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The Art of War War and the Art of it have its birth at the conception of history. For at the introduction of love mankind was also introduced to hate. For how can love be defined without also defining hate? And with hate come malice, anger, wrath, bitterness, and death. Known as the fruits of the flesh, they are the seeds of war. Man will wage war for two basic reasons; to bring his fruits to fruition, or to combat someone elses evil desires. And since we have had over 6000 years worth of wars, we have learned to fight and wage war. Tacticians, students of the battle, study, plan, conceive, develop, and seek to perfect their methodology. We even have developed games like chess to teach us how to plan and strategize, but to be a truly brilliant strategist you must learn to predict what your opponent will do, and then how he responds to what you do, and so forth; adinfinitum. General David H. Petraeus (Second Gulf War), General H. Norman Schwarzkopf (Desert Storm), General William Westmoreland (Vietnam War), General Douglas MacArthur (Korean War), General George S. Paton (World War II), General John J. Pershing (World War I), going back to General George Washington of the Revolutionary War. These are the men whose pivotal plans decided the outcome of our history as a nation. But they were not the authors of these plans but rather they were students of history. The Art of War originally written by Tsun Su brings to us a perspective of the rules of war. The rules as we will call them are not hard and fast but rather are considered responses to typical behavioral patterns and methods to create or initiate a typical behavioral pattern. Man is a creature of habit and thus is predictable and easy to be manipulated. The Art of War written and commented on by the masters, gives us a perspective thru the eyes of men who lived at a time in history not much different from our own. People lived, worked, married, had children, raised families, had dreams, needs and wants. The when, where, and how may differ but the heart of man remains basically unchanged. I will attempt to give a modern perspective on the thoughts and ideals of the great Sun Tzu. We will look at his text in relation to the 18 th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century world history. Our emphasis will be on 20th and 21st century events but we would be remiss if we did not support them by lessons learned and lessons we should have learned from our own history as a nation. Sun Tzu is believed to be a Taoist strategist who served as a general for the King of Wu around 544-496 BC. His writings are said to be drawn based on descriptions of warfare during the Warring States Period (403-221 BC).i Sun Tzu is like any other warrior, a student of behavior. In the introduction we are given an analogy of a family of Doctors and their popularity. We naturally think that the best known doctor is considered the best physician, but we are educated in our naivety by seeing that the doctor that does his homework and knows the illness and treats it preemptively, is truly the wiser physician. For he does not cure the person with forth stage gangrene, but rather has the foresight to treat the person with the cut on their arm so that the infection never begins. With this preventative philosophy, he by his own abilities and knowledge becomes the lesser known. He being wise has worked himself out of fame and popularity, which are the breeding ground for prideful and haughty spirits and more often than not, a great fall and destruction.

The writings in the Art of War are a compilation of thoughts, sayings, and ideas. We will quote some of the original text and attempt to bring a modern perspective to light. Some are very straightforward and some are presented in parables open to many interpretations. Regardless of the intent of the original saying and its application at the original time of writing, each contains wisdom that can be applied to our lives on a daily basis. Though some may disagree and say that the lessons are dated and no longer relevant, we would be fools to believe that no lessons can be gained from history and we are omniscient. Man is a creature of habit, and we are defined by our own history as fools, for when history must repeat itself, we have learned nothing and have been proven to be what we so arrogantly deny. So lets sit back and reflect on our historical teachers, let us learn, let us grow, let us forsake our foolishness and humble ourselves before those who learned the hard way so that we may have a better life, filled with peace and prosperity. I Strategic Assessments Master SunMilitary action is important to the nation- it is the ground of death and life, the path of survival and destruction, so it is imperative to examine it. If we have no means of defense, then we are already a defeated people, for we are a victim that an attacker just has not preyed upon. 1939 Austria, a people of peace, yet the armies of Adolph Hitler just rolled into the cities and towns and conquered them, enslaving the weak and complacent without a shot being fired. Therefore measure in terms of five things, use these assessments to make comparisons, and thus find out what the conditions are. The five things are the way, the weather, the terrain, the leadership, and the discipline. The Way- political ideals, a way of life, what we have become accustomed to, what ideals we have ingrained into our children as sacred, worthy to fight for, what stirs our spirit? The ideal may be morally right or wrong according to our culture. Consider the Arian Race, Hitlers pure race, this Ideal many a German soldier gave his life for and many an Allied Soldier gave his life fighting against. Consider Sharia Law, many lives have been taken and peoples suppressed in fulfilling this highest moral standard. But a law that is suppressive is also a law that stirs dissent and rise up a people to subvert. One mans law of protection is anothers suppression. The Weather- not only can this mean physical weather, storms, rain, heat, drought, etc, but can also imply Political Weather. What is the climate of the countryman? Are they content? Are they suppressed? Are they uneasy? I would contend that an uneasy political weather is a harsher environment to fight in as the people are volatile. This factor cannot be easily measured as the masses are the ones who actually control the battle. For when they become weary of the fight or lose their will to battle, that the fight is lost. But it is also theirs to become enraged with the enemy and

pour their entire resources into the fight, to give their youth, their men and boys, their blood on the battle fields. So is the example of the United States after December 7th1941. I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve., Isoroku Yamamoto (Quote not verified, but taken from the 1970s film, Tora! Tora! Tora! ) The Terrain- although Master Sun was implying the physical terrain, we can extrapolate also the physical distance and ability to strike a target considering its geological aspects. How big, how far away, how complex its terrain. In 1941, the Japanese goal was to cause the United States to buckle under the Naval attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, but their end goal would have been to physically conquer the entire United States and take over Washington, DC. The United States then and now possesses a great wealth of physical and natural resources envied by many a country. Its physical distance relative to any significant attacker and its shear land mass makes it a formidable target and one easily not grasped. For after a country is captured, it must be occupied and controlled or it will fall into anarchy. A lesson learned so recently in Iraq where we have deposed the leadership but failed to occupy and control the people due to its massive landscape. The United States has no desire to occupy and conquer a people and is left almost wanting for direction and a redefinition of war. How can you depose a country of its leadership (although corrupt) and leave them leaderless and expect them to survive? The Leadership- a leader by definition is strong in nature. He may not be strong in stature but will most definitely be strong in character. I do not necessarily imply good character, as bad character can also be strong and draw people to follow. Leadership must do just that, lead, and if they are to lead there must me followers. Followers will follow because they are drawn to the ideals and beliefs of the leader. These ideals as we have already seen and attest to are not necessarily noble ideals, but as long as they appeal to the standards of the followers, they are sufficient. A weak leader is only made a leader under false pretenses. Or maybe even worse yet, if no body stronger is found that is willing to lead. Modern U.S. Presidents, in my opinion, fit this model exactly. Several brought in under the charismatic wings of a smooth tongue and promises of hope and change, while others brought in under the guise of their supposed past leadership but due to the lack of trial by fire we are left wanting and duped. Real leaders, those worthy of following can only, let me repeat myself, only, be revealed by the fire of adversity. It is said that gold is refined by fire after the dross is burnt away; and this can only be revealed by trials and testing. This is why our nation is so weak, we dont have a stomach for war, and then any leader that leads apart from the inept and inadequate leadership currently in power, is suppressed and removed from any situation that would allow them to make any real impact. (General Barney Franks, Commander of Operations in Afghanistan) The Discipline- this can be defined in many ways, but the essence of which is pure obedience. What we subject ourselves and others to in light of the natural desire. Simply put, if we dont want to do something, but it is for our best interest, then this is what induces us to comply. Self-imposed or

imposed by force and fear; compliance to a standard of behavior. Although arguably; self-imposed discipline is stronger, because at its roots it is forged with ideals and beliefs greater than ourselves, whereby externally imposed is more often self-limiting. For an example, if we are threatened and we are fighting only for our own life and self-desires, then we may be easily beaten and succumb, but if a loved one or some ideal greater or outside of ourselves is cherished and threatened, then we will fight and more often than not, fight to the end. Hence, it is imperative for a leader to instill qualities of discipline greater than the individual. The Way means inducing the people to have the same aim as the leadership, so that they will share death and share life, without fear of danger. 9-11-01 Those numbers deserver pause and reflection. They instill in us fear, anger, bitterness, desire for revenge, heartache, sadness, and a myriad of other emotions. Others can compel us to action faster than we can compel ourselves. After 9-11, the number of recruits into the US Military rose astronomically, and I also was one compelled to action. Not because our leadership was courting us, but because our fellow man, our fellow countryman had his/her life taken by evil forces. I was not compelled by the Presidents pleadings, but rather the tears and heartache of my fellow man. It is my belief that a man will give his life for several things; his country, his fellow soldier, his loved ones, or his ideals, but rarely will a man give his life for the political leadership of an establishment. What does this mean to the leadership of the nation? It means that they must put themselves into the position of the common man, feel his pain, relate to his loss, be grieved as he is grieved, then stir him with emotions. It is my belief that a man will not be willing to give his life for his leader if his leader is not will willing to give his life for the follower. The weather means the seasons. We must learn to fight in any weather. We cannot always choose when and where to fight. What if we choose to fight only in spring time, but the battle lingers on into the summer, then fall, then winter. Can we continue the battle? The US Military trains constantly in all environments and all terrains. We used to make fun of the 10th Mountain Division and call them rock monkeys. When would they ever be used? What, the Russians are going to invade us through Canada? Little did we know that 10 years later the 10th Mountain Division would be deployed to a rocky, mountainous region called Afghanistan? I am glad we were not in charge of training. We also believed that jungle training in Panama was just an aftermath of Vietnam; we were the ones being trained for the main tank battle on the plateaus of Antwerp. How foolish and nearsighted we were. We must be prepared for any and all scenarios. Patton marched his 3rd Army Divisions almost one hundred miles in bad weather in two days to attack the German left flank and link up with the 101st Airborne Division at Bastogne. These men were not driven by a desire to please Eisenhower, but rather at the motivation of Patton and a

need to save their fellow soldiers at Bastogne. Washington led his troops across the Delaware River near Trenton to attack the British, all in the dead of winter. Many men in both battles are told to have had their feet wrapped in rags due to lack of adequate equipment. Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness. All these traits must be taken together to form a cohesive leader, any one of these alone relied upon will only prove defeat; in fact weakness in anyone will certainly lead to great loss of life. Of these five, three can be demonstrated, but the other two are only earned. Trustworthiness, and courage are earned under the fires of adversity. Every general has heard of these five things. Those who know them prevail; those who do not know them do not prevail. To know is an understatement, to study, to examine, to dissect, that is truly knowing. A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective. This, in todays environment of immediate mass media, is incredibly difficult. How can anyone present themselves as incompetent and ineffective on the battle field, and not be perceived also on the home front as incompetent and ineffective? It becomes a duel edged sword. What ends up inevitably happening is a demonstration of neutrality. Not being effective nor ineffective, not competent or incompetent, just stagnant, a quagmire. Iraq, we are neither making progress nor losing ground. The battle then comes to the home fronts and whichever country has the softest stomach for war.loses. Deception is only effective if it is kept secret. The modern battlefield is a media free for all, if Bin Laden can be found by news reporters, how could he never be found by our elite Special Forces Groups? When they are fulfilled, be prepared against them; when they are strong, avoid them. Never allow the enemy to fight their fight, always draw them out to fight your fight. Never allow them to prepare for battle, but instead strike when they are preparing. Likewise, when they are fully prepared, beware and try to avoid the fight. Use humility to make them haughty. Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 Present an image of humility to cause them to become haughty, then strike when they are not expecting it. The Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17th, 1775. Colonel Prescott shouted Dont shoot till you see the whites of their eyes. Not only did this preserve ammunition, but it also built a haughty spirit in the British attacking army as they must have gained false confidence in charging an army that was putting up no resistance. Attack when they are unprepared; make your move when they do not expect it.

This is the essence of number six of the Code of Isshinryu; strike when the opportunity presents itself. Meng Shi wrote This is why it is said that in military operations formlessness is the most effective. Not more than 150 years ago we were still lining up in nice straight ranks, shoulder to shoulder so that our enemies could shoot at us. Although I am sure they did not think about it in that way, the essence is obvious. Pride was what emboldened men to stand in ranks and walk down the barrels of their enemies. Not a very effective way to defeat your enemies, but a very effective way to get yourself killed. In his Plan of Discipline Major Robert Rogers a noted British military leader during the French and Indian War; repeatedly orders his men to travel and fight in ways that are nonstructured. His common sense leadership approach and method of maneuvering and fighting is the basis for many of todays Special Operations Forces. His rule #21
If the enemy pursue your rear, take a circle till you come to your own tracks, and there form an ambush to receive them, and give them the first fire. ii

When better to attack an enemy but when they are preparing to attack you. The formation and procedure used by the military should not be divulged beforehand. We all agree that to divulge our plan to the enemy would be paramount to suicide; we guard our plans as though they are unique, and again our pride in our great plans betrays us. We deny the last minute intelligence reports and with the utmost rigidity walk head long into a massacre. Mei Yaochen said it so profoundly Since you adapt and adjust appropriately in the face of the enemy, how could you say what you are going to do beforehand? We often boast of what we would do if this situation or if that scenario, but just like bunkai, it is not always presented how we expect, nor does it evolve in the manner of which we planned. So in order to be successful, we must be fluid in our execution, adapting to the dynamics of the fight. This by no way means we should not have a plan, on the contrary, we should enter the fight with well-defined plans, contingencies, and strategies. Master Sun refers to these as strategic factors; of which the leader with the most strategic factors before the battle is the one who will win the battle before it is fought and the one with the least strategic factors is the one that has already lost the battle.

While technology is a grand gift and it can save many lives in warfare, it can also be the straw that brings us to ruin. The technology that we have developed we tend to share with our allies. Again, this is a good thing because it makes our alliances strong and II Doing Battle When you do battle, even if you are winning, if you continue for a long time it will dull your forces and blunt your edge; if you besiege a citadel, your strength will be exhausted. If you keep your armies out in the field for a long time, your supplies will be insufficient.

War is like a fire if you do not put it out, it will burn itself out. Li Quan. How true just look at Vietnam; no clear defined start of war, no definition of purpose or task, long drawn out conflict with its victories and losses for the most part meaningless. I say this with no hint of disrespect for those brave Americans that gave their lives and service to our country. But we are repeating it again with Iraq and Afghanistan. Which leads me to: Those who use the military skillfully do not raise troops twice and do not provide food three times. Determine the cost before you enter into battle, for the masses will become weary and untrustworthy if you return again to raise troops for the same battle. The refinement of man has led to difficulty in war. No longer can we attack, kill, defeat, pillage, and return to our homelands with the spoils of war. For the enemy has a name, a face, a family, and though we destroyed the Head of the enemy, now we are enslaved to feed, provide for, rebuild, defend, and train the people we just fought against. How ironic, our civility does not even allow us to destroy our enemy but build them up so that they can once again rise against us. Just look at the history of Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan over the past 70 years. Therefore, those who are not thoroughly aware of the disadvantages in the use of arms cannot be thoroughly aware of the advantages in the use of arms. It is the Ying and Yang of the battle, whether the fight be as simple as a knife armed attacker or yielding a nuclear weapon. We as tacticians must consider both sides of the sword as it were. If we bring a knife to a fight, there is a good chance we could get cut with our own weapon, it is also a good chance our opponent will get cut. If we choose not to bring a weapon, then how will we be matched if they bring a weapon? As a NBC (Nuclear Biological and Chemical) Weapons Officer my responsibility was to advise the Battalion commander on all aspects of unconventional warfare. Using chemical weapons against an enemy is a quick way to eliminate your enemy; however it is also a quick way to eliminate your own forces, it also renders the entire operational area as contaminated and in habitable. Not just for a day but in the case of nuclear weapons, hundreds or thousands of years. For the martial artist, just the decision to use our hands and our training should bring us pause. Not at the time where action is needed, but in our conscience, with due diligence and consideration of the potential ramifications. It is advantageous to know how to defend ourselves and others against attackers. It may become disadvantageous as we then inherit the responsibility of defending others. By taking equipment from your own country but feeding off the enemy you can be sufficient in both arms and provisions. Weapons are an extension of our bodies, we must become so familiar with our weapons, we must know them inside, outside, upside down, backwards, in the dark, by feel, by smell, by weight, and by balance. The philosophy of weapon handling has not changed over time, although weapons evolve into more efficient killing tools, the familiarity with our weapon remains constant. In 1982 when I was in army basic training, we would check our weapons out on days that we would be using them, go through the training, then clean and turn them in the same day. When my niece recently went

through army basic training, they were assigned their weapons and kept them for weeks at a time. They ate, slept, worked, studied, exercised with, and even relieved themselves while in possession of their weapons. This constant contact and handling builds cohesiveness between the weapon and the soldier. One disadvantage for the U.S. military is the choice of ammunition caliber. While the United States and some NATO forces use the 5.56mm NATO round, most of the third world, Soviet Block and Middle Eastern countries utilize the 7.62mm x 39mm round (typically used in the AK rifle.) While the debate over which is a better round may never be settled, we can try to understand the reasoning behind the differences. One major reason for maintaining differences is that if our ammunition is captured, it would most likely never be used against us. One flaw is that if we run out of ammunition, we could never use the enemies either. Food and provisions are universal and therefore if in country, we should be able to survive off the food of the land. Those who are near the army sell at high prices. Because of high prices, the wealth of the common people is exhausted. Remember the $700 hammer? Greed will destroy a people. The army is designed to fight and must be focused on the fight. Cheating the armies and taking advantage by exclusivity and monopoly is only destroying the force that is ultimately protecting the freedoms that permit such activities. An armys worth and purpose is not its self-preservation but rather in the preservation of the people they are defending. Since humanity does not allow the pillaging and gathering the spoils of war, the cost of the war is upon the shoulders of the people. Whether we are fighting for our own defense or the defense of a people half a world away the burden of funding an army is thrust upon the people by the leadership. This burden can exhaust and destroy a nation as if it were directly attacked. Each pound of food taken from the enemy is equivalent to twenty pounds you provide by yourself. It is taught that for every man on the battle field it takes anywhere from four to ten in supporting operations. This magnifies the provisions of a modern combat unit by a factor upwards of tenfold. If we just consider the staff required to feed ten thousand fighting troops, we must then look at the fact that the support staff must eat and have provisions also, and so must the people that transport the food and supplies from the homeland to the battlefield, and so on. If a small Special Forces A-Team is able to obtain local weapons and provisions, then they are able to live and fight almost indefinitely. Change their colors; use them mixed in with your own. Treat the soldiers well, take care of them. Captured enemy combatants are mankind; they have families, children, hopes and dreams. Treat them with respect and they may look at you as allies not enemies. They may even be convinced to fight alongside of you in defense of their country. Many satellite countrymen were conscripted into Hitlers army. These men were not fighting for God and Country but rather out of fear for their own lives. These are the easy ones to win over, give them respect, food and a choice, and more often than not, they will choose to fight against the ones that pressed them into service from the beginning.

So the important thing in a military operation is victory, not persistence. Persistence requires sustainability, sustainability requires provisions, and provisions requires We must remember the objective is not to fight but rather to win. An army entangled in a battle is not the same as an army engaged in a battle. Points for persistence are not rewarded, trophies are not given for second place and the losers do not normally go home so they can fight another day. War and battle is all about victory and winning the fight. Whether we are fighting for the spoils of war, our freedom, or the freedom of a forgotten and weak people group, the objective is to be victorious, and go home and enjoy the freedoms fought and died for. Hence, we know that the leader of the army is in charge of the lives of the people and the safety of the nation. What greater motivator can a leader expect: than to be charged with the safety and welfare of an army and a nation? What an incredible burden and responsibility placed upon and accepted by a leader. The cost of the battle, if lost, is not only the cost of the soldiers on the battle field, but the lives and welfare of the people of their nation. December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the United States Pacific Fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Although the battle for Pearl Harbor was the immediate target of the Japanese Emperor, it was not his ultimate objective. His three fold objective included controlling the East, Southeast, and South Asia and the entire Pacific Ocean and eventually controlling North and South America. Hence, the American Soldiers on the ground and in the air over Pearl were not fighting for their ship or even for the island of Hawaii, but rather they were engaged in a battle over the sovereignty of the United States. Men and women all across America were propelled into action after the radio address of President Franklin Roosevelt.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost, but will make very certain that this form of treachery shall never endanger us again. Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger. With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God. Franklin Roosevelt

Men may follow a strong leader, dictator, ruler, tyrant; but men will fight and die for someone that they believe in, especially if they believe the leader will die for them. III Planning a Siege The general rule for use of the military is that it is better to keep a nation intact than to destroy it.

Master Sun goes on to elaborate on the hierarchy of the military nation, restating this in terms of the Army, the division, the battalion and the unit. The essence of his statement is better revealed by Li Quan when he says that killing is not the important thing. I think this is the true essence of modern warfare. Man has destroyed man for thousands of years in an effort to satisfy their needs, wants and desires, when all that is really required is a submission of their will. Taking the fight out of the fighter is more desirable and less costly for both sides. Sensei H. C. Butch McLaughlin often quotes it is easy to destroy, a white belt can be taught to destroy something... This is where strategy and tactical wisdom is revealed. How can the enemy be brought to a realization that fighting and dying is not an option but submission and living is advantageous? Have a reputation of mercy and respect. July 9th, 1944, battle for the island of Saipan, the Americans had battled their way to the northern end of the island to find thousands of men, women, and children high atop the cliffs overlooking shark infested waters below. And because of false propaganda given by the Japanese that the Americans would torture and maim them if captured, they either jumped or were pushed to their deaths. Overall 22,000 civilians were killed in the battle for Saipan. They would never know that we, the Americans, actually died on their Island for their freedom from tyranny. iii Therefore, the superior militarist strikes while schemes are being laid. At this point the enemy is neither prepared for or has planned for either the attack or the defense. They will be caught off guard, ill-prepared, thrust into a state of confusion and disarray. It is like standing at the line preparing to point spar, when the center judge calls hajime. Immediately attack before the opponent has an opportunity to read your style or determine your weaknesses. With regard to the one being attacked, this is a lesson to be learned before going to war. Always be prepared, for the battle may be brought to your home. The next best is to attack the alliances. Mei Yaochen refers to this as winning by intimidation. If we can attack and control/conquer our enemies allies, then they may reconsider bringing the fight to us. Although I cannot come up with a historical example of a pre-emptive defense, this method of intimidation is used by bully nations and was exploited by Hitler and the Third Reich in their parade across Eastern Europe in the early 1940s, where Hitlers armies just rolled into city after city conquering the people and never firing a shot. Only later to crush the people by fear and further intimidation and orchestrate the most horrendous atrocity of the 20th century, the Jewish Holocaust. Take three months to prepare your machines and three months to complete your siege engineering. The wise leader prepares not only the army for battle but the people for the cost. Preparations for battle take time and the time needs to be taken. Wars, battles, and more importantly, lives, have been lost because leaders were hot headed, angered, and impatient. June 6 th, 1944- How many more lives would have been lost if we had rushed the planning which actually began in 1942.

English.Eastday.com Article on Sun Tzu; http://english.eastday.com/e/zx/userobject1ai4045819.html Jounals of Major Robert Rogers by Robert Rogers and Franklin B. Hough; Albany: Joel Munsells Sons 1883, Pg. 85 World War II - Pacific Theater, 1944, D-Day on Saipan; http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1770.html

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