Three Doubts
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 2.5 Three Doubts Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 2.5 (17)
Observed lessons
Three common doubts of the invader: having sufficient strength, coping with enemy's supporters, and managing the enemy's population.
When the enemy is strong, let them get stronger, then attack through their strength, making it a weakness.
To estrange supporters, tempt them away and buy them off.
Start by obfuscation, making them blind to your actions.
Get the people to distance themselves from the enemy ruler.
Show you are kind and forgiving to their people.
When their people see you as good, they will join you.
Discussion Attacking strength seems odd, but the principle is to turn their strength to a weakness. Encouraging their strength also seems odd, but done well it makes them focus all their attentions here, leaving themselves vulnerable in other areas. For example if you can subtly encourage them to build more tanks, you may later win through an aerial attack or fighting in marshlands where tanks cannot go. Winning a war happens only when the opposing country has returned to a state of peace, which only happens if the population accept the change in government. This can be helped greatly by showing you are fair and considerate. Alexander the Great was good at this, for example by defeating a ruler, then worshiping the local gods and using local people in the new government. The King's Wings
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3. 1 The King's Wings Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.1 (18)
Observed lessons
Understand all techniques. Having a few preferred methods is limiting and can be fatal.
Get the right people in the right jobs.
Develop your people. Challenge them. Push their boundaries.
Put a lot of effort into changing minds.
Discussion Understanding all techniques is a common admonition of military texts. The more options you have, the greater the chance you have of using just the right method for the current situation. It also gives you flexibility to change with the varying tides of the fight. The 'King's Wings' are his top assistants and aides. It is in the quality of these people and their ability to do their work extremely well that success lies. There is a dilemma in managing people where you both want to use their strengths, giving them jobs they can do, while also testing and stretching them so they can take on a wider variety of work. In critical times, however, such as war, development takes the back seat and you need to first use the strengths of your people. This is particularly true of senior people. Recommendations for managers include:
One chief planning officer: To coordinate both secret plans and responses to sudden change.
Five planning officers: This gives breadth of perspective without creating planning for plans' sake.
Three astrologers: While astrology is not very scientific, the principle of looking ahead (including weather) is still very sound.
Three topographers: Knowing the lie of the land is critical, even today when air superiority is so important.
Nine strategists: To add divergent views and focus on weaponry.
Four supply officers: To create a constant stream of food and drink.
Four 'officers for flourishing awesomeness': Talent managers who select and train the best soldiers.
Three secret signal officers: For long-distance communications.
Four legs and arms: For heavy and difficult tasks.
Two liaison officers: To connect with important other people.
Seven ears and eyes: To discover reality everywhere, including the mood of the army.
Five claws and teeth: To build morale and energy.
Four feathers and wings: For spreading the fearsome reputation of the army.
Eight roving officers: For spying and manipulating enemy morale.
Two officers of techniques: To spread falsehood and create confusion.
Three officers of prescription: To manage and dispense medicines.
Two accountants: To manage money and details of supplies.
Noticeable in this is the wide range of roles where the main skill is changing minds. A Discussion of Generals
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3. A Discussion of Generals Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.2 (19)
Observed lessons
Generals have five critical talents: courage, wisdom, benevolence, trustworthiness and loyalty.
They also may make any of ten errors: overly courageous and treating death lightly (defeated by violence), hasty and impatient (defeated by persistence), greedy and profit-focused (can be bribed), so benevolent they cannot inflict suffering (can be worn down), wise but afraid (can be distressed), overly trusting (can be deceived), scrupulous but unloving (defeated by insult), wise and indecisive (defeated by sudden attack), resolute and self-reliant (confounded by events), and being fearful and giving away responsibility (can be tricked).
Discussion These are useful criteria for recruiting any leader. It is perhaps an indictment of modern management that very few senior manager could be score highly on the five talents. Note how a number of the errors are made by ineffective application of talents. This indicates dangers in any talent or area of strength, where unless it is understood and applied well, can become a weakness. Selecting Generals
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3. Selecting Generals Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3. (20)
Observed lessons
Selecting generals is critically important.
External appearance and internal character can be quite different.
Beware of people who seem concerned about others but who are really concerned first for themselves, or who seem skilful but who are really incompetent.
Do not pass by those who may seem severe and forbidding but who actually have good people skills.
Also seek those who seem ineffective but who quietly get things done and are more successful than others.
Discussion Selection is probably the most important process in any organization, yet is often done casually and badly. This is partly because recruiters often over-estimate their own ability to sum up people. We tend to think we are good at it, while we are actually very poor at guessing what people are like on the inside. This lesson summarizes the two key errors: selecting those who are unsuitable and not selecting those who are suitable. Appointing the General
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.4 Appointing the General Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.4 (21)
Observed lessons
Make great ceremony of appointing generals, including a formal and powerful commitment by them.
Give sage advice to generals to both use and not over-step their power.
Good advice includes: o
Do not think that just because you have a big army it is going to be easy.
o
War is not about heroic death, including that of the general. Death is often just waste.
o
Beware of looking down on your troops. They are men, like you. Treat them with respect.
o
Understand risks carefully, even when they look slight. Misunderstanding risk can easily lead to catastrophe.
The general decides how to fight, not the ruler.
The general must have credibility at home, though their success must be abroad.
Discussion Ceremony makes use of ritual to close off the past and set the stage for the future. In particular it builds commitment to certain actions and ways of thinking. In this, by getting the general to swear fealty, the general will be bound internally by the consistency principle, where they try to align their beliefs and actions with their prior words. The advice given continues to have a sound psychological basis, in particular about ensuring the leader builds loyalty by staying close to his officers and his troops. Loyalty is reciprocal. When the general cares for his soldiers, his soldiers will fight to the bitter end for the general.
There is an ongoing dilemma for managers and their subordinates as well as rulers and generals, where the manager has to let the subordinate do their job, even though the manager may want to direct each step. Micromanagement from the ruler or government in wartime is a dangerous thing, as home-based people have neither the experience nor the knowledge to know what is best to do on the ground, at this moment. The General's Awesomeness
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.5 The General's Awesomeness Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.5 (22)
Observed lessons
Punish one important person and many will find you fearsome.
Rewarding one person can lead to many loving you.
Reward and punish everyone, equally.
Discussion The admonition 'execute the great and reward the small' reflects an important reversal of the modern world, where the rich get richer as they take the rewards and ordinary people work for little reward. The result is widespread demotivation and disaffection. When senior people are punished, other senior people are reminded of who is in charge and will be less likely to try to build their own power too much. Ordinary people think 'If the leader can harm senior staff, then they would have no qualms in punishing me even more severely'. They many also think 'This will keep the senior staff in line and stop them being unkind to me.' When ordinary people are punished, others may be grateful that they were not punished and perhaps be more compliant in future. They may also feel sorry for person punished and increase their dislike of authority and resort more to subtle resistance. When senior people are rewarded, ordinary people become cynical and may resent this as they feel they did all the hard work. When ordinary people are rewarded, others may be envious, but they will also feel that the person
selected represents all ordinary people. This is the principle behind the 'tomb of the unknown soldier'. Encouraging the Army
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.7 Encouraging the Army Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.7 Encouraging the Army (23)
Observed lessons
Leaders should show by their actions they share in the hardships and dangers of their armies.
Avoid luxuries. Be seen out in all weathers. Eat when all others have eaten.
Lead from the front. Show you are not afraid of death. Show that the mission is absolute number one priority.
Discussion When officers have warm winter clothes and eat well while their troops shiver and survive on rations, the troops will not be motivated to fight hard for their leaders. When the troops know that their leaders could indulge themselves but prefer to share and be modest, the troops will feel that they are one with the leaders, will love them and fight to the death for them. When ordinary people see their leaders taking personal risks, many will be inspired, while those who hold back will be shamed into joining them. Secret Tallies
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.7 Secret Tallies Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.7 (24)
Observed lessons
Have ways to signal key messages that only those who understand the code can read.
Key messages, in order of preference include: victory gained, enemy general killed, town captured, enemy driven back, prepare to defend, request for resources, our general killed, we have surrendered.
Discussion Communications in warfare are incredibly important, as is keeping them secret. History is full of examples where enemy communications were intercepted, leading to enormous advantage being gained. A war can be won or lost on one letter. To keep messages secret, codes may be used that are known only to the very few. T'ai Kung suggests 'tallies' or sticks of differing length, each signifying a different message. This enables very short and simple messages to be sent that will not even be recognized as messages, even if the messenger is caught and searched. Secret Letters
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.8 Secret Letters Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.8 (25)
Observed lessons
When simple codes are not enough, use letters.
Divide the letters so no one letter gives full information.
Do not let messengers know the content of what they carry.
Discussion Secret tallies are symbols that represent a limited number of key messages that the reader will understand. Sometimes you need to send more complex or non-standard
messages, in which case you will need to resort to words. The problem with words is that, if captured, they can be read. Even if written in code, the code may yet be cracked. A simple way of sending text that cannot be understood is to break the letter into pieces and send each by a different route. Even if one part is intercepted, the whole message cannot be read. The more parts the message is broken into, the harder it will be to glean any information from each one. In modern times, a typical use for this is to send a login user name and password by separate email messages. The Army's Strategic Power
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.9 The Army's Strategic Power Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.9 (26)
Observed lessons
Strategic power comes from maneuvering, from being in the right place at the right time.
Timing is critical. Think ahead and act before action is obvious. Yet do not rush into action before seeing the situation.
When you act, do so rapidly.
Appear weak then act strongly.
Battle is the result of failed strategy.
Discussion Maneuvering is a critical skill for armies. When the enemy realize they are surrounded or are critically compromised, they will be demoralized and may well concede. Fake maneuvers can also be used, where the enemy is deceived into thinking you are going one way when you are actually going in another direction. This can be seen in business when statements are made and apparent plans seem to be in operation.
Sudden attacks and other movements will take the enemy by surprise. Stealthy movement may not be noticed. Moving when they are not ready and not looking can gain great advantage. Appearing weak is a classic tactic, lulling the enemy into a false sense of security or enticing them into a trap. The subsequent strong action creates surprise, fear and confusion. The Unorthodox Army
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.10 The Unorthodox Army Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.10 (27)
Observed lessons
Deceive to win.
Use undergrowth, weather, night and geography to conceal attacks and escapes.
Use uneven, soft and sloping ground to confound vehicles and horses.
Fight on open ground when you want to show courage.
Act with speed and power to surprise, terrify and overwhelm.
Feign retreat and use ambushes to destroy large forces with small ones.
Divide forces unevenly and move irregularly so they cannot predict your power or action.
Be creative, including how you cross rivers and ravines.
Distract with noise and apparent large movements.
Sever their supply lines using disguised soldiers.
Keep motivating your forces. Manage their emotions.
When you must stay where you are, build impregnable defenses.
If you must retreat, discard your uniforms and gear. Appear like ordinary people or enemy soldiers.
The general must be benevolent, courageous, wise, quick-witted, perceptive, alert, strong and forceful.
Discussion As with other major texts on warfare, maneuvering and deception are critical elements. 'Attack the front and seize the rear' is a classic ploy, where the frontal attack draws attention that exposes the rear and flanks. Concealment is a key tool in deception, as is distraction. While these texts were written before the age of war machines, much is still relevant. This includes the use of creativity. When you are creative, you produce something that has not been thought of before. This gives both immediate value and also confuses the enemy. In retreat, the first goal is survival. This may require deception including creating disguises. When you survive, you may later regroup to fight another day. Heroic rearguard action that just kills people is pointless. The qualities of the leader, as noted in other teachings, is critical. In some industries, leaders can hide behind desks and bureaucracies. In war, good and bad leaders are quickly obvious. The Five Notes
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.11 The Five Notes Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.11 (28)
Observed lessons
Have means for understanding enemy's thinking and response to stress.
Discussion This is a relatively superstitious teaching where five pipes were used to listen to the enemy when they were startled, and the sound made used to interpret their thoughts.
There could be some practicality in this where the sounds indicated different events such as the rattle of machinery, the cries of the fearful, and so on. The five sounds are related to the five phases of Tao: metal, wood, water, fire and earth.
Agricultural Implements
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 3.13 Agricultural Implements Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Martial Secret Teachings 3.13 (30)
Observed lessons
Utilize the implements of peace for war.
Be creative. Use the materials to hand.
Use the transportation systems you already have.
The physical skills of agriculture are also useful, from cutting to digging.
Discussion When war starts, unless you have a large stockpile of weapons, you will have to make do with what you have. And in an agricultural society, there will be many agricultural implements available. Likewise, you need many soldiers and will have to make do with the people you can conscript. In history, many tools from hoes to scythes have been used directly as weapons. Other weapons have been made by modifying metal implements to make spears, swords and so on. In more recent times, the improvised explosive device (IED) and other homemade bombs have been used to lethal effect. It also makes sense to use people who are already managers as officers. When they have the skills of command, these are useful. You can then add additional training as needed. Other people will be engineers, cooks and so on, who can be directed to use their existing strengths.
The Army's Equipment
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 4.1 The Army's Equipment Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Tiger Secret Teachings 4.1 (31)
Observed lessons
Be prepared. Know what military equipment you will need and get it place before you need it.
Include machines to cause fear, break through enemy lines, propel missiles and generally kill and cause havoc.
Include weapons for different types of terrain and action.
Discussion This teaching details the various weapons and military equipment that would be needed for an army of ten thousand soldiers. This includes such as 'Great Fu-Hsu Attack Chariots' and the 'flying hook' that is thrown into a mass of soldiers to inflict fear and injury. There is also perhaps a surprising breadth of technology, from giant crossbows to rapidly deployable bridges and floats to cross rivers and lakes. The lesson for modern business is to think ahead and use the right tools for the job. Well-designed equipment can make a huge difference. Three Deployments
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 4.2 Three Deployments Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Tiger Secret Teachings 4.2 (32)
Observed lessons
Consider the different ways of deploying forces, based on different key factors.
Discussion The three deployments are 'Heavenly', 'Earthly' and 'Human'. 'Heavenly' means aligning with the stars (astrological). 'Earth' means aligning with territory. 'Human' means using horses and chariots or both civil and martial means. Civil means of warfare include diplomacy and spying. These are probably not a complete set of considerations, although they could be used as a simple test framework by asking whether weather, geography and human elements have been taken account of during planning. Urgent Battles
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 4.3 Urgent Battles Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Tiger Secret Teachings 4.3 (33)
Observed lessons
Troops which are surrounded will likely fight to the death. This makes them dangerous, which can be an asset.
Do not fix your attack in one place. Go to the front, back, left and right.
Discussion When surrounded, soldiers will either surrender or fight. If they fight, they are desperate and will already have assumed that they will probably die. If they have not given in, they will fight with enormous energy and determination. This can be useful when you want your troops to fight hard. Send them into a situation where they have little chance of surviving and they may well surprise the enemy with their determination and fierceness, and hence may be more effective than if they were fighting on equal terms. By varying where you attack, you keep the enemy uncertain and disorganized as they do not where to place their best troops.
Certain Escape
Disciplines > Warfare > The Six Secret Teachings > 4.4 Certain Escape Teaching set | Observed lessons | Discussion | See also
Teaching set Tiger Secret Teachings 4.4 (34)
Observed lessons
When you will be penetrating enemy territory, first understand the territory.
Put the brave at the front (to break through defenses), the weak in the middle and skilled fighters at the rear (where they can deploy out into ambushes).
Large bodies of water are often not defended strongly. This is an opportunity.
Burn your supplies to indicate there is no way back.
Send out a vanguard to find defensible positions to which the main force can advance.
Discussion When you are going into strange new lands, understanding the land helps you know places to avoid, places you can hold and lines of retreat. Putting the brave at the front creates a strong shell for the rest of the advance. The brave will not crack, even though they are most likely to die. Putting skilled soldiers and shooters at the rear lets them drop back or quietly move away sideways so a short retreat by the main force can lure the enemy into a trap. Burning supplies sends a strong message that this is a one-way mission. It removes doubt and forces troops to look forward.
