ABSTRACT
Planning for the future has always been a crucial element in organized warfare. The title of the very first chapter of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War can be translated as “Plans,” or “Estimates,” or “Reckoning,” or even “Calculations” (Griffith, 1962, p. 63). It ends with a discussion of the importance of calculating the probable outcome of any war or battle. Sun Tzu even goes so far as to say, “with many calculations, one can win; with few one cannot.” The Chinese character used for “calculations” represents “some sort of counting … device, possibly a primitive abacus,” according to the translator, Col. Samuel B. Griffith. This shows just how far back the urge to quantify war goes. Griffith thinks that at least two separate logistical calculations were made, one national and one strategic (p. 71).
