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key. 368
Control over war situations requires that information dominance be seized and the initiative on the
battlefield won. While the authors insist on the strategy of post-emptive moves, they hedge on the
point noting that:
While post-emptive moves are a self-defensive strategy of defense upon which our military
must insist in the opening of war, it is not an effective way to seize the initiative on the
informatized battlefield. To achieve the goal of seizing the initiative, the art of controlling
war situations in the initial stage of combat must emphasize active offense, striving to
dominate the enemy by capturing early moments of opportunities and conquering the enemy
in early battles. 369
When signs of enemy offensive actions are clear, cross border operations should boldly strike
against them. Thus, in the initial stages of future war, “our military’s seizure of early moments of
opportunities to dominate the enemy by conducting offensive operations cannot be separated from the
basic requirements of active defense.” 370 The focus must be on striking an opponent’s critical links
and vulnerabilities in order to control situations. A system’s structure and organization are as
important for control purposes as are the quantity of people or equipment.
Control extends beyond the battlefield since informatized war is a war of system of systems
confrontations, and destroying systems is an effective way to control war situations and the war’s
course. Informatized war includes not only military but also political, diplomatic, and economic
operations. Strategic adjustments are continuous. Since the objectives of war in the information age
are becoming more limited, the relationship between politics and control over war situations is
closer than before. This requires the close coordination of military and nonmilitary means. 371
There are several guidelines for controlling war situations in inform-atized war: focus on
establishing favorable conditions in the opening phase of war; place equal emphasis on deterrence
and combat; focus on guiding war situations (through seizing knowledge via C4ISR systems);
emphasize attacking and destroying systems; firmly grasp the center of gravity of war (described as
the attainment of information dominance); make the best use of circumstances; focus on dealing with
complicated situations; strengthen the interactions between combat and war systems; understand the
changes that develop in war situations; respond quickly; make adjustments with flexibility; focus on
ending the war quickly; combine fighting with negotiations; and end the war decisively on just
grounds and with restraint. 372
Main Forms of Local Warfare under Informatized Conditions, 2010
Dong Xuezhen and Ren Desheng discussed operational forms of warfare, described as the ways
and means used by a main force to achieve wartime goals. Past operational forms of Chinese warfare
include positional warfare, mobile warfare, and guerilla warfare. Today, the operational form of
future local warfare under informatized conditions must be added to this list. Actions have progressed