principles of war

1. PRINCIPLES OF WAR

2. AIM
The aim is to give a brief idea about the
“Principles of War”.

3. GENERAL
There is One master principle and Nine others.

4. MASTER PRINCIPLE
1. The Selection and Maintenance of the Aim
In any operation, however small, constantly ask
yourself the question “What is my aim”?, and test any
plan of action by considering the effect it will have on
the achievement of your aim. If it will NOT help,
discard it.

5. OTHER NINE PRINCIPLES
1. Maintenance of Morale.
2. Offensive action.
3. Surprise
4. Security
5. Concentration of force
6. Economy of effort
7. Flexibility
8. Co-operation
9. Sustainability

6. MAINTENANCE OF MORALE
Success in war depends as much on high morale
as on anything else. Numbers, armament and
resources cannot compensate for lack of courage,
energy, determination and the bold offensive spirit.
These, in turn cannot be achieved unless morale is
high.

7. OFFENSIVE ACTION
You cannot win battles unless you attack. This may
well be delayed but, until the initiative is seized and
offensive action taken, victory will be impossible.
Furthermore continued lack of offensive action has a
most adverse effect on morale.

8. SURPRISE
Surprise has a most effective and powerful
influence in war at all levels and in all operations. It can
be achieved by secrecy, concealment, deception,
originally and speed. The Russians put so much
emphasis on the importance of surprise that they have
a special heading for it in their battle orders. It has a
great effect on morale and can often for a lack of
resources.

9. SECURITY
Security is essential in order to achieve surprise.
It does NOT mean undue caution, but rather that we
take what ever steps are necessary to guard against
being surprised ourselves. At platoon level this can be
achieved by:
1. In the Advance.
2. In the Attack
3. In Defence
4. NIGHT provides the best security of all.
That is why it is most important for all troops to
be well trained and practiced in night operations.

10. CONCENTRATION OF FORCE
To achieve success in war, it is essential to
concentrate superior forces to that of the enemy at the
decisive time and place. Concentration does NOT
necessarily imply a massing of forces, which can be
hazardous, especially in General War, but rather having
them so disposed as to be able to deliver the decisive
blow when and where required; or to counter similar
blows from the enemy.

11. ECONOMY OF EFFORT
This is complimentary to concentration of force. In
other words “DO NOT” use a sledge – hammer to track
a nut. A platoon commander who deploys his whole
platoon when a section could achieve the aim, is only
wasting time and effort.

12. FLEXIBILITY
Flexibility must be both physical and mental. In war the
situation changes rapidly, and is even more likely to
do so in the future. We must be able to meet such
changes immediately and effectively.
This calls for:
1. Mental Flexibility.
2. Physical Flexibility.

13. CO-OPERATION
This does NOT mean friendly “waffle” over a drink, nor
even “old boys” co-operation. It means an
understanding of other arms of services, their method
of operation, strong points and limitations, and a
readiness to “give a little” in order to produce the best
answer for the whole.

14. SUSTAINABILITY
No tactical plan, however brilliant, and at whatever
level, can succeed unless the administrative
arrangements that go with it are sound. Good
administration is a pre-requisite to all tactics

15. CONCLUSION
The phrase “principles of war” may at first sound
pompous and high-level stuff. In reality the observance
of these principles is fundamental to the successful
conduct of war at any level. Their application must be
instinctive in any situation. Apply them and you will
NOT go far wrong.

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