The Nine Principles of War

[Popeye]

The Nine Principles of War

These are the Nine Principles of War, and a short description of each. This is the basis of battle doctrine for most of the world’s militaries, and they have served me well in many different war games. Some are obvious, and some seem to contradict each other. Most can be applied to both the TW strategic and tactical game.

Objective - Know what you’re trying to accomplish. Losing sight of the objective is what makes your 100 man heavy infantry unit try to chase down a lone archer, while the main battle continues elsewhere short an important asset.

Mass - Basically, lots of troops.

Economy of Force - Don’t waste troops. If you use the least possible to defend in one place, that leaves more free to press attacks in another. It doesn’t really contradict Mass, it makes it possible. One way of looking at it is you don’t want to bother defending what will not be attacked.

Security - watch your flanks and rear.

Surprise - Do something unexpected. Not “stupid,” but unexpected. Some of the things I’ve done in TW that were apparently unexpected include deploying forward to attack instantly when the battle begins, sneaking a small force through some woods into the enemy rear, appearing to leave a flank exposed to draw the enemy into a trap, and use of naval power to strike a poorly defended province.

Maneuver - makes everything possible. The more different places you can reach in a given amount of time, the more choices you have. Without ability to maneuver, you give the enemy the choice of where the fight will happen, and that’s a recipe for defeat.

Simplicity - the more complicated your plan is, the more that can go wrong. Count the number of times your plan uses the word “if,” and that’s one way to tell how complicated it is.

Offense - Victory belongs to the attacker; the defender hopes for a draw.

Unity of Command - If you play a MP team game, it will probably be chaotic if someone isn’t in charge of the side. If you don’t have someone calling the shots, it’s a riot, not an army.

There are some militaries that add a tenth one, not subscribed to by Western armies, but one that I’ve actually employed in wargames:

Annihilation - is never having to defeat the same unit twice.

Hope they are as useful to you as they have been to me.

[Matt Deckard]

How bout deception. I realise that cannot be applied in most games, but its a pretty good strategy

[Popeye]

Although Sun Tzu made much of deception (All warfare is based on deception) it isn't a principle in and of itself.

It's more of a technique for applying some of the above principles.

For example, Sun Tzu counsels us to appear strong when weak, and to appear weak when strong. This is only possible through Economy of Force, Security, and very often Maneuver, and the whole reason for this advice is to enable a Surprise.

Yes, Deception is important. It isn't a Principle.

[Matt Deckard]

Oh yeah sorry, ibe been reading the art of war and the deception quote has really stuck with me

[Popeye]

Quote[/b] (Samurai-ninja_fusion_of_doom @ May 06 2003,11:15)]Oh yeah sorry, ibe been reading the art of war and the deception quote has really stuck with me

Good.

I haven't read Sun Tzu in over ten years, it's still with me.

I've read a bookcase of volumes on tactics, strategy and history. The best of them do nothing more than illustrate what Sun Tzu said first. In fact, the Nine Principles don't say anything Sun Tzu didn't say.

What the Nine Principles do for you is reduce it down to nine words. One still needs to study them to understand them.

[The_Emperor]

I read Sun Tzu after getting Shogun... and it has come in handy, several times

My understanding is that deception was all about launching an ambush and using spies and agents a lot. basically make the enemy think one thing when your doing something else.

He did state that spies are profoundly useful since any battle is fought on the basis of knowledge=victory, ignorance=defeat.

Like my sig...

[Popeye]

All that is true, if you know your own army and know the enemy's, you need never fear a defeat. If you do not know either army, you will never achieve victory. If you know your own and not the enemy, it's a crapshoot.

There's more to deception than just the classic ambush, though. The classic ambush is either being stronger than he thinks, or being where he isn't expecting. You can also be FASTER than he thinks, allowing a fast but weak force to evade what he thinks is a trap for you, and turn it into a trap for him when a faster-than-expected but strong force cuts him off (objects in mirror are closer than they appear&#33

If you think about that for a few minutes, you've probably done exactly that a few times, and will remember those moments with great satisfaction.

[bhutavarna]

I think it would be more accurate if these are called the Nine Principles of Military Campaign, because war encompasses a larger scope than simply armed combats. In war many other factors determine the outcome, such as economy, military, social and political factors, and many others.

[Popeye]

Quote[/b] (bhutavarna @ May 06 2003,15:05)]I think it would be more accurate if these are called the Nine Principles of Military Campaign,

The Pentagon calls them The Nine Principles of War and teaches them to officers. You can call them The Twelve Days of Christmas if you like, but it won't change anything.

[Matt Deckard]

Although the nine principles of combat is more accurate, it has always been called the nine principles of war, and therefore should not be changed for hell nor high water (love that saying )

[guardian3]

I don't know if this will help? I hope this will compliment what popey has already said. Here is what the Army says in FM - 3.0 (Operations)(dtd. 2002) about the nine principles of war.

Chapter 4, Fundamental of Full Spectrum Operations outlines the principle of war.

1. Objective: Direct every military operation toward a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective

2. Offensive: Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Offensive action is key to achieving decisive results. Offensive operations are essential to maintain the freedom of action necessary for success, exploit vulnerabilities, and react to rapidly changing situations and unexpected developments.

3. Mass: Concentrate the effects of combat power at the decisive place and time. Massing in time applies the elements of combat power against multiple targets simultaneously. Massing in space concentrates the effects of different elements of combat power against a single target.

4. Economy of Force: Allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts. Economy of force is the reciprocal of mass. It requires accepting prudent risk in selected areas to achieve superiority - overwhelming effects - in the decisive operation.

5. Maneuver: Place the enemy in a disadvantageous position through the flexible application of combat power. As both an element of combat power and a principle of war, maneuver concentrates and disperses combat power to place and keep the enmy at a disadvantage.

6. Unity of Command: For every objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander.

7. Security: Nevery permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage.

8. Surprise: Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared.

9. Simplicity: Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.

The tenets of Army Operations - initiative, agility, depth, synchronization, and versatility - build on the principles of war. These tenents are essential to victory.

Initiative: From an operational perspective, initiative is setting or dictating the terms of action throughout the battle or operation. Initiative implies an offensive spirit in all operations.

Agility: Agility is the ability to move and adjust quickly and easily

Depth: Depth is the extension of operations in time, space, and resources.

Synchronization: Synchronization is arranging activities in time, space, and purpose to mass maximum relative combat power at a decisive place and time.

Versatility: Versatility is the ability of forces to meet global, diverse mission requirements of full spectrum operations.

[I]The art of war owns certain elements and fixed principles. We must acquire that theory, and lodge it in our heads - otherwise, we will never get very far.
Fredrick the Great

[bhutavarna]

Quote[/b] ]The Pentagon calls them The Nine Principles of War and teaches them to officers.

I didn't know these are US government issue. I guess there is no point argueing about the name then.

[lookbeyond23]

Not bad stuff. Though i'd say that you should always leave a garrisson in every province for any reason, be it better popularity, reinforcements or just for the sake of covering your butt.

[HopAlongBunny]

Both lists are concise clear and (with very little brain work) complete. Should get a mod to archive it in the ToC

[The_Emperor]

Quote[/b] (bhutavarna @ May 07 2003,15:06)]

Quote[/b] ]The Pentagon calls them The Nine Principles of War and teaches them to officers.

I didn't know these are US government issue. I guess there is no point argueing about the name then.

Sun Tzu is required reading for all Military officers in all modern armies (well it certainly is for the UK/US armed forces at least)...

War may have got more advanced but the principles remain largely unchanged since Sun Tzu wrote his Art of War two thousand years ago

[Nowake]

I sometimes use the Surprise as you depicted it, massing my units for a quick attack ... saved me from desperate situations