Military strategy

Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals.[1] Derived from the Greek word strategos, the term strategy, when first used during the 18th century,[2] was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general",[3] or "the art of arrangement" of troops.[4] and deals with the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and disposition of forces, and the deception of the enemy.

The father of Western modern strategic studies, Carl von Clausewitz (1780–1831), defined military strategy as "the employment of battles to gain the end of war."[5] B. H. Liddell Hart's definition put less emphasis on battles, defining strategy as "the art of distributing and applying military means to fulfill the ends of policy".[6] Hence, both gave the pre-eminence to political aims over military goals.

Sun Tzu (544–496 BC) is often considered as the father of Eastern military strategy and greatly influenced Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese historical and modern war tactics.[7] The Art of War by Sun Tzu grew in popularity and saw practical use in Western society as well. It continues to influence many competitive endeavors in Asia, Europe, and America including culture, politics,[8][9] and business,[10] as well as modern warfare. The Eastern military strategy differs from the Western by focusing more on asymmetric warfare and deception.[7] Chanakya's Arthashastra has been an important strategic and political compendium in Indian and Asian history as well.[11]

Strategy differs from operations and tactics, in that strategy refers to the employment of a nation's entire military capabilities through high-level and long-term planning, development, and procurement to guarantee security or victory. Operations and tactics is the art of organizing forces on or near the battlefield to secure objectives as part of the broader military strategy.

  1. ^ Gartner (1999), p. 163
  2. ^ Carpenter (2005), p. 25
  3. ^ Matloff (1996), p. 11
  4. ^ Wilden (1987), p. 235
  5. ^ von Clausewitz, Carl. "On War. Book 3, Chapter 1". www.clausewitz.com. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  6. ^ Liddell Hart, B. H. Strategy London:Faber, 1967 (2nd rev ed.) p. 321
  7. ^ a b Matti Nojonen, Jymäyttämisen taito. Strategiaoppeja muinaisesta Kiinasta. [Transl.: The Art of Deception. Strategy lessons from Ancient China.] Gaudeamus, Finland. Helsinki 2009. ISBN 978-952-495-089-3.
  8. ^ Scott, Wilson (7 March 2013), "Obama meets privately with Jewish leaders", The Washington Post, Washington, DC, archived from the original on 24 July 2013, retrieved 22 May 2013
  9. ^ "Obama to challenge Israelis on peace", United Press International, 8 March 2013, retrieved 22 May 2013
  10. ^ Garner, Rochelle (16 October 2006), "Oracle's Ellison Uses 'Art of War' in Software Battle With SAP", Bloomberg, archived from the original on 11 April 2012, retrieved 18 May 2013
  11. ^ Albinski, Henry S. (1958). "The Place of the Emperor Asoka in Ancient Indian Political Thought". Midwest Journal of Political Science. 2 (1): 62–75. doi:10.2307/2109166. ISSN 0026-3397. JSTOR 2109166.

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