ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the commander's ability to manipulate the enemy and thereby ensure the realization of the conditions for victory. The tactical principles essentially derive from Sun-tzu's concepts of maneuver warfare, requiring mastery of command and control while stressing the implementation of measures to debilitate the enemy both physically and morally. Those who excel when the enemy's forces are strong1 and numerous, can force them to divide and separate, unable to rescue each other, and suffer enemy attacks without mutually knowing about it. Armies fully supplied and well provisioned they can make hungry. Every effort must be made to thwart the enemy's movements, coercing them into ineffectual and enervating activities, while preserving the army's strength and ensuring it remains free from maneuver constraints. Only then will the commander excel and his army prove consistently victorious.