Accession Number:

ADA288935

Title:

The Art of War, Nonlinearity and, Coping With Uncertainty.

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS SCHOOL OF ADVANCED MIL ITARY STUDIES

Personal Author(s):

• Walters, Gary L.

Report Date:

1994-05-19

Pagination or Media Count:

50.0

Abstract:

This monograph offers a definition of military art, discusses military arts relationship to the commanders management of battlefield uncertainty, and uncertaintys relationship to nonlinearity. Using the terms of art, uncertainty, and nonlinearity, the monograph builds a model of military art not only linking these terms, but also putting the terms in relation to US Army doctrine through the use of the battlefield operating system BOS Command and Control C2. The context for the model of military art is the context of war, specifically Clausewitzs elements of war danger, exertion, chance and uncertainty. In building the model, and applying Clausewitz, the monograph also offers definitions for the terms, chance, fog and friction. Additionally considered and incorporated into the model of military art are the terms intuition, and vision. The monograph concludes that military art is the commanders skill as guided by the principles of war in using military means for the attainment of an endstate. Military art begins where military science ends. It is characterized by synthesis, judging, and creativity. As military science is the practice of reducing battlefield uncertainty, military art is the practice of coping with battlefield uncertainty. The military artists principal virtue is that of intuition, a virtue firmly grounded in experience and education. The principal manifestation of military art is vision, marked by the commands ability to agree upon its endstate and the methods of that endstates acquirement.

Descriptors:

• *UNCERTAINTY
• *LAND WARFARE
• *MILITARY DOCTRINE
• *ARMY OPERATIONS
• MANAGEMENT
• SKILLS
• MODELS
• BATTLEFIELDS
• SYNTHESIS
• NONLINEAR SYSTEMS
• COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEMS
• MILITARY COMMANDERS

Subject Categories:

• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE