Military Strategies

Emergence of Modern Warfare Professional Forces Small Highly trained Maneuverability Troops Weapons Forced Battleground Draw enemy to preferred territory Gradual Increase of Force Skirmishes and cannons building to all out assaults to decimate enemy forces. Gustav II Adolf (King of Sweden, mid 1600s) Napoleon I (French Emperor late 1700s to early 1800s

Major War Strategies Washington’s Letter to Arnold Napoleonic Strategy Sun Tzu TE Lawrence (Irregular Forces) Just War

Major War Strategies- Washington 1.Don’t assume you are welcome Discover the real Sentiments towards our cause 2. Cultivate local support Conciliate the affections of those People…by every means in your Power 3. Respect local religious practices you are to be particularly careful to restrain… of ridiculing any of its Ceremonies 4. Don’t abuse prisoners You will treat with as much Humanity and kindness as may be consistent with your own Safety 5. Withdraw if your objectives are unobtainable If unforeseen difficulties arise… as to render it hazardous to proceed… in that Case you are to return… Source: History NetHistory Net

Major War Strategies- Napoleon Context Smaller, cheaper arms Rise of drafted soldiers Formation of divisions, crops Specialization of roles within infantry Major Dimensions Strategy of annihilation (scorched earth) rather than geometrical/mathematical perfection Use of political/economic measures Multiple stages in one battle Choosing battle site Maneuvre de derriere (cut off, flank) Central Position (wedge) Clausewitz principles of mass economy of force destruction of enemy forces

Major War Strategies- Sun Tzu 1.Laying Plans Moral law Heaven Earth Commander Method and discipline 2. Waging War 3. Attack by Strategem take the enemy whole 4. Tactics the good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat then they waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy 5. Energy the control of a large force is the same principle as the control of a few men: it is merely a question of dividing up their numbers 7. Maneuvering and Command structure In war, the general receives his commands from the sovereign.

Major War Strategies- TE Lawrence 1. Strive above all to win hearts and minds 2. Establish an unassailable base 3. Remain strategically dispersed 4. Make maximum use of mobility 5. Operate mainly in small, local groups 6. Remain largely detached from the enemy 7. Do not attempt to hold ground 8. Operate in depth rather than en face (i.e. not in lines) 9. Aim for perfect intelligence about the enemy 10. Concentrate only for momentary tactical superiority 11. Strike only when the enemy can be taken by surprise 12. Never engage in sustained combat 13. Always have lines of retreat open 14. Make war on matériel rather than on men 15. Make a virtue of the individuality, irregularity, and unpredictability of guerrillas Source: Independent.co.ukIndependent.co.uk

Major War Strategies- Just War A just war can only be waged as a last resort. All non-violent options must be exhausted before the use of force can be justified. A war is just only if it is waged by a legitimate authority. Even just causes cannot be served by actions taken by individuals or groups who do not constitute an authority sanctioned by whatever the society and outsiders to the society deem legitimate. A just war can only be fought to redress a wrong suffered. For example, self-defense against an armed attack is always considered to be a just cause (although the justice of the cause is not sufficient--see point #4). Further, a just war can only be fought with "right" intentions: the only permissible objective of a just war is to redress the injury. A war can only be just if it is fought with a reasonable chance of success. Deaths and injury incurred in a hopeless cause are not morally justifiable. The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. More specifically, the peace established after the war must be preferable to the peace that would have prevailed if the war had not been fought. The violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered. States are prohibited from using force not necessary to attain the limited objective of addressing the injury suffered. The weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants. Civilians are never permissible targets of war, and every effort must be taken to avoid killing civilians. The deaths of civilians are justified only if they are unavoidable victims of a deliberate attack on a military target. Source: Mt Holyoke UniversityMt Holyoke University

Task 1: 1.Take two predominant military strategies and compare them based on the categories we establish as a class. 2.Which of the two strategies you study would allow for success in 19 th Century conflicts (War of 1812, American Revolution)? 3.Which of these would allow for success in 21st century conflicts (Iraq, Afghanistan, Middle East, Sudan)? Define the elements of the conflicts and identify what it is about the strategies that address the unique dimensions of each conflict period.

Task 2: 1.Take two predominant military strategies and compare them based on the categories we establish as a class. 2.Develop your own military strategy. You must identify the era for which you designed it, and explain why this strategy (and for whom) it would be successful. 3.Make connections to other military strategies that show how they influenced your own strategy.