Compass Points – Where is the Wisdom?
Force Design is Divesting Intangible Tools of War
April 5, 2023
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A recent CNN news article reports the United States is accelerating the delivery of tanks to Ukraine (see link below). Ukraine needs to have the right kind of units, equipment, and capabilities. The Marine Corps also needs the right kind of units, equipment, and capabilities. Beyond those, what the Marine Corps also needs, and Ukraine too, is more than just the kind of tangible tools and equipment that can be touched, counted, maintained, and reloaded. The Marine Corps must also preserve the right intangible tools.
Many electronic pages have been filled discussing how Force Design 2030 has needlessly stripped from the Marine Corps critical units, equipment, and capabilities. These tangible losses have been grievous. Yet, Force Design 2030, with its focus on placing small units of Marines along the Pacific island chain, has taken away something even more valuable and even more intangible.
In his book of warfighting wisdom, The Art of War, Sun Tzu explains how great things can be produced using just five essential ingredients.
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There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.
There are not more than five primary colours, yet in combination
they produce more hues than can ever been seen.
There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of
them yield more flavours than can ever be tasted.
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What is true for music, color, and flavor is also true in war. Over many decades of tremendous accomplishment in battle, the Marine Corps has relied on what might be called, the Five Timeless Tools of Armed Conflict.
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= = = = Five Timeless Tools of Armed Conflict = = =
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Timeless Tool #1. Seek and Exploit Opportunity.
High initiative and staying on the offense are critical. At the onset, units receive a mission - a task with a purpose. After that, while the mission may not change, what changes is that taking aggressive action to accomplish the mission uncovers opportunities. Seeking and exploiting opportunity wins success.
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Timeless Tool #2. Impose Deception and Dilemma.
A simple example of imposing deception and dilemma is fire and maneuver. The firing force pretends to be the main attack, fixing the enemy in place, while the maneuver force moves toward an exposed flank. If the flank is later reinforced and the maneuver force stalls, then the maneuver force fixes the enemy with fire and the firing force becomes the new maneuver force. The enemy is placed in a dilemma, wherever he reinforces, he exposes himself somewhere else.
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Timeless Tool #3. Shatter with Combined Arms.
While fire and maneuver is the simple example, the more complex example is a combined arms attack. Use a creative variety of coordinated fires from different sources to leave the enemy exposed, baffled, and disoriented.
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Timeless Tool #4. Knockout with a Mobile Reserve.
In boxing, a fighter uses one fist to jab, in preparation for the other, stronger, fist to strike. In battle, the mobile reserve is the third fist that can exploit sudden opportunity and score a knockout.
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Timeless Tool #5. Overwhelm with Speed and Tempo.
When the enemy expects you to go fast, go slow. When the enemy needs you to slow down, go faster and faster and faster.
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Force Design has rejected, divested, and removed the Five Timeless Tools of Armed Conflict from the Marine toolbox of victory.
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= = = = = = = = = Under Force Design 2030 = = = = = = = = =
= = = = Five Timeless Tools of Armed Conflict = = = =
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Timeless Tool #1. Seek and Exploit Opportunity.
Marine, Force Design units placed on defense, on islands cannot seek and exploit opportunity; they must sit and wait.
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Timeless Tool #2. Impose Deception and Dilemma
Marine, Force Design units placed on defense, on islands are fixed, immobile, known targets, completely exposed to China.
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Timeless Tool #3. Shatter with Combined Arms
Marine, Force Design units placed on defense, on islands are not a combined arms force.
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Timeless Tool #4. Knockout with a Mobile Reserve.
Marine, Force Design units placed on defense, on islands do not have a mobile reserve.
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Timeless Tool #5. Overwhelm with Speed and Tempo.
Marine, Force Design units placed on defense, on islands are stuck; they cannot use speed as a weapon.
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Where is the wisdom in stripping from the Marine Corps the tangible units, equipment, and capabilities needed to win? And where is the wisdom in stripping Marine units of the intangible, Five Timeless Tools of Armed Conflict? Marines are always ready to fight and win. Marines are always ready for a challenge. But even Marines cannot fight only with esprit. The next battle is coming, and Marines will need a toolbox full of the right tangible and intangible tools. Where is the wisdom?
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The Art of War
By Sun Tzu
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CNN (cnn.com) 03/21/2023
US to accelerate delivery of tanks to Ukraine
By Oren Liebermann and Kevin Liptak, CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/politics/us-abram-tanks-accelerate-ukraine
The musicians of Mars are forvever playing their tune...sometimes we hear them...sometimes we feel the effect of others that hear them. Sometimes, we are the composer, if we are willing.