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

Thus the essence of maneuver conflict can also be viewed as 106 :Create, Exploit, and MagnifyAmbiguityAlternative or competing impressions of events asthey may or may not be.DeceptionAn impression of events as they are not.NoveltyImpressions associated with events/ideas that areunfamiliar or have not been experienced before.Fast Transient ManeuversIrregular and rapid/abrupt shift from onemaneuver event/state to another.Effort (Cheng/Ch'I or Nebenpunkte/schwerpuktAn expenditure of energy or an irruption ofviolence - focused into, or thru, features thatpermit an organic whole to exist.PayoffDisorientationMismatch between events one (seemingly)observes or anticipates and events (orefforts) he must react or adapt to.DisruptionState of being split-apart, broken-up, ortorn asunder.OverloadA welter of threatening events/effortsbeyond one's mental or physical capacityto adapt or endure.AimGenerate many non-cooperative centers of gravity, as well as to disorient or disrupt those thatthe adversary depends upon, in order to magnify friction, shatter cohesion, produce paralysisand bring about his collapse.or equivalentlyUncover, create, and exploit many vulnerabilities and weaknesses, hence many opportunities,to pull adversary apart and isolate remnants for mop-up or absorption.Moral Conflict. This category is novel for two reasons. Although it suggests that it equatesrevolutionary war or guerrilla warfare, it includes but transcends those types. It is also novelin the discussion Boyd had up to this point with his audience. He had not alluded to itbefore. Therefore Boyd starts his discussion on his third category of conflict with anexamination of morale, aiming to uncover the nature of moral strength and the causes forlosing it. He chooses the German Blitzer Hermann Balck and Cyril Fall’s 1961 book The Artof War from the Age of Napoleon to the Present Day.Balck emphasized the importance of leadership in creating moral strength amongtroops. Leaders subordinates wide freedom to exercise imagination and initiative, yetharmonize within the intent of superior commanders. Cohesion during combat relied moreon moral (as in human values) superiority than on material superiority. Leaders must createthis. This requires them to create a bond and breadth of experience based upon trust. Theymust also lead by example, demonstrating requisite physical energy, mental energy, and moralauthority to inspire subordinates to enthusiastically cooperate and take the initiative withinthe superior’s intent. Leaders must be willing to share danger and discomfort with the troopsat the front. They must show a willingness to support and even promote (unconventional or106 Ibid, p.117.213