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The traditional rules are no more than a point of reference for the commander's own plans.
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EACH year the professional schools of the Army and Marine Corps introduce thousands of bright, eager, young minds to the mysteries of military tactics. Traditionally, the media of introduction is to begin with a period of instruction in the Principles of War which are described as "fundamental truths." Current doctrine lists these nine all important principles as: Objective, Offensive, Mass, Economy of Force, Maneuver, Unity of Command, Security, Surprise, and Simplicity.
After the principles are enumerated and explained, they are normally illustrated by a series of historical examples. The process generally triggers a chain reaction in the student's mind that can often leave him more confused than when he began. This chain reaction occurs with the first attempt to relate the principles to an academic, historical or operational situation. In most cases the chain reaction takes the fonn of a series of questions that develop with rapid succession in the student's mind.
* How could General X fail to achieve superiority through the Principle of Mass and still win the Battle of Chicken Ridge?
* Did the advantage he gained through Surprise and Offensive offset his lack of Mass?
* What is the relationship between these principles, anyway?
* How do I apply these principles: like the laws of physics in Physics 101, or what?
At first glance these questions would seem to present no real problem, but the problem is certainly real enough to those who ask them. The questions are legitimate; they should be answered.
At times more experienced officers have similar problems when they are called upon to analyze several courses of action that are not supported by all nine principles.
Any attempt to understand the application of the Principles of War and place them in proper perspective must start with an examination of their source and of why they were defined in the first place. To begin with, the Principles of War as we know them today are not the first or only set of principles of war to influence military thinking in the United States. The honor of being the...