SUN TZUS IDEAS ON MILITARY STRATEGY AND THE IMPACT ON MODERN WARFARE 1.

Background

Sun Tzus principles on war fighting strategy were conceived in the 6 th century. Metaphorically, Sun Tzus principles predicted that America will be defeated in Vietnam, that the North will defeat the South in the American Civil War, and the Nazis doom in Normandy. Although these fighting principles were used by ancient military regimes to win decisive battles, they have continued to find increasing application in the 19th and 20th century battles. Sun Tzu suggested the importance of positioning in military strategy and argued that position was influenced by both objective conditions in the military environment and the subjective opinions of competitive actors in that environment. Hence he proposed that though planning is done in a controlled environment, reality had unexpected changes to the environment and hence proper planning should take care of this contingency. To this end, he argues that war is governed by five constant factors, which the commander needs to take into consideration. They are called the fundamental factors of success in war and are as follows: The Moral Law (Influence); which caused the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they would follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. Heaven (Weather); which signified night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. Earth (Terrain); which comprised of distances, great and small, danger and security, open ground and narrow passes, and the chances of life and death. The Commander (Leadership); who stood for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness. Method and discipline (Doctrine); which were to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure. Sun Tzu states that these traits are essential requirements and needed to be mastered by every general who expected to win a war. Rather than direct attack, he puts emphasis on indirect attack 1

through manoeuvre, surprise, and deception. Hence they are essential prerequisites for shaping the military environment which comprises the enemy and the ground situation. In addition to these, three key principles are important in war fighting. These are as follows: Know your enemy and know yourself; and in a hundred battles you will never be in peril . This is an important principle that underscores the winning of the Information War. It entails skillful use of intelligence to acquire as much information about the enemy as possible while at the same time employing utmost tactics to conceal your own. In the battlefield, it often entails skillful use of deception to shape the enemy into your own fighting terms. To win battles is not the height of skill, to subdue the enemy without fighting is. Here Sun Tzu underscores the purpose of going to war as being the political rather than the military objective. He underscores that winning battles is a means to an end (political) and not an end in itself. Hence the priority is not necessarily the combat engagement and if one can win the ultimate objective (political) without the combat engagement, then this is the height of skill. Avoid strength, attack weakness; striking where the enemy is most vulnerable This principle entails using minimum resources to achieve maximum gains. It involves conserving of own resources by fighting when it is necessary and hitting the enemy where it matters most. The overriding principle is to achieve victory, rather than glory. The other important principles are: Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge. Here Sun Tzu underscores the importance of winning the information war. Having an in depth knowledge of the enemy in terms of doctrine, strength, and capabilities will make his intentions predictable hence exposing his strengths and weaknesses. This will assist you avoid his strengths while going for his weaknesses.

Speed is the essence of war. Take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness; travel by unexpected routes and strike him where he has taken no precautions. Here Sun Tzu underscores the importance of speed and preparation, moving swiftly to overcome resistance. When this principle is applied in conjunction with others it achieves surprise and shock dislocating the enemy in the process.

Therefore, those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him. (VI.2) Here Sun Tzu states that you should let the enemy fight on your terms. In so doing you gain initiative of the battle as the enemy cannot bring his resources to fully bears on you. He may be dislocated by time, in that he keeps reacting too late to a situation rendering his reactions inconsequential, or in terms of space, in that his disposition hinders his resources from providing mutual support to each other.

Now the general is the protector of the state. If this protection is all-embracing, the state will surely be strong; if defective, the state will certainly be weak. (III.18) Here Sun Tzu underscores the importance of character-based leadership; leading by example. This is a command tenet which is essential as the commander has authority and responsibility to execute his mission and request for additional support if the resources at hand are insufficient. It focuses on the importance of integrity of the commander.

Some of the ancient regimes which made historical marks in historical battles are the Roman Empire (10th Century BC) and the Mongolian Empire (13th and 14th Century BC). They owe their legacy to Sun Tzus war fighting principles. In between, regimes have made continuous application of the same rules to varying extents. 2. Theoretical Basis for Discussion

Sun Tzus ideas continue to influence modern warfare many years after conception. The goal for many regimes has been first to survive as an entity, and then to prosper. To date this aspiration 3

dictates the national policy of many nations. According to Sun Tzu, if one is to achieve these goals, then his aim must be to take All-under-Heaven intact. Thus your troops are not worn out and your gains will be complete (pp 13). This is the art of offensive strategy and is embedded in his second war fighting principle; by attacking weaknesses and avoiding strengths one maximizes a nations gains while minimizing the use of resources. This is perceived to increase prosperity. Attacking an enemys weakness entails one getting into the enemys conceptual framework through a critical analysis of his strategy, capabilities, thoughts, and desires in relation to your own; Know the enemy and know yourself, in a hundred battles you will never be in peril (pp 29). In order to enhance the gains realized, Sun Tzus also advocates for an elaborate strategy to conceal own plans from the enemy. This is embedded in his third war fighting principle which denotes deception and foreknowledge as being critical requirements for winning the information war. On momentum, Sun Tzu advocates for speed in order to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness. This virtue is inherent in Sun Tzus fourth war fighting principle. Travelling in unexpected routes and striking the enemy where has taken no precautions will all add up to shock action and surprise, which are key virtues in manoeuver warfare. In reality, speed does not just mean the physical agility; rather it involves the broader aspect of decision-making cycle which dislocates the enemy. In order to facilitate swift action, it is necessary to seize the initiative in battle. Tempo is inherent in Sun Tzus fourth war fighting principle. It is achieved by luring the enemy to conform to your plan of action; Therefore those skilled in war bring the enemy to the field of battle and are not brought there by him. One way of shaping the enemy to conform to your fighting plan is by skillful use of alliances to limit his options. Shaping the enemy is inherent in Sun Tzus fifth war fighting principle. Also Sun Tzu advocates for elimination of the enemys alliances so as to expose his vulnerabilities; Look into the matter of his alliances and cause them to be severed and dissolved. If an enemy 4

has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy's position strong; if he has no alliances the problem is minor and the enemy's position weak. Swift action is used in this respect to achieve the element of surprise. Surprise is also achievable in terms of space by striking the enemy at an unexpected location. Indirect assault is a surprise attack on the enemy both in terms of time and space. Hence by combining direct attacks to distract the enemys attention, one can use indirect attacks neutralize the main objective; He who knows the art of the direct; (Cheng) and the indirect (Ch'i) approach will be victorious. In order to achieve all the objectives so far discussed, it requires a capable leader. This is embraced in Sun Tzus sixth war fighting principle; Character-Based Leadership. It is embraced in Sun Tzus sixth war fighting principle which advocates for character based leadership. Together with motivation and management, this forms the moral component of fighting power. 3. Discussion (Modern Warfare)

Sun Tzus strategies have found space in modern warfare where his principles have been used to win decisive battles. A case in point is the Gulf War of 1990-91 where the UN authorized coalition forces defeated Saddam Husseins elite forces in less than one hundred days. This was the first major employment of the Combined Arms Concept. The Allied Forces comprised of thirty-four nations led by the US and the UK. By amassing all these nations, the US was able to employ Sun Tzus fifth principle of shaping the enemy and preparing the battlefield by use of alliances. In the strategy the Allied Forces severed communication links between Saddam Husseins elite Republican Guards and the regular forces thus dislocating the enemy. Also the element of deception was effectively employed when the US-led Allied Forces lured Saddams Forces to the Persian Gulf in anticipation of an amphibious attack. In this regard, the Allied Forces mounted the ground offensive through a swift envelopment in the western flank, catching Saddams Forces off-guard and cutting off their lines of communications. This dislocated Saddam Husseins forward echelons forcing majority of them to surrender. The deteriorating battlefield conditions for Saddams forces meant that the Allied Forces had initiative, which the pursued instinctively to ensure a swift victory. Also by taking out Saddam Husseins Air Defence system in the early part of the campaign meant that the Allied Forces attained air 5

supremacy. Hence they were able to conduct sorties into Iraq air space with minimal interference from Saddam Husseins ground-based weapon systems. As for the ground offensive, the Allied Forces used U.S. M1 Abrams, British Challenger 1, and Kuwaiti M-84AB which were fast and more advanced compared to the Chinese Type 69 used by the Iraqi forces. Hence they were able to attain superior speed and firepower thus being able to achieve shock action and fire power against the Iraqi Forces. It can be argued that the victory of the Allied Forces did not necessarily depend on the strategic aspects of the operation, but rather on the fact that the allied Forces had far much superior military might. The Allied Forces managed to neutralize Saddam Husseins air capability early into the campaign, thus being able to propagate subsequent ground offensive unhindered. The technology employed by the Allied Forces enabled them to accurately locate and neutralize Saddam Husseins scud missile launchers and directed own fire to selected targets with ease thus making rapid gains on the tactical advantages. Since war is a complex interplay of several factors, this argument is subject to debate. The terrorist events of 9/11 were also influenced heavily by Sun Tzus ideas. The idea of avoiding the opponents strengths such as military facilities and assaulting his weaknesses such as the civilian population in the World Trade Centre came out very strongly. The hijacking of the planes dislocated the US military might as they could not be brought to bear on the enemy due to the time factor being too short. Also by being able to operate within the United States fraternity without being detected the terrorists effectively applied the principles of deception and foreknowledge. The operation was planned over a very prolonged time and yet al-Qaeda managed to safeguard it by effectively employing operational security. It is however sad that these principles may have been used to further an evil agenda. The terrorists used minimum resources of their own, such as knives and box cutters, to hijack planes loaded with jet fuel, which were later used as human-guided missiles to bomb civilian targets. It has been argued that despite the gains made in 9/11, the al-Qaeda ignored Sun Tzus first principle; that of winning war without fighting. The nature of the attacks evoked a massive response from the United States military which has thus put them on the run. Hence it is argued that although al-Qaeda may have won on the tactical aspect of the war, they lost on the strategic aspect as they underestimated the United States resolve to respond. Meanwhile, the events of 6

9/11 have continued to affect the world order with the new understanding that anyone can be vulnerable. Hence new strategies are being explored so as to address this threat. There is an increasing need to rely on intelligence and joint civil-military asymmetric threat. 4. Conclusion approaches in dealing with

In conclusion, despite the afore-mentioned gains of employing Sun Tzus principles, it is worth noting that every war is unique and so these principles do not necessarily apply across the board. There are several cases where securing decisive victory in modern warfare has proven elusive such as the case of US-led military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The asymmetric nature of emerging warfare also means that approaching such situation with conventional means is proving to be quite challenging. The increase in asymmetric warfare due to religious ideologies has resulting in enduring characteristics of warfare that are resilient to defeat. The situation in Somalia, Sudan, and the Middle East are typical examples. Other factors that have continued to show greater influence in shaping the battle field of modern warfare are technological advancements. The other factor that will continue to shape contemporary military in the near future is technological advancement. Trends indicate that leverage in future operations will depend on ones capacity to wage space wars. Presently, the United states with its advanced satellite technology is the predominant force. Bibliography 1. Mark McNeilly, Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare, (Oxford: Oxford University

Press, 2003). 2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_War