Science, Strategy and War The Strategic Theory of ... - Boekje Pienter

adversary thru the tactical, grand tactical, and strategic levels’ 83 . This leads him to reveal theessence of Blitzkrieg 84 :Employ a Nebenpunkte/ Schwerpunkte maneuver philosophy to generate ambiguity, realizedeception, exploit superior mobility and focus violence as the basis to quickly:Create many opportunities to penetrate weaknesses in the form of any moralor mental inadequacies as well as any gaps or exposed flanks that open intoadversary’s vulnerable rear and interior, hence -Create and exploit opportunities to repeatedly penetrate adversary organism, atall levels (tactical, grand tactical, and strategic) and in many ways, in order tosplinter, envelop, and roll-up/wipe-out isolated remnants, thereby generateconfusion and disorder, hence-Create and exploit opportunities to disrupt his system for communication,command, and support, as well as undermine or seize those connections orcenters that he depends upon, thus shake his will or capacity to decisivelycommit his back-up echelons, operational reserves, and/or strategic reserves,thereby magnify adversary’s confusion and disorder and convince him to giveup.Note how Boyd connects physical, spatial, temporal, informational, moral and mentaldimensions into a logical causal chain and has moved slowly to a high level of abstraction.This culminates in the formulation of the conceptual implication (which is of a yet higherlevel of abstraction) of this approach. Boyd asserts that ‘Blitzers, by being able to infiltrate orpenetrate or get inside adversary’s system, generate many moral-mental-physical noncooperative(or isolated) centers of gravity, as well as undermine, or seize those centers ofgravity adversary depends upon, in order to magnify friction, produce paralysis, and bringabout adversary collapse’ 85 .To actually execute such an approach six interrelated conditions (all of which bynow he already had addressed) must be met. While taking his inspiration from World War IIhe concludes this list with a slide, which mentions 12 successful Blitz campaigns versus 5 lostones, so as to suggest that indeed, the keys to success he advances have proven their worth 86 .The process of OODA is constantly present at the background, and in particular thecognitive elements.First, there must be an ‘emphasis on a common outlook and freedom-of-action thatare exploited by the Mission and Schwerpunkt concepts to fix responsibilities as well as torapidly shape, focus and shift operations and support at all levels’. Second, there must beflexibility in command, ‘based on a common outlook and freedom-of-action that areexploited by Mission and Schwerpunkt - that encourages lower-level combat leaders(forward) to exploit opportunities generated by rapid action within a broad loosely wovenscheme laid down from central command’. The third condition also relates closely with thecommand (or better: the cognitive) function: ‘intelligence, reconnaissance (air and ground)and stratagem emphasized before and during combat operations to unmask and shapepatterns of adversary strengths, weaknesses, moves, and intentions’.83 Ibid, p.86.84 Ibid, p.87.85 Ibid.86 See p.89.203