Application

RTJ editor Mark Mateski asks:

"I want to consider the goal of achieving non-linear effects consistently. Does it work in the real world? Sometimes it does, certainly, but for all the papers and presentations trumpeting the advantages of non-linear strategies, my sense is that consistent success remains elusive. This is despite the fact that current U.S. strategists and leaders have been raised on complexity, systems perspectives, RMA, transformation, and effects-based operations. I would guess that for every thousand strategists who read Sun Tzu, fewer than a hundred can implement the principles effectively and consistently outside of the classroom. Why? Good strategy is never a checklist exercise. Context counts, and it changes. Even the best strategist is susceptible to biases. Incomplete information, deception, the fog of war–the list of challenges is long and daunting. ... So, what’s the answer? What can we do that we’re not doing already to generate better real-world strategies?"

Mateski is making an extremely valuable point about problems with non-linear effects. There are two things at play here.The first is that, as both Jomini and Clausewitz agreed, individuals who can draft and apply effective strategies are extremely rare. Studying strategy is worlds away from implementing it and designing it. In fact, the perilous thing, as Joseph Fouche memorably noted, is that study of strategy and geopolitics can even create a narrower view for the "geopolitical nerd":

"He suffers from a contradiction: he can see the narrow slices of reality that he specializes in exquisite and even excruciating detail. Unfortunately, he sees the world outside as a mixture of his tiny area of expertise writ large and a land populated by large bright shiny ideals that he can see in all of its fine shades. Based on this perception, he can formulate responses perfectly calibrated to exploit his unique domain knowledge to remake the world in the image of his vision. However, the nerd’s intentions suffer from a major defect: they are usually fatally out of sync with the means available to achieve that vision"

Second, one of Sun Tzu's fatal flaws (which is shared by complexity, systems methodologies, effects-based ops) is that he emphasizes a level of knowledge and understanding about the world that most do not possesses and will never acquire. In the American context, this is even more galling because of continuing ignorance of other cultures and continuous de-emphasizing of history.

Comments

[Fred Leland]

Application is indeed the the part of strategy that gets lost in the shuffle sir...

As we have spoken of the lost art of operations and how to apply strategy is linked to individual and/or organizational knowledge and the abilty to put that knowledge to work, as you vividly point out here.

"Second, one of Sun Tzu's fatal flaws (which is shared by complexity, systems methodologies, effects-based ops) is that he emphasizes a level of knowledge and understanding about the world that most do not possesses and will never acquire."

I am not to sure this statement of Sun Tzu and a fatal flaw is accurate??? The flaw may indeed instead be in our own unwillingness to aquire suffcient knowledge to apply strategy to the real world problems we face. I do get the point though.

Outstanding post short and dead on!

Fred

[A.E.]

One of the common things pointed out in comparisons of Sun Tzu vs. Clausewitz is the various stresses that both put on intelligence. Sun Tzu is constantly exhorting the reader to get as much of it as possible and Clausewitz is extremely skeptical of its utility. I suppose the term "fatal flaw" was hyperbole (easy to do with blogging form), but the fact remains that he does not really place enough skepticism on the human ability to assimilate information.

[Fred Leland]

Point well taken Adam.

[YT]

Re: "the fact remains that he does not really place enough skepticism on the human ability to assimilate information."

Will human beings EVER really have PERFECT knowledge of the battlefield?

[Fred Leland]

Know they will NOT!

[YT]

Point well taken Fred.