The Principles of War

1. The Principles of War

2. The Principles of War • Objective • Offensive • Concentration (mass) • Economy of Force • Maneuver • Simplicity • Surprise • Security • Unity of Command Adaptation by US Army of tenets originally proposed by Carl von Clausewitz in his essay Principles of War, as documented in US Army FM 3-0

3. Objective Direct every military operation towards a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable

4. Offensive Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative

5. Concentration(Mass) Concentrate combat power at the decisive place and time

6. Economyof Force Allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts

7. Maneuver Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power

8. Simplicity Prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise orders to ensure thorough understanding

9. Surprise Strike the enemy at a time, at a place, or in a manner for which he is unprepared

10. Security Never permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected advantage

11. Unity ofCommand For every objective, ensure unity of effort under one responsible commander

12. 13 Principles ? • In 2007, Armed Forces Journal published a proposal by van Avery, 12 New Principles of War to completely overhaul and expand the U.S. principles of war from nine to thirteen. The article was subsequently forwarded to the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Air Force Chief of Staff General Moseley and an effort to overhaul current U.S. doctrine was initiated using van Avery's framework.