Evolution of Warfare

Evolution of Warfare Principles of War Major Joel B. Turk, USMC MOI

You should have already read…. • Keegan, The Face of Battle, pp. 15-78 • Preston and Wise, Men in Arms, pp. 5-14

Learning Objective • Know, list and explain the nine principles of war

How do I remember this stuff? • Mass • Objective • Offensive • Surprise • Economyof Force • Maneuver • Unityof Command • Security • Simplicity

Mass • Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time

Objective • Direct every military operation toward a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective

Offensive • Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative

Surprise • Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared .

Economy of force • Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible; allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts.

Maneuver • Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power .

Unity of command • For every objective, seek unity of command and unity of effort.

Security • Never permit the enemy to acquire unexpected advantage .

Simplicity • Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding .

Remember... • MOOSEMUSS • Mass • Objective • Offensive • Surprise • Economy of Force • Maneuver • Unity of Command • Security • Simplicity

Military Terms • Base of Operations - A locality from which operations are projected or supported. 2. An area or locality containing installations which provide logistic or other support. (DOD) 3. Home airfield or home carrier. (Army) - A grouping of units or activities within a defined, defensible perimeter with specific access control points and traffic control. All units or activities are under operational control ofa single commander for security operations • On the Field - Operations or movement of troops and supplies on the battlefield.

Military Terms • Off the Field - Operations or movement of troops and supplies before advancing toward the foe.

Military Terms • Offensive Operations - Combat operations designed primarily to destroy the enemy. Offensive operations may be undertaken to secure key or decisive terrain, to deprive the enemy of resources or decisive terrain, to deceive or divert the enemy, to develop intelligence, and to hold the enemy in position. Forms of offensive operations include movement to contact, attack, exploitation, and pursuit. The offensive is undertaken to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative.

Military Terms • Attack - A form of offensive operation characterized by coordinated movement supported by fire. It may be designated as a main or a supporting attack. The principal attack options include hasty attack, deliberate attack, spoiling attack, counterattack, , feint, and demonstration. • Assault - The climax of an attack, closing with the enemy in hand-to-hand fighting.

Military Terms • Hasty Attack - planned off action made w/o pausing • Deliberate Attack - thoroughly planned and coordinated offensive action

Military Terms • Main Attack - The principal attack or effort into which the commander throws the full weight of the offensive power at his disposal. An attack directed against the chief objective of the campaign or battle. (Army) - The primary mission in support of the higher commander's main effort. It is weighted with combat, combat support, and combat service support. The higher commander will normally support the main attack with a supporting attack(s) and other operations such as deep attacks, electronic warfare (EW) operations, deception operations, and economy of force operations

Military Terms • Supporting Attack - An offensive operation carried out in conjunction with a main attack and designed to achieve one or more of the following: deceive the enemy; destroy or pin down enemy forces which could interfere with the main attack; control ground whose occupation by the enemy will hinder the main attack; or force the enemy to commit reserves prematurely or in an indecisive area

Military Terms • Main Effort - The unit, battle position, sector, zone, axis, avenue of approach, area of operations, theater of operations, and so forth, the senior commander has determined has the most important task and purpose at that time, whose success will make the most difference in the accomplishment of the higher commander's overall mission or objective. • The main effort is weighted or reinforced with combat, combat support, and combat service support forces and assets, as required.

Military Terms • Main Effort -There is only one main effort at any time in the operation, although the main effort may change as the situation changes to take advantage of opportunities or to avert failure. In the offense, the commander will conduct the main attack where the main effort has been designated. The unit(s) conducting the main attack normally will shift throughout the operation. The main attack may be a deep attacking unit, the point unit of the ground attack, or the reserve, when committed.

Military Terms • Main Effort - In the defense, the main effort is that area along the enemy avenue of approach that the defense depends on for success. The higher commander will influence the main effort with supporting effort(s). • For example, during World War II the European Theater was the national main effort and the Pacific theater was a supporting effort

Military Terms • Supporting Effort - The unit, battle position, sector, zone, axis, avenue of approach, area of operations, theater of operations, and so forth, whose purpose supports the success of the main effort. The supporting effort, either directly or indirectly, creates a necessary condition for the main effort to succeed. The higher commander will use other operations, such as economy of force, deep operations, interdiction, deception operations (feints and demonstrations), counterattacks, and supporting attacks as part of the supporting effort

Military Terms • Frontal Attack - An offensive maneuver in which the main action is directed against the front of the enemy forces • Envelopment - Striking the flank or rear of an enemy. • Double Envelopment - Striking both flanks of the enemy to surround and destroy him.

Military Terms • Exploitation - Taking full advantage of success in battle and following up initial gains. 2. Taking full advantage of any information that has come to hand for tactical, operational, or strategic purposes. 3. An offensive operationthat usually follows a successful attack and is designed to disorganize the enemy in depth

Military Terms • Pursuit - An offensive operation designed to catch or cut off a hostile force attempting to escape, with the aim of destroying it • Direct Pursuit - Advance along the same lines the opponent has chosen to retreat. • Encircling Pursuit - A type of envelopment aimed at getting behind the enemy and forcing him to accept surrender or a last-ditch engagement under unfavorable conditions after he has already been defeated.

Military Terms • Movement to contact : (advance to contact) - A form of the offense designed to develop the situation and to establish or regain contact. • Meeting engagement - A combat action that occurs when a moving force, incompletely deployed for battle, engages an enemy at an unexpected time and place. The enemy force may be either stationary or moving • Reconnaissance in force - An offensive operation designed to discover and/or test the enemy's strength or to obtain other information. (Army) - A form of reconnaissance operation designed to discover or test the enemy's strength or to obtain other information

Military Terms • Penetration - In land operations, a form of offensive which seeks to break through the enemy's defense and disrupt the defensive system.

Military Terms • Turning Movement - A maneuver that is broader than an envelopment and does not anticipate direct contact with the enemy. It aims at lines of communication and the vitals well to the enemy’s rear and endeavors to render his position untenable, obliging him to retreat.

Military Terms • Strategic Envelopment - A movement that is the highest goal of the strategic and is a very broad maneuver in space aimed at sealing off the entire zone of operations from the enemy’s home base. • Amphibious operation - An attack launched from the sea by naval and landing forces embarked in ships or craft involving a landing on a hostile or potentially hostile shore

Military Terms • Defensive operations - Operations conducted with the immediate purpose of causing an enemy attack to fail. Defensive operations also may achieve one or more of the following: gain time; concentrate forces elsewhere; wear down enemy forces as a prelude to offensive operations; and retain tactical, strategic, or political objectives.

Military Terms • Defend - A combat operation designed to defeat an attacker and prevent him from achieving his objectives. It employs all means and methods available to prevent, resist, or destroy an enemy attack. Forms of defensive operations are area and mobile. Choices of defensive operations are in-depth and forward. The defensive techniques are defend in sector and defend a battle position.

Military Terms • Defend a battle position - A technique that places a unit in a battle position (BP) to concentrate its fires, to limit its maneuver, or to place it in an advantageous position to counterattack. The BP is a general location on the ground. The commander positions his forces on the best terrain within and in the vicinity of the BP. The commander may position security forces forward of and about the BP. He can also locate combat support and combat service support elements outside the BP. The commander can maneuver his forces freely within the BP and seize the initiative to maneuver outside of the BP to attack enemy forces provided that it does not interfere with the commander's concept

Military Terms Defend in sector - A technique that requires a defending unit to prevent enemy forces from passing beyond the rear boundary of the sector while retaining flank security and ensuring integrity of effort within the parent unit's scheme of maneuver. Initial positions generally are established as far forward as possible, but a commander may use any technique to accomplish the mission. The higher commander will normally assign a no-penetration criteria. Example: Do not allow penetration of PL NAME by 12 or more tanks or infantry fighting vehicles

Military Terms Defense in depth (JP 1-02, NATO) - The siting of mutually supporting defense positions designed to absorb and progressively weaken attack, to prevent initial observations of the whole position by the enemy, and to allow the commander to maneuver his reserve

Military Terms • Retrograde - A type of operation in which a unit conducts a directed, organized movement to the rear or away from the enemy. Forms of retrograde include delay, withdrawal, and retirement • Withdrawal operation - A planned operation in which a force in contact disengages from an enemy force. - A type of retrograde where a force in contact plans to disengage from the enemy and move in a direction away from the enemy.

Military Terms Retirement - An operation in which a force out of contact moves away from the enemy. (Army) - A form of retrograde operations; a directed, rearward movement by a force that is not in contact with the enemy and does not anticipate significant contact with the enemy. Rout - A retreat in which the commander loses control and his forces disintegrate

Military Terms Delaying operation - An operation in which a force under pressure trades space for time by slowing down the enemy's momentum and inflicting maximum damage on the enemy without, in principle, becoming decisively engaged. (Army) - Usually conducted when the commander needs time to concentrate, preserve, or withdraw forces; to establish defenses in greater depth; to economize in an area; to cover a defending or withdrawing unit; to protect a friendly unit's flank; or to complete offensive actions elsewhere. In the delay, the destruction of the enemy force issecondary to slowing his advance to gain time.

Military Terms • Reserve - Portion of a body of troops which is kept to the rear, or withheld from action at the beginning of an engagement, available for a decisive movement. 2. Members of the military services who are not in active service but who are subject to call to active duty. 3. Portion of an appropriation or contract authorization held or set aside for future operations or contingencies and in respect to which administrative authorization to incur commitments or obligations has been withheld. - That portion of a force withheld from action or uncommitted to a specific course of action, so as to be available for commitment at the decisive moment. Its primary purpose is to retain flexibility through offensive action

Summary • Know and understand the 9 Principles of War - MOOSEMUSS • Familiarize yourself with terms - they are the foundation of the class.

Evolution of Warfare