Category: The Art of War

MCPD1-0, Marine Corps Operations.

In July 2017 The Marine Corps published Change 1 to MCPD1-0, Marine Corps Operations. The change added tactical tasks, which include: corrupt, influence, degrade, deny, and deceive. Theorists would take this as either a positive or negative move. In our case, we are going to discuss the theorist that would have taken this change as a positive move, Sun Tzu. His most famous work, ‘The Art of War,’ is a close depiction that displayed the tactical task that were changed in MCDP 1-0 and closely outline them is the numerous quotes and events listed therein.

Deceive

According to Sun Tzu, deception involves the employment of trickery to trap the enemy. The Art of War, Sun Tzu’s work, discusses many deceptive tactics. The main aim of deception is to induce misperception to the other party. The trick is used to make the enemy see weaknesses as strengths and strengths as weaknesses while causing his strengths to be weaknesses. It is used to influence the enemy’s decision making processes. One of many incidents mentioned in Sun Tzu’s work is when Julius Caesar successfully used the tactic also to attain the crossing of Allier River in the conquest of Gaul. Appear strong when you are weak and weak when you are strong, a military operation involves deception, and all warfare is based on fraud, among others.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Giles. 2013. Sun Tzu On The Art Of War. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.]

Deny

As a military tactic, denial is where the defender makes it repressively hard for the opponent to fulfill their military objective. It makes the opponent’s aim impossible whether or not they choose to pursue it. Through the quote, ‘For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill,’ Sun Tzu enhances the tactic1. An example of the tactic is the use of a physical wall as a denial measure. The barrier prevents the opponent from attacking and does not modify the inclination of attack. In denial also, the exponent acts to limit the opponent’s ability to project power by putting down the main assets of the opponent.

Corrupt

In military tactics, corruption involves the changing of information from its original form, making it useless. Sun Tzu says that there is no problem in changing rules, especially when people abuse power. When one with power abuses it, they can remain ineffective for some time, but someone else would take the position even without being given the responsibility. It would serve to ensure that the enemies would not find you when not ready to fight back. Though Sun Tzu does not majorly anticipate this, he also advises those in power always to act right to prevent corruption in the military. According to the Art of War, those imbued with the principles in it are the benevolent and wise.

Influence

This tactic is both population oriented and population oriented tactical tasks. According to the enemy oriented job, it is whereby you make the enemy activity in a way that favors friendly forces. On the other hand, according to population oriented tasks, it is whereby you plead with the population to accept or support the friendly forces employed without interrupting the operation. By influencing the enemies to act in a way favoring friendly forces, this would make it easy to attack them and win a lot of battles. It is because the enemies too would employ friendly forces, and by this, they would be straightforward to attack. On the other side, when the population supports the friendly forces applied, it would make it easy to execute attacks since there is no external disturbance.

Degrade

This basically means lowering the value of the opponents. This would make them feel inferior and therefore become a weakness to them. By degrading the opponents, you add up the number of vulnerabilities to them hence increasing the things they have to work on beside executing their attacks. Sun Tzu advice on destroying the leaders of the enemies and destroying their military equipment.1 By doing this, it would lower the morale of your enemies. Also, they would find it hard to attack and fight, and when the exponent attack, it is an automatic win against them.

Generally, according to the above discussion, it is clear that the addition of tactical tasks is a positive move. This is because all the tactics added show a positive impact on an armed group. Deception is well outlined and is seen to be the most effective change according to the number of instances seen in it. Although the number of cases in which degradation is employed is less, according to Sun Tzu, it is still a positive change since there are other theorists who explain it more. The Art of War is a close depiction that displayed the tactical task that were changed in MCDP 1-0 and closely outline them is the numerous quotes and events listed therein.

Prologue

Strategy is generally used to describe the use of available resources to gain any objective. In this article, the researcher shall use it in the traditional sense only that is, as meaning the art of the strategon, or military commander. ‘The strategic approach is thus one which takes account of the part which is played by force, or the threat of force, in the international system. If globalization is defined as the intersection of international politics, culture, markets, and technology, then the strategy of nation-states is economically, militarily, and politically central to this concept. Strategy may be defined as the combination of diplomatic, economic, military, and political factors used by leaders to defend their respective nation-states. In the context of highly interdependent domestic and international politics, leaders must develop strategies that address a diverse range of internal, state, and non-state challenges. In this article work of great historians and scholars like Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Napoleon and Kautilya are cases in point. Further light will be thrown on various aspects of strategy in international relations. Concise historical examples are used to illustrate and support the author’s theoretical observations and practical recommendations. We now move on to the brief study of what strategy is all about.

Keywords: International Relations, Security, Strategy, Strategic Studies, Strategic Action.

Introduction

What is Strategy?

The word ‘strategy’ is derived from the Greek words ‘strategia’ which means the office of a general, and ‘stratos’ which means an army. Denis Drew and Donald Snow defined the concept of strategy as “a plan of action that organizes efforts to achieve objectives”. The best way to explore the role of strategy in international relations is through the concept of ‘Grand Strategy’. It can be further defined as “The art and science of coordinating the development and use of the political, economic and military instruments of national power to achieve national security objectives.”[footnoteRef:2] [2: Garnett J, 1975, Strategic Studies and Its Assumptions, Contemporary Strategy: Theories and Policies, (London: Croom Helm, 1975), p.243. ]

1.1 The Grand Strategy Process

The above 1.1 image shows a whole depiction of what grand strategy is all about under International Relations. Towards the right shows the economic strategy which includes a strategy in the context of the geography of a state, culture and the type of the society in that state, the economic condition s etc. In the centre, it shows the military strategy which can be hybrid warfare or the battlefield strategy. The hybrid warfare is a kind of strategy that employs conventional military force supported by irregular and cyber warfare tactics. It is a combination of multiple conventional and unconventional tools of warfare like the economic warfare, cyber-attacks, diplomacy and special forces etc. Towards the extreme left is the political strategies like threats and domestic politics etc. All the above three strategies finally give a result which places a state on the face of the global world

International Relations where states are independent in an Anarchic System which there is an absence of an international arbitrator that will not come to rescue when the states are in trouble. Basically, there is no emergency body to call for help in case of any emergency, while the states themselves have to find a strategy to cope up with the challenges, nationally and internationally. The different strategies that a state requires include in the field of politics, economics, diplomacy, international agreements, cyberspace, media education and trade.

The Grand strategy process under international relations include, firstly the fundamental nature of security policy which is the National Security Policy (NSP) to protect one state from threats, secondly the external focus which involves knowledge, Control and Adversarial relations for which the government appoints Intelligence Analysts who have a thorough knowledge of the states’ concerned, thirdly the conservative inclination that arises out of two factors that are the uncertainty involved in ascertained the intentions of other states, the risk that this uncertainty poses to the survival and vital interests of the state.[footnoteRef:3] The weakness of the Conservative Inclination can be illustrated with reference to America’s Grand Strategy during the ‘Cold War’. American prepared for the worst-case scenario in the European theatre did not help them much in responding to the proxy war that arose in Vietnam. This weakness can be addressed by planning for a range of different worst-case scenarios that are qualitative rather than for a single scenario, and lastly the technological basis which can significantly augment a state’s capabilities. The best example suited, can be the development of ‘drones’ by the US (recently in US-IRAN 2019 clash) has augmented its capabilities to strike at enemies in distant locations without incurring any human casualties, but the high costs associated with this grand strategy makes it complex. [3: Harry R, 2011, Strategic Theory of for the 21st Century, The Little Book on Big Strategy (Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, 2006), p. 26]

Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and philosopher who lived over 2,000 years ago and is most known for writing the Art of War. Sun Tzu often wrote about the importance of strategy and the wisdom that he shared is still extremely applicable today whether one is referring to business, sports, or military endeavours. According to Sun Tzu, Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy are the noise before defeat. He said,

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles, if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”[footnoteRef:4] [4: Giles L, 1987, War and Warfare, The Art of War of Sun Tzu, (London: Ross Bolton Publications,1895), available at www.bnpublicshing.com, pp.114-121]

Grand strategy is the highest level of national statecraft that establishes how states, or other political units, prioritize and mobilize with the military, diplomatic, political, economic, and other sources of power to ensure what they perceive as their interests. Depending on one’s theoretical perspective, these perceived interests focuses the most minimal goal of ensuring the state’s survival, pursuing specific domestic interests or ideational coalitions, or establishing a specific regional or global order. The term ‘grand’ in the concept is often confused for grandiose or ambitious, however, it does not suggest expansive goals but rather the managing of all the state’s resources toward the means of the state’s perceived ends. The concept emerged from the military domain to what is necessary for the successful use of military force in wartime and peacetime. The range of other instruments, beyond military force, is extensive like the alliance-building, diplomacy, economic policy, financial incentives, intelligence, public diplomacy/propaganda, and the mobilization of the nation’s political will. A decision to act only is going to be successful if the action is appropriate for the situation presented. Having a quality strategy is very important, but being able to recognize the moment to strike and execute various aspects of a strategy is a very important skill as well. In this context the researcher would like to quote Sun Tzu who said:

“The quality of decision is like the well-timed swoop of a falcon which enables it to strike and destroy its victim.”[footnoteRef:5] [5: Ibid.,3]

Strategy is, simply, the art and science of options. It is a matter of understanding current options, creating new options, and choosing among them. Strategic decision-making involves thinking about the long-term course one will take through a broad competitive landscape. Strategy provides the direction for operations. Operational planning and decision-making, in turn, guide the tactical decisions made in the heat of battle.

Biographers of Napoleon Bonaparte also discusses about his ability to size up a situation with a single coup d’oeil, (meaning ‘stroke of the eye or glance’) Napoleon was so knowledgeable about his strategic situation, the landscape, the enemy, available technology, similar situations from the past, that he could understand and respond quickly to ever-changing circumstances.

“Faire son theme en deux facons.” · Napoleon

The above quote said by Napoleon which means ‘to proceed with two options’ Is in itself an important strategy, because if both ‘A’ & ‘B’ options are prepared one will definitely win, even if plan ‘A’ does not work. The famous historian Liddell Hart said that “A plan, like a tree, must have branches – if it is to bear fruit. A plan with a single aim is apt to prove a barren pole.”[footnoteRef:6] [6: Hart B, 1897, Greater than Napoleon, Scipio Africanus, (United States:Da Capo Press Inc,1958), vol.2, pp.95-103]

Writing in The Art of War some 2,500 years ago, Sun Tzu postulated two dialectic forces, ‘Zheng’ which is the ordinary element that fixes the enemy in place and ‘Qi’ which is the unexpected and devastating blow. Qi does not work, though, unless Zheng is able to hold the opponent in place until the decisive blow is struck.[footnoteRef:7] [7: Giles L, 1987, War and Warfare, The Art of War, (Germany: Ross Bolton Publications,1991), available at www.bnpublicshing.com, p.114. ]

Napoleon’s strategical methods continually defeated much larger enemy forces using the principle of Qi and Zheng, though he was more likely to call it “manoeuvre sur les derrières.” In what was called the “strategy of the central position,” Napoleon placed his men between two armies, often by identifying a weak position in which to penetrate between the two. He then assigned a relatively small portion of his army to hold one army at bay, while he used his best forces to defeat the other army in detail. Once one army was defeated, Napoleon could turn his Qi forces back to join his Zheng troops and overwhelmed the second enemy.

Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian military officer was once held captive by Napoleon, he then closely studied the Napoleonic campaigns and wrote ‘Vom Kriege’, known to us as ‘On War’. Clausewitz attributed the notion of the ‘fog of war,’[footnoteRef:8] although he never actually used that term. He spoke of fog as a metaphor for war’s ambiguities. He said once the battle begins, information that is tactically relevant can be confusing and even distorted by events. This ‘fog’ can be lifted through the optimal use of ‘competitive intelligence’ and can insight the ability to glean relevant knowledge out of ambiguous data which is gained through experience. [8: Clausewitz C, 1994, Theory of War, Campaign in Russia in 1821, (Nottingham: Oxford University Press, 1987) p.58, available at https://www.amazon.in/War-Carl-Von-Clausewitz/dp/1640320806?tag=googinhydr18418-21, accessed: 06.07.2019.]

Chankaya Kautily an Indian political-strategic thinker, in his book ‘Arthashastra’ wrote on war and diplomacy. His book has always analysed and discussed in the strategic community. Kautilya’s six-fold policy components are:

• Peace- According to him “The only time a king will make peace is when he finds himself in relative decline compared to his enemy”.[footnoteRef:9] If we analyse this dictum then we will understand that after the 1962 humiliating defeat from China, India established peace with China, because India knew that they cannot win against China. [9: Boesche R,2002, The Political Strategy, Kautilya: The First Great Political Realist.”, (India: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011), vol.01, pp.29-30. ]
• War- “When a king is in a superior position compared to his enemy, he will attack and wage war.” The best example of the above is how the U.S attacked Syria in 2018.
• Neutrality- “If a king feels that his enemy and he are equal and neither can harm the other nor ruin the other’s undertakings, then he shall choose to do nothing.” This is what India did in 1986-87 Brass tack crisis, 2001-02 border standoff and in 2008 after the Mumbai attacks. In which India first tried to coerce Pakistan militarily and politically but when it realised that it cannot win against Pakistan because of the nuclear deterrence, in the end, India had to follow its ancestor’s advice to observe neutrality.
• Marching- When a king increases his own power and has a special advantage over his enemy, he will take part in the fourth approach of Kautilyan foreign policy by making preparations for war
• Alliance- “In contrast to preparing for war, a king may require the help of another to protect his own undertakings. This idea of building an alliance is Kautilya’s fifth method of foreign policy. A king seeking an alliance must ensure that he finds a king more powerful than the neighbouring enemy”.[footnoteRef:10] India is vigorously working on this dictum. It has a strategic alliance with US, Russia, France, and Israel, and signed a 10-year nuclear deal with the US in 2008, this deal would open nuclear technology and energy market for India. Its nuclear programme would undermine Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent. [10: Kamal K, 2018, Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Indian Strategic Culture and Grand Strategic Preferences, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 27-54, available at https://idsa.in/jds/jds-12-3-2018-kautilya-arthashastra-kajari-kamal, accessed: 05.07.2019. ]
• Double Policy- “Making peace with one and waging war with another”. According to this dictum, a king must have peace with one and wage a war against others. This is what India has been doing for many decades. After the 1962 war defeat, it has never tried to go for war with China. India is improving its relations with China but pursuing aggressive designs against Pakistan. Whether it is Water, Siachen, Sir Creek, or Kashmir issue, India is not ready to make peace with Pakistan. It is constantly building its defence capabilities to undermine Pakistan’s strategic interests. Such a double policy is a clear cut shadow of the Kautilya’s six-fold policy.

Conclusion

The strategic theory offers an exact and coherent basis for investigating social phenomena. As has been shown, it is able to de-conflict the attempt to assess social activity designed to achieve goals from arbitrary moral valuations. In this manner, strategic theory facilitates clarity of understanding. The strategic theory is, thereby, mind-opening and intellectually liberating.

Epilogue

“A well-founded strategy is only as viable as the ability for a firm to execute and see it through.”· SUN TZU

Bibliography

Books/E-books

1. Boesche R,2002, The Political Strategy, Kautilya: The First Great Political Realist.”, (India: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011), vol.01, pp.29-30.
2. Clausewitz C, 1994, Theory of War, Campaign in Russia in 1821, (Nottingham: Oxford University Press, 1987) p.58, available at https://www.amazon.in/War-Carl-Von-Clausewitz/dp/1640320806?tag=googinhydr18418-21, accessed: 06.07.2019.
3. Garnett J, 1975, Strategic Studies and Its Assumptions, Contemporary Strategy: Theories and Policies, (London: Croom Helm, 1975), p.243.
4. Giles L, 1987, War and Warfare, The Art of War of Sun Tzu, (London: Ross Bolton Publications,1895), available at www.bnpublicshing.com, pp.114-121
5. Harry R, 2011, Strategic Theory of for the 21st Century, The Little Book on Big Strategy (Carlisle, PA: Strategic Studies Institute, 2006), p. 26
6. Hart B, 1897,Greater than Napoleon, Scipio Africanus, (United States:Da Capo Press Inc,1958), vol.2, pp.95-103
7. Kamal K, 2018, Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Indian Strategic Culture and Grand Strategic Preferences, Journal of Defence Studies, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 27-54, available at https://idsa.in/jds/jds-12-3-2018-kautilya-arthashastra-kajari-kamal,accessed:05.07.2019.

When life gives you lemons, should make it into lemonade or throw them back to life instead? Interesting riddle, isn’t it? All through life, we face many situations which could lead to problems and we wish we had a guide book for life. And that’s where Sun Tzu comes into the picture. Who is he, you ask? Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, military strategist, author and thinker who lived in the Eastern Zhou time of antiquated China. Sun Tzu is customarily credited as the creator of The Art of War, a compelling work of military system that has influenced Western and East Asian theory and military reasoning. His works center substantially more around choices to fight, for example, stratagem, delay, the utilization of government agents and choices to war itself, the creation and keeping of collusion, the employments of double dealing and an ability to submit, in any event briefly, to all the more dominant foes Sun Tzu is worshiped in Chinese and East Asian culture as an amazing verifiable and military figure. His predominant work includes the Art of War, which is one of the most important works of ancient literature with modern bearings. Though the text refers to battle strategies in Ancient China, they are relevant in different spheres of life even today.

Introduction

The Art of War is customarily credited to Sun Tzu. It has all his valuable contributions. It exhibits indomitable logic of war for overseeing clashes and winning fights. It is acknowledged as a perfect work of art on methodology and has been as often as possible referred to and alluded to by commanders and scholars since it was first distributed, deciphered, and conveyed internationally. Here in this article, we shall discuss his top ten contributions from his book that contains his teachings:

1. Among the numerous wise suggestions that one can detract from the “Art of War” is Sun Tzu’s request that war ought not to be begun quickly, with idealistic suppositions, or without great insight. The stakes in war are unreasonably high for the state to lose, along these lines, in this way; it should possibly utilize its military apparatuses when it can accomplish triumph. The financial aspects of fighting is over and again mentioned by Sun Tzu due to the overwhelming toll that keeping up a military in the field which the state removes from its general public. War ought not to be the primary apparatus that a state uses to pick up its ideal results since it is so costly. After all, a war win is useless if life beyond is irreparable.

2. From Chapter 13 “Utilization of Spies”, Sun Tzu composed: “Presently, when a multitude of one hundred thousand is raised and dispatched on an inaccessible battle, the costs borne by the general population together with payment of the treasury will add up to a thousand bits of gold day by day. Moreover, there will be constant tumult both at home and abroad, individuals will be depleted by the corvee of transport, and the homestead work of seven hundred thousand family units will be disturbed”.

It all shows that while technology improved, War is still the same and can be fought and interpreted in the same way. War is costly, and its expense transmits all through the masses supporting the military. This fact significantly uncovers the astuteness that Sun Tzu offered in his composition. From the “Art of War”, an avid reader will pick up an unmistakable technique for evaluating practically any given circumstance and afterward arranging a course to progress. In his discourse of war, Sun Tzu encourages his per-users to consider where they are strategically planning, what they are doing, would they be able to help what they are doing, do they realize what they are facing, what is the most straightforward strategy for accomplishing their objectives, etc.

3. The Art of War centers on upsetting an adversary’s capacity for judicious conduct utilizing control so as to make the conditions for a simple triumph and the negligible utilization of military power to accomplish goals. Sun Tzu’s thoughtfulness regarding affecting his adversary’s choices is essential to his technique for fighting. “What recognizes Sun Tzu from Western journalists on methodology is the accentuation on the mental components over the simply military”, composed Henry Kissinger in On China. These subjects are talked about in sections that detail strategies and activities—the course of the military’s walks the arrangement of bowmen, the accumulation of knowledge. Each, however, are done in a way in which to hoodwink and pick up a mental preferred standpoint over the rival. Consider this as part of your normal life. You need to arrange every aspect of life just like that. The double subject of misleading and reconnaissance is common all through The Art of War.

4. On one side, “all fighting depends on misdirection”, said Sun Tzu in the main section. First know how the enemy is and know their strategy, then spread wrong information to confuse your enemy. Thus, Sun Tzu commits a whole part to surveillance. Sun Tzu depicts five kinds of operators used to both swindle a foe and gather precise data so as to beat your foe’s endeavors to hoodwink you. Their motivation is to give “foresight”, data around a foe’s arrangements ahead of time, and to direct disinformation crusades behind adversary lines — activities fundamentally the same as the present knowledge gathering and incognito activity tasks. Each sort of operator has a different reason and would be utilized autonomously to change the wellsprings of gathering and affirm data.

5. Use your life force judiciously. Sun Tzu is perceived as the forebear of what is called Ch’i, in this. Ch’i is an antiquated Taoist philosophical idea with a practically magical job in old Chinese history. Basically it refers to your living force. You shouldn’t waste your time and effort in useless tasks. Rather plan it properly, so that everything can be accomplished smoothly. Executing Ch’i is a definitive explanation behind the duplicity, surveillance, and control Sun Tzu prompts and it is finished by controlling an adversary to surprise and abusing a confounded foe drive. Sun Tzu portrays how to accomplish this in his part on maneuver, walk by a roundabout course and occupy the foe by tempting him with a lure. So doing, you may set out after he does and touch base before him. One ready to do this comprehends the methodology of the direct and the indirect way.

6. The test of direction is another real topic of The Art of War. Sun Tzu lived amid a period of elevated stakes in fighting that required the professionalization of the military and its initiative. Successful administration of the military came to be a point of convergence of Sun Tzu’s recommendation. This soul will empower the troops to battle more enthusiastically and relies upon material arrangements just as the administration’s clearness of direction. Direction was a blend of dread and regard. “In the event that a general revels his troops however can’t utilize them; on the off chance that he cherishes them yet can’t authorize his directions; if the troops are untidy and he can’t control them, they might be contrasted with ruined kids, and are futile”, The Art of War cites Sun Tzu saying. This notice and Sun Tzu’s hypothesis of order identifies with a tale from his account in the narratives of Ssu-mama Ch’ien. It is composed there that when Sun Tzu went to the consideration of King of Wu, Sun Tzu said he could prepare the lord’s mistresses to battle. He at that point got out the mistresses and prepared them by executing the pioneers when the gathering did not comply with his orders. This also shows that everyone is capable of helping your cause provide you prepare them properly. This story suggest the way of life of direction Sun Tzu built up amid when fighting called for quick triumphs conveyed by brave warriors and a pioneer that accentuated the brain science of fighting.

7. As a short work, the “Art of War” can be perused in an hour or two, yet it will give per-users something to consider for quite a long time. His vital reasoning exhortation sticks in the head. It probably won’t be anything but difficult to pursue, however Sun Tzu’s celebrated proclamation that “each fight is won or lost before it is won”, – fills in as a definitive update that triumph goes to the individuals who plan their technique. Keep away from the stronghold and attack a weak point. If you know someone means to defeat you using their strong ability, don’t get lured in the bait. Focus on your strength and their weak points. To locate the best way to a military, the process might be compared to water. Similarly as water the objective maintains a strategic distance from statures and dependably streams downhill, a military will dependably stay away from the adversary’s qualities and focus on the challenge’s assault where he is powerless. Also, similar to water’s shortcomings/vulnerabilities whose stream is adjusted to the nature and type of the which boost our makes strides, a military will have while limiting the utilization of to adjust to the nature and circumstance of the adversary.

8. Sun Tzu’s another famous quote: “He who accomplishes triumph by adjusting his strategies to the circumstance of the adversary can be divine”. Strategies matter the most. Never have a rigid strategy while dealing with a problem. Be willing to bend and adjust. Today we can follow the resonation of Sun Tzu’s ideas to the advanced fields of insight examination, net evaluation, basic leadership hypothesis, and “delicate” national power. Perceiving the ideas of The Art of War in the Western routine with regards to these orders can enhance our down to earth comprehension of Sun Tzu’s confounding composition.

9. One of the most important and quaint expressions of Sun Tzu all look to “know the foe and know yourself”, so that, “in a hundred fights you will never be in peril”. This apothegm stays valid in current fighting; at some dimension, these controls all try to comprehend the key culture of a foe. For a portion of these orders, the coming of problematic innovations, for example, the endowment of flight, in the long run constrained a re-examination of hypothesis and prompted a rediscovery of 6th century B.C. hypothesis ascribed to Sun Tzu. While his words are simple, it can be open to many interpretations that might come in handy with other parts of life. Once you know your own merits and demerits and use it smartly to fight others knowing their strengths and weaknesses, you can win in your task without much effort. By taking a gander at the impact of Sun Tzu’s ideas upon these controls we can likewise start to perceive how Western culture has tended to Sun Tzu’s ideas in its own, free terms instead of in the structure of a challenge among realpolitik and Greco-Roman legacy.

10. Among those in Western culture that Sun Tzu’s The Art of War has had enduring impact is the field of secret activities and knowledge. The formation of the Central Intelligence Agency built up another period of insight for which Sun Tzu’s accentuation on realizing the adversary turned into a raison d’etre. Whether you are a boss handling your employees or a preschool teacher unable to deal with your truant kids, Sun Tzu has words of wisdom for all. Knowing more about the condition of your employees or children helps you to use that. The British ruled over India using the divide and rule policy psychology against them. The remarks on counterintelligence, on mental fighting, on misleading, on security, on fabricators, to put it plainly, all in all specialty of intelligence – have been mentioned in the book.

Conclusion

Thus as you can observe, the Art of War is revered treasure in both military strategy and daily life. When we say life is nothing short of a battle, we can definitely remember these astounding quotes from Art of War. From inspiring intelligence organizations to management talks, everything can find its root in Art of War. This old record with tangled birthplaces and perplexing counsel has turned into a guide for present day strategists looking for an unconventional way to deal with the existential results of contention today. Sun Tzu’s expansion lethality of fighting harbored the danger of existential risk to the state just progressively present today given the motorization of fighting and coming of atomic weapons. However, if you follow the strategies you plot on your own, you will see that there is nothing that can stop you from your goal, without having to pay any great cost.

Throughout history leadership is perhaps one of the most widely conversed subjects. For good reason, the art of leadership has been synonymous with success. Gilgamesh, Odysseus, Alexander, Hannibal and Caesar. All these names fill ancient stories alongside dramatic heroics that have perhaps grown just a little embellished with time. Fictional or real, these stories are all about leaders. Heroics, leadership and victory, all are vital to these ancient depictions. The Art of War is no different, while the book hardly tells grand tales of Sun Tzu’s mighty military exploits, it builds him up as a fantastical leader nonetheless. The Art of War is specific, it tells you exactly and with examples of how to be a good leader, a leader like Sun Tzu. Reading these tips and tricks I couldn’t help but wonder about something. In the world today, with warfare having changed so dramatically, do the lessons from The Art of War still apply now as well as they did centuries ago? To look at this I wanted to look at some examples of leadership, such as how Sun Tzu recommends rewarding and punishing people, as well as techniques he uses to inform and employ those under him. The Boy Scouts of America pride themselves on many things, first and foremost, however, is teaching leadership skills and giving hands on management experience to America’s youth. As an Eagle Scout I can attest to the extensiveness of the experience, I hope to use my understanding of leadership as a lens of looking at how Sun Tzu’s advice applies.

It has been my experience, that communication is vital when it comes to organizing groups. Without everyone involved knowing the scope of the task at hand, or how to do their assigned jobs, whatever it is the group is working towards will be slow to accomplish. With this in mind, the first thing I feel a good leader should do is make sure the people working with them are quickly and adequately informed. Speed of information insures that there is little time spent meandering without knowing what to do. Adequate information should insure that jobs are done well and in the correct fashion. To this end Sun Tzu does offer some words of advice when it comes to communicating with his army. “So in night battles you use many fires and drums, in daytime battles you use many banners and flags” (Tzu). These methods were the fastest and most reliable ways of communicating accurately with large groups at the time. In battle people at all levels of command would know how to interpret these flag and drum commands. I interpret this as Sun Tzu clearly recognizing the importance of a leader informing those working under them. There is more to communication than simply telling people things accurately and quickly however, especially in a battle field, or corporate setting.

Not all news is good news, and bad news can be devastating to moral. Certainly new of losses in battle are more devastating than a project failing in a business. The result can be similar between the two though, a loss of moral leading to a decrease in enthusiasm for work. Sun Tzu to has a comment for this kind of situation: “When the outlook is bright, bring it before their eyes; but tell them nothing when the situation is gloomy” (Tzu). He is referring to the common soldier in this instance, if a concerning development had occurred certain people would need to know to be prepared but not everyone. When something wonderful has happened, Sun Tzu encourages you to let it be known. This just makes sense, in all things, people like to succeed. Even if this accomplishment was not made by the group being told they can still feel succeed by proxy, if they feel that the success of the army, company or group will lead to their own success. This second piece of advice is not perfect for all cases, in a company where an individual is working for themselves and does not particularly care about the company, chances are they feel like the company does not care much for them. In this case a monthly report on the finances of the company probably means little to them. That is why in addition to keeping people informed, you must also make an effort to keep people loyal to your cause.

Leadership is a big part of drawing out loyalty in people. Nothing brings out loyalty faster than if people believe that what is good for the cause, is also good for them. Through this, rewards and compensation are a vital tool in tying together an individual’s feelings of success with the groups own success. Sun Tzu of course understands the importance of rewards: “Rewards for good service should not be deferred a single day” (Tzu). Rewards for good service, in this case, refer to going above and beyond what is expected of a person. When these kinds of behaviors are rewarded and quietly and swiftly when noticed, it encourages everyone to act more like that. Rewards are great for encouraging good behavior, however people still need to be treated and compensated fairly, or they will never do more than the absolute minimum to get by. That is why Sun Tzu makes another point, having to do with the treatment of those working under him. “Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley” (Tzu). Treat the people under you well, make sure they are fed, warm at night, healthy. For someone to be loyal it is almost essential that they have their needs cared for. As a troop’s Senior Patrol Leader in the Boy Scouts this is evident. There are some things that just need doing before you can effectively do other activities. Everyone needs their tent for the night, the area for cooking dinner needs to be set up, someone needs to go and get water. Basic necessities like this seem minor but if you can’t assure those first, nothing else will be done in a productive fashion. This can be applied to business as well, if a worker is stuck in a rut, feeling that their boss makes an exorbitant amount of money while they struggle to make ends meet, then it is easy for that worker to grow to resent their boss. Rather then getting work done productivity, the lack of loyalty and support will cause a constant productivity loss. If the worker was better taken care of, if they felt that the success of their superior was the same as their own success, then it is much less likely that they would resent their superiors and the efficiency of the workplace is far improved.

Besides leadership and communication there is another important factor to leading a group, execution. This can mean many things, delegating tasks, specific methods for doing things, planning. All of this can make or break a project. Sun Tzu, of course, is well prepared for properly executing his commands. For example, when it comes to the importance of planning, Sun Tzu is no slacker, clearly understanding the importance he recommends, “Plan for what it is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small” (Tzu). A bit of preparation makes for far more efficient work, Sun Tzu understood this and that is why he makes such a recommendation. Planning is such a common theme throughout The Art of War, it might be more apt to call it the art of preparation. To go into a battle or any project without preparation, leads to failure, in the case of battle, this would be death. Finally, Sun Tzu recommends perhaps one of the most important lessons taught in BSA, “The principle on which to manage an army is to set up one standard of courage which all must reach” (Tzu). Clearly this is leading by example, he is not specific if the leader must be the example, or if the leader must appoint someone else as the example but it is important either way. In the Boy Scouts leading by example is the de facto sort of leadership, groups your in charge of are typically small. For these small groups of scouts setting a good example, either by yourself or with other members of leadership is vital. Without a good role model to show how certain tasks should be done, or what behaviors should be followed, it can be hard to get things done. Perhaps to an extent this is more particular to young men and boys then it would be to the troops Sun Tzu would be leading, regardless it is my experience that a good role model is indispensable.

Communication, loyalty and the methods of command. All of these are important aspects of leading a group and of ensuring that work is done in the most efficient manor. Throughout The Art of War Sun Tzu provides many words of wisdom. Interspersed between military tactics, maneuvering and supplying of armies however, there is still even more advice on the delicate art of leadership. Sun Tzu’s guidance shows the importance of communication, without it tasks big and small will become impossible no matter the size or skill of those working under you. He stresses the importance of loyalty, or at the very minimum willing service. Without proper compensation troops won’t fight, workers won’t do more than they have to and efficiency as a whole is sacrificed. He shows the importance of a strong example, to inspire those working for him to do their best with a clear role model. For all these reasons and plenty more beyond the scope of this paper, Sun Tzu is clearly an experienced and wise leader, not just for his time period but perhaps of all time. The guidelines for leadership he established are visible at even for a child of young age and can be put into practice for almost any situation. I would say that these rules certainly can be applied to business today, not for the cut throat nature of some of the advice, but because of how it guides useful leadership for the sake of a productive workforce.

In comparing both of these philosophers Sun Tzu and Kautilya, we can compare from different basis of their military quotes because both have their own perception and their own beliefs. Firstly is the quotes from Sun Tzu on the enemy status which says: “If equally matched, we can offer battle, if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him”, while Kautilya said: “If the enemy is strong then following his advice, if he is weak then by striking him, if he is equal then by force or by friendship he should kept under control”.

Next is in terms of the intelligence which Sun Tzu said: “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle”. And from Kautilya views he said that “the attacker should know the comparative strengths and weaknesses of himself and of the enemy, and having ascertained the time of marching, the consequences, the loss of men and money, and profits and danger, he should march with his full force; otherwise one should keep quite”. Chanakya stressed on the point of not having to hate your enemy as hatred kills logical thinking therefore try to love him in order to understand him thoroughly.

In addition, both thinkers also have quotes on to not be a warmonger, which Sun Tzu quotes: “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting”, while Kautilya quotes that: “An arrow shot by an archer may or may not kill a single person; but skillful intrigue, devised by a wise man, may kill even those who are in the womb”. He has also quote that: “If the end could be achieved by non-military methods, even by methods of intrigue, duplicity and fraud, I would not advocate an armed conflict”.

For the basis of the possibilities besides war Sun Tzu believes that: “To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”, while Kautilya believes that the “welfare of a state depends on an active foreign policy”. He further insists that “peace is to be preferred to war!” Kautilya is of the view that peace can be made with the enemy, purely as a temporary measure, provided it gives to the conqueror to build up strength before conquering the enemy. He has also suggested that “any activity which harms the progress of the enemy engaged in similar undertakings is also a progress”.

Besides, both of these thinkers also have their own quotes in term of the right timing which Sun Tzu said in his quote that, “if the enemy is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, try to separate them”; while Kautilya quotes that “an enemy destruction shall be brought about even at the cost of great losses in men, material and wealth”. He also believed that “whenever an enemy king is in trouble, and his subjects are exploited, oppressed, impoverished and disunited, he should be immediately attacked after one proclamation of war”.

In term of resource utilization, Sun Tzu quotes that “the natural formation of the country is the soldier’s best ally”, he further explained that the power of estimating the adversary, of controlling the forces of victory, and of shrewdly calculating difficulties, dangers and distances, constitute the test of a great General. He also suggested that “we shall be unable to turn a natural advantage to account unless we make use of local guides”. The teacher of Kautilya says that of strength, place and time, strength is the best; for a man who is possessed by strength can overcome any difficulties. But contrary to this, Kautilya says that “of strength, place and time, each is helpful to the other”.

To add more, both thinkers also have quote on spies and assassins whereby Sun Tzu said: “Be subtle! Be subtle! And use your spies for every kind of business”. He believes that “we shall succeed in the long run in killing the commander-in-chief”; while Kautilya said: “Spies should be well-versed in: inciting enemy forces to revolt, spreading false rumors about the enemy, mixing poison in enemy’s food supply, poisoning their drinking water, setting fire to the enemy’s camp and bringing havoc and destruction, or if necessary, even assassinating the enemy leaders”. He had also stated that “secret agents can destroy high officers in the enemy army either with poison or with “love-winning medicines””.

Sun Tzu and Kautilya also have their perception on deception. Sun Tzu suggests: “all warfare is based on deception”. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces; we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe that we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe that we are near”. He also stated: “Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected”. At all times, Kautilya wanted his king to use deception, play roles, and create appearances. Why risk heavy losses or even defeat in battle if deception and assassination can weaken or even defeat the enemy? His favorite tactic in battle was to pretend to be defeated, retreat in apparent disorder, and then attack a disorganized and unsuspecting enemy. Even if a king is forced to surrender in order to survive, Kautilya wanted him to pretend that his surrender was “an excellent thing” until he was clever or strong enough to fight back.

Finally, is the lengthy war where Sun Tzu stated that “there is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged war”; while Kautilya stated that “once you decide to go for a military campaign, it must be pursued steadfastly’. He had further stated that the duration of a campaign and the interval between the two consecutive operations should be kept short for maintain a high tempo.

From this we can see that, some might see that Kautilya is perspective is better in the role of diplomacy, while Sun Tzu in generalship, even though both thinkers’ concept of war does resembles each other. Nevertheless, after observing these two exceptional rulers, one will find that Chanakya had a better sight than Sun Tzu. Beliefs of the same are available in this compact study. Although Sun Tzu’s theory greatly stresses the conquest of other states with foot soldiers, chariots, and other ancient devices, it restricts its importance, although it has some key points that make it clear that they can be used in many aspects of contemporary warfare, most of which have been mentioned above. Kautilya has described that “the great general is the one who has great imaginative energy”. That specific quote very well describes the key characteristics of Sun Tzu.

The similarities between Sun Tzu and Kautilya on the approach of war fighting is that the 9 basis shows that they strategies does resemble each other only when it comes to the use of deception, but their basic concept of war matches each other as a whole. Furthermore, both thinkers followed the ethic of war, both of which were very calculative and had great respect for their enemies. They both believed that war should be profitable if it ever occurred. However, they also have differences in the approach of war fighting where modern war includes military financial, political and diplomatic dimensions. Although Sun Tzu was focused mainly on military strategies, Kautilya was based on all of them. Moreover, Sun Tzu’s ideology was fundamentally inspired by the invasion and conquest of other nations, although Kautilya has never shown any importance in defeating other countries.

Sun Tzu was among of the famous and finest generals on China, because his writing is highly influential on China, over the years he develop the foundation of Eastern military thought and became the ultimate strategist. Sun Tzu considered war as an art, but why should we considered war as an art and do it artistically? It’s because war could result between life or death therefore a person should do it with the mastery of skills thus to gain victory at the end. But why does a man need to learn the principles of war? Because for Sun Tzu “war is a matter of vital to the state. It is mandatory that it would be thoroughly studied”. It only means that war is inevitable, no one can avoid war, so when the time comes that there was war, a person will be ready. It is important to know the treatise, the principle or even the strategies in order for a person to at least save his life, this skills are significant so as the time comes he will be ready. Sun Tzu also gave importance on the knowledge of a person on war, because in this way if he is knowledgeable on it he will be more cautious or careful to fight. As Sun Tsu is considered one of the most finest military strategies, he is strict on orders and regulations to his men, for him it is the burden of the commander if his men weren’t effective.

As an evidence, according to a famous story about Sun Tzu the story of the concubine, Sun Tzu was challenge by a king to demonstrate his techniques and tactics, the king entrusted his concubines to Sun Tzu and has challenged him to apply his tactics and training of a soldier to the concubines, as what expected given that the concubines were untrained they perform poorly and they didn’t get serious on those matters, so Sun Tzu think of a tactic he beheaded the King’s favorite concubine, then at that moment the other concubines realize that Sun Tzu was serious on his directives so they execute his orders clearly and smoothly without any hesitations, this story may become tragic but it shows how good execution may become a key for good strategy. You can’t put good strategy on top of bad execution and expect the strategy to work, on creating better execution it’s about working with people, because one cannot achieve anything without his peers, what I mean is even though you make a good strategy but the people who are performing it are not harmonious or are mediocre the execution will not be good and so it will affect the main strategy.

The Art of War of Sun Tzu was held as the most authoritative work on war by generals on both Eastern and Western for over two thousand five hundred years. The foundation of this book is built by people-management principles and not only about technical skills which even though is important is not the primary goal of the work, we can see different principles on this work that allows individual on accomplishing their goals and objectives. It also provides collection of different aspects of warfare that are inspired with Taoist philosophy, in employing his strategies he also employs Dao, Yin Yang and Wei Wu Wei because on his first principle on war as an Deception, deception is one example of the Yin yang and Wu Wei principle. We can see different war concepts that success because of Taoist principle, it also can be a material for an ambitious leader on his educative literature.

In Sun Tzu’s Art of War there are chapters that lay down his strategies. First is the Art of Deception which refers to intelligence as a way to win a war, how victory can be acquired in the most easiest and fastest way, examples are when they are in unity divide them, when they are unprepared attack them, by this, one should think of a strategical ways which the enemy cannot expect. He propose five constant factors on winning a war. The moral influence, weather, terrain, commander and the doctrine these five factors must be known to the commanders in order for them to win, if a commander are not familiar with this five factors there are big possibility of losing a war. It is important to know the art of deception to have the advantages that are needed and to execute the unexpected strategies.

Another is Victory as the object of War, which they aspire victory on fighting a war, one example is using time in your own advantage which aim for the fastest way to gain victory. Because if one war was delayed it affects the warriors not only physically but morally so it will come to the advantage of the other party. Next is the Attack by Strategy, according to Sun Tzu the highest skill in war is to beat the enemy without a fight with this we can integrate the principle of Wei Wu Wei, which means it is better to prevent war than cure it by this one should destroy their plans and strategies for them to not execute it, another strategy is if outnumbered retreat is another clever plan.

Another is they treat there captured enemies well because it can be their alliance in the future, also there aim is to overthrow a state without operations. Another important principle of Art of War is the weakness and strength in battle front, where a warrior made himself invincible and waited for the moment that his enemies was defenseless. As what Michaelson said invincibility lies in the defense, the possibility of victory in the attack. One of the effective strategy is in defense, those warriors that are skilled in defense are good on making ways in order to protect themselves and gain complete victory.

The Art of Fighting Well is also one of his principles, it says that in a War the general is the commanding officer, but some of this command comes from the sovereign. But Sun Tzu claims that there are commands of the sovereign that should not be obeyed because given that the General was the one who are in charge in war he is the one who is more knowledgeable about the strategy and tactics that should employ on the troops. The troops are primarily depending on the general’s viewpoint so the general must be skillful not only for him to execute the war smoothly but also to boost the morale of his troops, it is important to boost the morale of a warrior for him to be at his very best condition on fighting his enemies. Also in order for the general to properly employ troops he must know the advantages of his men that embedded with his tactics, all that were mention was important because all of his judgement is vital for the victory of a war one failure on his decision might result to ruin and the loss in a war.

Next is On the March, which means that the general should be responsible on assessing or reading the strategic concept of the enemy from the start in order for them to not fall on the enemy’s techniques and strategies. By this, they should first have an Estimation on the Situation which means assessing enemies power and situation is important and the general who underestimate his enemies will be defeated on a battle. One should remember that number in war is not that great advantage when an army doesn’t assess the enemies strength and weaknesses, generating a fair and harmonious relationship is also vital for the troops to move in harmonious manner and to obey their leader without any hesitance, its about creating relationship with your men, and also for them to be attached with their commander, because if a person are being commanded with a person that is being attached to them it is not hard for them to obey those commandments and rules but we must remember that it should be enforced with discipline for it to become effective, the effective implementation and execution of commands reflects a great and harmonious relationship between a warrior and his commander.

The Art of Knowing the Terrain is one of the great advantage of an Army in a battlefield, for Ames Accessible terrain is a kind of terrain that anyone can access , the army are battling to be at the high ground and on the sunny side of the terrain because it is more advantageous to them to fight on their enemies and it can establish convenient supply lines, another kind is entangling which it’s the terrain that has easy access when you enter but hampers when you return, the general should know the situation of his men, it is necessary for the general to make an assessment on what is happening on the ground, he needs to calculate the distances that leads to the terrain. Even though there are some time that the General resorting to retreating techniques to save his people, he will not be treated as a coward but as a jewel of the state because he protect not only the interest of the state but also the people. If a commander treat his men as a true son his men will all stand him unto death but if he cherish them cannot command them it is in no use because they cannot perform their responsibilities.

Lastly, The Art of Spying, which presented the power of military intelligence that serves as a key player on strategizing against the enemies, and Sun Tzu introduces the idea of “foreknowledge” which means knowing ahead it can be obtain by men that are knowledgeable about the enemies situation. There are five types of spies: the natives which are get on the country of the enemy, the internal which are enemies official, the doomed which is the spies that came from own people but tend to disseminate wrong information to report to their enemies, the converted which is enemy spies that they employ, if all of this spies are in their mission and there’s no one who know their mission, there are successful with their responsibility and they are hailed as a treasure of a sovereign.

Sun Tzu’ Intelligence Strategy in 21 Century Conflicts

Abstract:

Clausewitz’s theory of war has been fully verified after Napoleon’s practice, and has become a world-famous, relatively comprehensive interpretation of war. His analysis of the nature of war and the key to victory has been used in practice. Clausewitz’s theory puts the key to the victory of the war on military strength and military power. He does not believe that the role of intelligence use in winning the war cannot be ignored. Unlike Clausewitz, the Sun Tzu’s view of war focuses on the three key elements of winning a war: intelligence, deception, and manipulation. The CIA of the United States, the MI5 of the United Kingdom, and the intelligence department of Russia all play an important role in today’s international society. It is obvious that the views of Sun Tzu still have a place in today’s society even if they are from thousands of years ago.

The use of Sun Tzu’s intelligence strategy:

In Sun Tzu’s book Art of War, he not only systematically expounded the use and collecting of intelligence, the use of espionage, etc., but also systematically defined the procedure of strategically using intelligence to make decisions. The practice of strategic use of intelligence is divided into five steps: “yong jian”, that is, the intelligence collecting process; “liao di”, that is, to speculate on the enemy’s situation; “jing zhi yi wu shi, jiao zhi yi ji” that is to analyze and judge the situation of both parties, analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each considering strategy; “counting for profit” that is, the finalization of the decision-making; “yi li zhi quan” that is, the implementation and reflection process of war. (Yi Zhou & Feifei Yin, 2018) Throughout the past and the present, this five-step rule has been used in major and minor wars. In today’s international society, this five-step rule is still outdated and instructive. In these five-step rules, we can easily find the important position of intelligence work.

In Sun Tzu’s theory, intelligence is divided into two parts: macro abstract information and decision-making intelligence with certain limitations. At the same time, strategic decision-making has also been divided into two parts: “jing yu miao suan” (be sophisticated in seeing the bigger picture) and “shen yu jue ce”(be careful at decision-making). Through more macro-level intelligence, top-level policy makers develop a macro-strategy, which is “miao suan”, a process that allows the state to win to the greatest extent, rather than being limited to specific individual wars. At the same time, decision-making intelligence often comes from field work and the particular situation at the time, and is used by generals and war commanders to make more on site practical decisions, thus winning specific individual wars (Yi Zhou & Feifei Yin, 2018). Sun Tzu believes that “miao suan” is more important, and to achieve this goal, more in-depth intelligence work and espionage activities are needed to comprehensively grasp the information of the hostile countries, so as to reach the Sun Tzu’s one of the most important points of view is “knowing ourselves and knowing each other” (Yi Zhou & Feifei Yin, 2018). Sun Tzu is well aware of the importance of collecting intelligence and analyzing foreign policy and war. Only by understanding the other side can all be more fully prepared and a reasonable operational plan can be formulated.

According to US intelligence analysts, the Iraq war has backfired on fighting against terrorist organisations and has become an important recruitment tool for Islamic extremists. During the war, the US military has been repeatedly frustrated because it did not effectively carry out and manage intelligence work (Mark Mazzetti, 2006). According to Sun Tzu, intelligence and espionage require human intelligence, so the intuitive factors and confidentiality are particularly important, and such subtle intelligence work requires long-term collection and preparation work (Sun Tzu). But the Bush administration launched the Iraq war very fast, intelligence work was difficult to carry out, and there was no enough effective and accurate information. At the same time, the intelligence department was severely corrupted by politics, causing the intelligence department to lose its intuition. The information provided by the CIA about decision-making on weapons of mass destruction was incorrect. Due to insufficient effective intelligence, top-level decision makers fabricated some information to ensure war can be initiated (Karen DeYoung, 2006). This naturally became one of the reasons why the Iraq war was difficult to win (Mark Mazzetti, 2006). The United States has more sophisticated weapons resources. According to Clausewitz’s theory, it should be the one that can win quickly. But the reason why the Iraq war lasted for several years and the record is not optimistic is precisely because when the war started. The intelligence work in Iraq was insufficient, the information was not enough, and it is impossible to formulate an effective war plan. This is the failure of the “miao suan” process. During the war, many American soldiers became prisoners of war (P.O.W) and were killed by IEDs and ambushes. It was because of the lack of specific intelligence gathering work, that is, the failure of the “decision-making” link (Sebastian J. Bae). It can be seen that in the defeat of the Iraq war, the failure of intelligence work has become a fatal factor, which also proves that Sun Tzu’s view of the extreme importance of intelligence and spies to carry out war.

Compared with Clausewitz’s emphasis on war, the Sun Tzu’s war view is more inclined to use pre-war information, deception, manipulation and other means to win without fighting, or try to avoid actual military engagement (Yi Zhou & Feifei Yin, 2018) “ju shi shi wan, ri fei qian jin” (There are 100,000 soldiers, and the daily expenses are huge). He believes that the actual force engagement is costly. The key to winning should not be limited to the victory of armed conflict. Such way of winning can bring greater benefits to the victorious country. It is far more cost-effective to occupy a relatively war-free city than to occupy a city that needs to be rebuilt after the strike of force. During the Iraq war, large-scale battles between the two sides were supported by positive conflicts, blasting, ambushes and air strikes. After the war, the Iraqi cities were often ruined. The reconstruction work was extremely difficult and requiring a lot of capital investment to carry out. The same thing happened in Afghanistan. In the process of combating ISIS, positive conflicts and air strikes were also used. The important cross-fire conflicts in important cities such as Mosul and Ramadi were all engaged with those extreme means of force. After the liberation of Ramadi, the whole city also became a ruin. Sabah Karhout, Member of Anbar The Council told NYT: Ramadi is a city of ghosts, and the cost of urban reconstruction is not optimistic (Sebastian J. Bae). If in the process of cracking down on ISIS, the US military can attach the importance of intelligence gathering, it can accurately strike terrorist bases, not only can greatly reduce the frontal engagement of fire, but also reduce the ambushes caught by the American soldiers and the casualties caused by IEDs. At the same time, it can more effectively maintain the appearance of the city itself and reduce the post-war reconstruction work.

Sun Tzu’s emphasis on the confidentiality of intelligence work is also extremely important. The exposure of intelligence work is undoubtedly the failure of intelligence work and will endanger the military (Sebastian J. Bae). In 2015, a Pentagon press official disclosed to the media that there will be an strike action in Mosul in April of the same year and Mosul will be taken back from ISIS control. Due to disclosure of information, the plan was indefinitely Postponed until 2017, Mosul was finally liberated. At the same time, the existence of the FR24 app has greatly exposed the actions of the United States and its allies’ air forces. Any aircraft that takes off can be found in this program app. ISIS has already evacuated before the air strikes. The reaction was evacuated. It can be considered as that the enemy has carried out certain intelligence work, and the information of the US military has been analyzed and new decision-making arrangements have been made. At the same time, it also means that the United States and its allies have failed on their jobs in the confidentiality of intelligence. The information that should be kept secret can be obtained by anyone on the Internet, which directly leads to a waste of war resources and a prolonged conflict. The essence of ISIS can still be considered as a rebel insurgency, and the important element of the revolutionary war is time. It is difficult for the insurgents to sacrifice time elements to win (Kiras, J). And the ISIS army has the characteristics of guerrillas, Mao Zedong once said As mentioned in the book The Guerrilla War, “time is the key factor in the victory of guerrilla warfare. It is necessary to lengthen the front line and drag the enemy” (Mao Zedong, 1937). The relatively weak military strength of the ISIS insurgents has been able to balance the US military for so many years. It is precisely because of the dereliction of duty and negligence of the US and its allies’ forces in the intelligence secrecy work that many missed opportunities have been missed. And as Kiras, J mentioned in the Irregular Warfare: Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency book, the best way to combat the rebels is: Defeat them in space and time, defeat insurgents as quickly as possible. And ISIS prolonged the battle line again because of the mistakes of the US military’s secrecy work, making the war more difficult to win.

“Win without war”, the spirit of Sun Tzu’s view of war

Sun Tzu’s “bu zhan er sheng” (win without fighting) view, “xian qi suo ai, gong qi bi suo jiu” (attack the most important part which they must try to save), that is, attack the enemy key units, first, the place that enemy will definitely want to try to remedy the situation in this process is very easy to chaos, thus killing the enemy. “Winning without war” also requires “clear and precise intelligence requirements”, which means that intelligence work needs to be time-sensitive (Yu Wang & Li Jun Wan, 2016). In some cases, the successful destruction of enemy’s key facilities, such as the arsenal, base camp, etc., can directly lead to the enemy’s defeat and direct win. Through the development of the early intelligence work, the enemy’s important facilities will be accurately grasped, and the initiative will be taken to control the war.

As far as ISIS is concerned, the battlefield is in the ISIS control area. It is relatively difficult for the United States and its allies’ forces to engage in the battle. However, after the US military successfully attacked the Omar oil field, the situation changed and ISIS was forced to give up the initiative. At the same time, a large number of combat readiness resources and funding sources were abandoned, which caused a huge blow to its combat effectiveness. From the example of Omar Oil Field, we can easily find that the control-taken of the oil field is planned in advance, so that we can achieve “raid”. Intelligence needs to be reported before the enemy compromises it, and at the same time, it must leave sufficient preparation time for the decision-making and combat units of the country. The Obama administration’s killing of bin Laden is a battle for the full development of pre-action intelligence work and the secrecy of work. From obtaining information about the bin Laden residence information by the CIA, quickly reporting and responding to the president, making analysis and decision-making, organizing the actual combat drills, to the final killing, the senior decision-makers of the war room were the only people who had the clearance and all the action plans were kept secret. Full preparation and prior conditions were obtained. This time, the decapitation attack not only killed bin Laden, but also devastated terrorist organisations such as Al Qaeda. The killing of leaders and spiritual leaders undoubtedly caused a heavy blow to them. To a certain extent, it was an important achievement in the battle throughout terrorism that it was a victory without a large-scale military engagement of fire. As the Sun Tzu described, plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt’ through intelligence, spy work, act unexpectedly, and won.

This strategic arrangement applies to the Cyber War of today’s era, and network information facilities are too important for every country. The acquisition of intelligence through military reconnaissance, network and other means has greatly reduced spy (field agent) intelligence activities. The performance of contemporary warfare has turned to informational warfare, so if a country’s information facilities were hit, the country’s ability of military action would also have been hit hard. The existence of Cyber Warfare and its extremely important position is further evidence. Intelligence work still plays an important role in the war of the present era.

The restrictions of Sun Tzu’s Intelligence Strategy

Sun Tzu’s Art Of War from thousands of years ago naturally has a view that it no longer applies to today’s war environment. For the intelligence gathering work, Sun Tzu believed and emphasized that intelligence work needs to be done with more quantity, and the source of intelligence should be wide, so as to ensure the accuracy of intelligence. This view is actually not applicable to the needs of today’s war. The collection of contemporary intelligence comes from scientific means such as aerial reconnaissance and satellite aerial photography. The possibility of fraud and deception is low. The amount of data is no longer able to help identify the accuracy. The source of intelligence is often the state specialized agency, the possibility of collecting the false information is low, so this view is no longer applicable to today’s international community. For example, the Cuban Missile Crisis happened decades ago has even obtained accurate information through the photos of the reconnaissance plane. With the continuous development of science and technology and the progress of investigation methods, the accuracy of intelligence have been greatly improved.

Conclusion:

In the concept of Sun Tzu’s view of war, the intelligence work has an important position. Even today, thousands of years later, all countries in the international community have already attached importance to the development of intelligence work. At the same time, the development of the international community of today’s society also has important significant guidance the conflict of force is not the only way to war.

“Yi yue dao, er yue tian, san yue di, is yue jiang, we yue fa”. Here is Sun Tzu’s concept of decision-making. It is not difficult to see that Sun Tzu advocates that the decision-making process is important in considering all factors, that is, the “comprehensive national strength” that we now promoted. The wars of the 21st century tend to be localized and regionalized. The important countries (major powers) are more contested by comprehensive national strength. The Sun Tzu’s concept of warfare not only has significant guidance for war, but also has far-reaching influence on the conflict and competition of the international community today.

Reference and Citations:

1. Tzu, S. (2019). ART OF WAR. Beijing, Bloomsbury, China.