sun tzu presentation

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SUN TZUSCOPE

• Introduction

• Biographical Sketch

• Salient Features of His Ideas and Strategies

• Impact of His Ideas on Conduct of War

• Validity of His Ideas and Doctrine to Modern Times

• Place in History

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Introduction

“Supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting”

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Sequence

• Introduction






Adnan

Shahzad

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Biographical SketchBiographical Sketch

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Biographical Sketch

• Names : Sun Tzu, Sun Wu, Sun Zi

• Name means : Master Sun

• Born : 5th Century BC

• Birthplace : Ch’i State, China

• Death : Before 473 BC

• Best known for : The Art of War

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King Ho LuKing Ho Lu

Biographical Sketch

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Biographical Sketch

If the words of command are not clear and distinct, or if the instructions are not understood, it is the mistake of general

If the orders are clear but the soldiers disobey, it is the fault of their officers

Having once received his majesty’s commission to be general of these troops, there are certain commands, which in this capacity, I am unable to accept

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Biographical Sketch

C

H’ICH’I

WUWU

CH’U

CH’U

TS’INTS’IN

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PING FA

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Sun Tzu - Outside China

• Japan – 8th Century AD

• Paris – 1782

• Translations : German Russian Italian

• First English Translation -

1905

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Doctrine of Sun Tzu

• Prepare adequate defences to repel any attack

• Seek ways to defeat the enemy without engaging him in battle

• Follow the enemy situation in order to decide on battle

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Ideas and StrategiesIdeas and Strategies

Salient Features

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Ideas and Strategies

““The art of war is of vital The art of war is of vital

importance to the state. It importance to the state. It

is a matter of life or death, is a matter of life or death,

a road to survival or to ruin. a road to survival or to ruin.

Hence it is mandatory that Hence it is mandatory that

it be thoroughly studied.”it be thoroughly studied.”

Sun TzuSun Tzu

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Ideas and Strategies

1.1. AppraisalsAppraisals

2.2. Waging WarWaging War

3.3. Offensive Offensive

StrategyStrategy

4.4. DispositionsDispositions

5.5. EnergyEnergy

6.6. Weaknesses Weaknesses

and Strengthsand Strengths

7.7. ManoeuvreManoeuvre

8.8. Nine VariablesNine Variables

9.9. MarchesMarches

10.10. TerrainTerrain

11.11. Nine GroundsNine Grounds

12.12. Act by FireAct by Fire

13.13. Secret AgentsSecret Agents

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Appraisals

• Moral Law

• Weather

• Terrain

• Commande

r

• Doctrine

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Appraisals

• Moral LawMoral Law

• Weather

• Terrain

• Commande

r

• Doctrine

To be in complete harmony with their leader, so that they accompany him in life unto death, without fear of mortal perils

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Appraisals

• Moral Law

• WeatherWeather

• Terrain

• Commande

r

• Doctrine

Interaction of natural forces; the effects of winter’s cold and summer’s heat and the conduct of military operations accordingly

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Appraisals

• Moral Law

• Weather

• TerrainTerrain

• Commande

r

• Doctrine

• Ground – Ease or

Difficulty

• Distances – Great or

Small

• Places – Dangerous or

Secure

• Lands – Open or

Constricted

• Chances – Life or Death

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Appraisals

• Moral Law

• Weather

• Terrain

• CommandeCommande

rr

• Doctrine

• Wisdom• Sincerity• Humanity• Courage• Firmness

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Appraisals

• Moral Law

• Weather

• Terrain

• Commande

r

• DoctrineDoctrine

• Organization & Control

• Assignment of appropriate ranks to officers

• Maintenance of supply routes

• Provision of principal items used by army

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Waging War

“Victory is the main object

in war. If this is prolonged,

weapons are blunted and

morale is depressed”

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Waging War

• No country has ever benefited from prolonged war

• Speed and swiftness is the essence of victory

• Rapidity is of supreme importance in bringing it to a close

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Waging War

“Treat your captives well

and care for them”

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Offensive Strategy

• All the available resources of the state should be used to wage war against the enemy

• It is important to attack enemy’s strategy and plans. Next to disrupt his alliances and then to attack his army

• The best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this

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Offensive Strategy

• Those skilled in war subdue the enemy without fighting. They capture his cities without assaulting them and over throw his state without protracted operations

• Know the enemy and know yourself; in hundred battles you will never be in danger

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Dispositions

• Invincibility lies in defence; the possibility of victory in attack

• A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle; an army destined to defeat, fights in the hope of winning

• Those skilled in war, cultivate humanity and justice, and preserve laws and therefore formulate victorious policies

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Energy

• To control many is the same as to control few through formations and signals

• When the torrential water tosses the rocks, it is because of its momentum

• When the strike of a hawk breaks the body of its prey, it is because of its timing

Force, influence and authority which is exercised in war by the commander

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Energy

• Momentum of one skilled in war is overwhelming, and his attack precisely regulated

• His potential is that of a fully drawn crossbow; his timing, the release of the trigger

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Weaknesses & Strengths

• If enemy is at ease, be able to exhaust him

• If enemy is well fed, be able to starve him

• If enemy is settled, be able to move him

• Appear at places to which enemy must rush to defend

• Rush to places where he least expects

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Weaknesses & Strengths

• An army is like water; just as flowing water avoids heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids the enemy strength and strikes the weakness

• One able to gain victory by modifying his tactics in accordance with the enemy situation, may be said to be divine

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Manoeuvre

• Speed and diversion

• Dispersion and concentration of force to achieve deception

• Attack when enemy morale is low

• Do not attack when enemy is organized and advancing

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Manoeuvre

“He who knows the art of the

direct and the indirect

approach will be victorious”

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The Nine Variables

1. Not to encamp in low lying ground

2. On communicating ground, unite with your allies

3. On isolated ground, do not linger

4. On enclosed ground, resourcefulness is needed

5. On death ground, fight

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The Nine Variables

6. Some roads, not to follow

7. Some troops, not to strike

8. Some cities, not to assault

9. Some grounds, not to be contested

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Marches

1. Encamp on high ground

2. Fight downhill

3. When attacking, let half

the enemy cross the river

and then cut him to size

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Marches

4. After crossing a river move away quickly

5. Prefer high ground and take

position upstream

6. Keep height to your rear

and right and battle in the

front

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Marches

“He who lacks foresight

and under estimates his

enemy will surely be

captured by him”

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Terrains

• Accessible Land – Enemy can traverse with equal ease

• Entrapping Land – Easy to get out but difficult to return

• Indecisive Land – Ground equally disadvantageous to both sides

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Terrains

• Constricted Land – Block the passes and await the enemy

• Precipitous Land– Take position on the sunny heights and await the enemy

• Distant Land – When at a distance from the enemy of equal strength, it is difficult to provoke battle and unprofitable to engage him in his chosen position

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Nine Grounds• Dispersive Ground – When a

feudal lord fights in his own territory

• Frontier Ground – When a shallow penetration has been made into enemy territory

• Key Ground – Equally advantageous for both sides

• Communicating Ground – Equally accessible for both sides

• Focal Ground – When a state is enclosed by three other states

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Nine Grounds• Serious Ground – When

penetrated deep into hostile territory

• Difficult Ground – Hard places like swamps, marshlands, mountains, forests etc

• Encircled Ground – Where access is constricted and even small enemy force can strike

• Death Ground – Where army fights with the courage of desperation

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Act by Fire

• Hide in inaccessible places

• Travel lightly & pay no attention to weather

• Exhaust the enemy while pursuing

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Act by Fire

• Camouflage well

• Vary your locations

frequently

• Learn to move at night

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Secret Agents

Foreknowledge cannot be

obtained from spirits, nor

from gods, nor by analogy

with past events, nor from

calculations. It must be

obtained from men who

know the enemy situation

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Secret Agents

• Native Agents – Local inhabitants of the area

• Inside Agents – Grieved or rejected enemy officials

• Doubled Agents – Enemy agents used through heavy bribes

• Expendable Agents – Own agents deliberately employed to leak fabricated information to deceive enemy

• Living Agents – Own clever, talented, tough and loyal agents, who are trained to gain access to the enemy and bring back true useful information

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Secret Agents

“If plans relating to a secret

operation are prematurely

divulged, then the agents

and all those in knowledge

should be put to death”

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Sequence

• Introduction






Sqn Ldr Adnan

Sqn Ldr Shahzad

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Conduct of WarConduct of War

Impact of his Ideas on

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Impact on Conduct of War

• Doctrine• Strategy• Operations• Tactics• Deception• Limited War• Victory

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•Every state must have a war doctrine of her own to defend against external aggression

•It is a doctrine of war not to assume the enemy will not come but rather to rely on readiness to meet him; not to presume that he will not attack, but rather to make oneself invincible

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•When enemy concentrates, prepare against him

•Anger his general and confuse him

•Keep him under strain to wear him down

•When united divide him

•Attack him where he is unprepared

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•Operational preparedness

•Swiftness•Speed•Operations should have

specific aims•Victory is the main

object in war. If it is delayed weapons are blunted and morale depressed, when troops attack cities, their strength will be exhausted

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•When ten to enemy’s one, surround him

•When five times his strength, attack him

•If double the strength, divide him

•If equally matched, you may engage him

•If weaker numerically, be capable of withdrawing

•If unequal, be capable of eluding him

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•When capable, pretend incapacity; when active, inactivity

•When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far that you are near

•Offer the enemy a bait to lure him, pretend disorder and strike him

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•Protracted campaigns, lead to insufficient resources

•War demands victory, not prolonged operations

•Master of the people’s fate and arbiter of the nation

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•He who knows when to fight and when not to fight

•He who knows the use of small and large forces

•He whose ranks are united in purpose

•Prudent and lies in wait for a weak enemy

•Able Generals not hindered by the sovereign

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Art of Generalship

• Reckless

• Coward

• Short tempered

• Delicate sense of honour

• Compassionate

Dangerous Qualities

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Art of Generalship

“The ruin of army and the

death of the general are

inevitable results of these

shortcomings. These

must be deeply pondered”

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Impact on Leadership

“Fight no battle unprepared and fight no battle you are not sure of winning”

“Replenish strength with arms and personnel captured from the enemy”

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Validity of His Ideas and Doctrine to Modern Times

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War in Pacific

“When the enemy

speaks in the humble

tone, he continues his

preparation and will

advance”

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War in Pacific

• December 7, 1941

• Japanese bombing on Pearl

Harbour

“When you are ignorant of the

enemy but you know yourself; the

chances of winning or losing the

battle are equal”

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Korean War

“To be certain to take what

you attack, attack the place

where enemy does not

protect”

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Korean War

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Vietnam War

• Hot, dark and wet• Language was strange• Foe not easily distinguishable

from friend• American public unwilling to

tolerate death

Deception and psychological dominance

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War in Afghanistan

• Soviets were unfamiliar with the terrain and underestimated the will of Afghans

• Afghans were familiar with the terrain and employed guerilla warfare

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Place in HistoryPlace in History

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Place in History

“A compulsory course on

Sun Tzu’s strategic

thoughts be established in

all the military academies

throughout the world”

Field Marshal Montgomery

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Comparison with other strategists

Sun TzuClausewitzJomini

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Influence

• Jomini – American civil war

• Clausewitz – World Wars I and II

• Sun Tzu – Chinese warfare

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Concept of War

• War forms a part of existence of man• Discovered secrets behind art of waging war

• War and violence : A corollary• War is an act of violence to compel

the enemy to fulfill our will

• War is a recurrent conscious act• Requires a rational analysis• Not to be fought thoughtlessly or

recklessly

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Relationship – Policy & War

• Advocates singularity of command• Sovereign and general are one• Fails to understand the roles of ruler

and general

• War is to be regarded as a political instrument

• War decision to rest with sovereign• No interference by the sovereign

after declaration of war

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Tactics

• Taught Napolean’s method of war but as conditions changed the methods became outdated

• Does not dwell much on the forms and methods of war

• Do not repeat the tactics which have gained you one victory but let your methods be regulated by the infinite variety of circumstances

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Surprise and Deception

• In terms of time and space

• Surprise lies at the foundation of all undertakings

• All warfare is based on deception– When capable feign incapacity;

When active, inactivity– When near make it appear you are

far

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Psycho-Moral Aspects

• Hasn’t mentioned much about it

• War is a battle of opposing wills, hence the breaching of enemy’s will should be the object of war

• Primary target in war is the mind of the opposing commander

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Terrain

• Hasn’t elaborated

• Geography and the character of ground bear a close relation to warfare. They have an influence on engagement, its planning and exploitation

• A general who is unable to use ground properly is unfit for command

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Intelligence

• Efficient espionage and aggressive reconnaissance is vital for battle plan

• Hasn’t covered

• What enables the wise sovereign and the good general to strike, conquer and achieve things beyond the reach of ordinary men, is foreknowledge

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Stratagem

“The skillful leader subdues the enemy troops without fighting; he captures their cities without laying siege to them; he overthrows their kingdom without any lengthy operations in field. With his forces intact, his triumph will be complete”

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Aim of War

• Destruction of enemy forces and capture of territory

• Never grasped that true aim of war is peace and not victory

• There is no instance of a country having benefited from prolonged warfare

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Application of theory

• Never commanded a division• Wrote about war from an observers

viewpoint

• Never commanded a division• Could not validate his theories

through practice

• Has put his own theories to test• Wrote a treatise on war and proved

his own theories

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ConclusionConclusion

sun tzu presentation

Documents

modern times

sun tzu

weaknesses

limited war

offensive

enemy situation

war validity

war doctrine