the ultimate ART OF WAR
The Complete Strategy of SUN TZU part 3
A Perfect Commander
the commander
• Know that the commander must be a fully trained professional soldier
• Understand that all things have a beginning, a middle and an end
• Know that situations are in constant flux and things can change fast
• Understand, adapt and move between the concepts of rigid and flexible
• Switch between orthodox and unorthodox tactics
• Have a mind of iron which is immovable
• Know when to advance and when to retreat
• Never react with emotion – take time to calm down
• Share in the hardships of the troops to gain respect
• Do not make decisions based on how they will affect your reputation
The Foundations of Good Strategy
• During times of peace maintain a position of strength as a deterrent
• Drill your troops to form up quickly
• Make best use of the talents of individual troops
• Set up systems for long-distance communication
• Know the aims and goals of all people of influence – both military and
civilian and enemy and allied
• Prepare exhaustively and secretly, execute swiftly
• Have subtlety in your actions with multiple steps
• Never be predictable in your tactics and do not repeat what has worked for
you before
• Know that there is a finite number of war strategies but that their
combinations are innumerable
• Never engage in open battle with a larger enemy without tactics in place
• Attempt to capture the enemy position, territory, force and stores intact
• Steal the enemy’s stores and provisions if you can; destroy them if not
• Aim to inflict as few casualties as possible to gain victory
• Create momentum and speed only at the correct time
• Disguise your gaps and weaknesses
• Avoid making the obvious move
• Prepare counter-measures for all situations before moving to action
• Be neither reckless nor over-cautious
• Let the enemy come to you – do not go to the enemy unless launching a
surprise attack
• Never attack an enemy that is in perfect order
• Attack the enemy when they are weak and you are strong
• When war is declared seal the borders of your country
• Forbid any supernatural practices in the army
Assessments and Observations
• Make an honest, informed assessment and comparison of the strengths,
abilities and discipline of the enemy and allied forces
• Assess the gain versus harm in any upcoming conflict or section of battle
• Always consider alternative options
• Make sure to have the fullest information possible on all matters
• Predict enemy plans based on your knowledge of their movements
• Before attacking, ask yourself one of the following questions, depending on
the situation:
• “I have the ability to attack the enemy, but is the enemy in a position to
be attacked?”
• “The enemy is in a position to be attacked, but do I have the ability to
attack them?”
• Accurately predict future outcomes from diverse fragments of information
• Calculate the size of the enemy by their own territory and by counting
Battle with the Enemy
• Defeat the enemy by destroying them section by section
• Aim your strikes at the weaker sections of the enemy, not its strong points
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Know when and where to strike – timing is everything
Create disorder in the enemy and then strike
• Present both truth and falsehood to the enemy to keep them guessing
• Start with direct attacks, but finish with surprise tactics
• Allow the enemy to think that your troops are further away or closer than they
are
• Fool the enemy into thinking you are incompetent
• Never attack a superior army in open battle
• If the enemy is strong in numbers and power, go on the defensive
• If you outnumber the enemy ten to one, surround them
• If you outnumber the enemy five to one, attack and overwhelm them
• If you outnumber the enemy two to one, use both direct and indirect assaults
• If you are equal in number to the enemy, focus on excellent tactics
• If the enemy outnumbers your forces, move away and do not engage directly
• If the enemy appears to placate you when they are in a strong position, know
that this is a trap
• If the enemy appears aggressive and bullish when they are in a weak position,
know that they are stalling to give themselves a chance to retreat
• If the enemy unexpectedly offers peace, know that they have a problem with
their internal situation or home territory
• If the enemy tries to move your troops, keep them in position
• If the enemy tries to keep your troops in position, move them
• Observe how the enemy makes its formations
• When the enemy takes up a formation, send extra scouts to check for
reinforcements arriving
• Give enemy scouts something false to report
• Track and kill enemy scouts
• Attack before the enemy has a chance to form up
• Identify the types of troops and vehicles the enemy has in its force
• Observe the quality of the enemy’s internal signals to assess their competence
• Make a move to test the enemy’s initial response tactics
• Provoke movement in the enemy so as to create gaps in their formation or
position
• Offer the enemy a target as bait
• Do not allow faster troops to rush ahead of the others
• Divide the enemy and do not let them reunite
• Stop any enemy external specialist sections from reuniting with the army
• Attack one side to force the enemy to move troops to defend, which weakens
their other positions
• If the enemy abandons one section of the army as an easy target, know that
this is a trap
• Appear as if you are not going to react to the enemy’s movements, but then
attack when it is too late for them to change their momentum
• Deplete the enemy’s strength by keeping them on the move
• Focus attacks on the enemy’s least prepared section
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Attack from a position and direction that the enemy does not expect
Capture and reuse enemy vehicles by changing their insignia and mixing them
with your own vehicles
• Do not dump equipment to increase your marching speed because it will
create problems later on
• If you want the enemy to be static, destroy any sections that move
• Keep an observation on enemy flanking troops, which represent the boundary
of the battlefield
• Pretend to leave the battleground, then when the enemy disbands to move off
turn back and strike hard
• Harass the enemy as much as possible to keep them from being unified
• Have troops available to support any sections that are under attack (the
teaching of the snake)
• Look weak before you attack
• Use false threat to occupy the enemy and stall for time
• If the enemy suddenly breaks its normal internal routine, know that they are
making ready to launch a last stand or death charge
• Do not force the enemy to fight to the death, but give them an escape route