ABSTRACT
Since the end of the eighteenth century, the art of war has been based on two traditional levels of conduct. The higher, or abstract level, was concerned with the building of military forces and their preparation for war, as well as with the general planning of armed conflict and its conduct. The lower, or mechanical level, centred on the actual operation of the military forces on the battlefield.! Consequently, in the course of time, strategy and tactics crystallized as unique fields of knowledge to cope with the challenges posed at each of these two levels.
