9 Rules of War

                            Analysis
                               by
                Col. Harry G. Summers, Jr. (Ret.)

                        Los Angeles Times
                          March 2, 1991
                             Page A6

                            (excerpt)

     The nine classic principles of war provide a framework for 
comparing the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.  The first and 
perhaps the most important principle is that of the Objective.  
In Vietnam, 70% of the generals were uncertain of the goals of 
the war.  That statistic might well have applied to the Iraqi 
army, but among coalition forces the objectives were clear.

     The Offensive is the second principle--carry the war to the 
enemy and destroy his armed forces.  The national policy of 
containment ruled out that principle in the Vietnam War.  In the 
Gulf, the military's hands were untied for the first time since 
World War II.  It was a difference Hussein failed to anticipate.

     Mass and Economy of Force are the next two interrelated 
principles.  Mass dictates you put your main effort toward 
attainment of your main objectives, while secondary objectives 
are covered by an Economy of Force.

     It was the Soviet Union that enabled the United States to 
mass its forces in the Gulf and leave an economy of force to 
guard Central Europe.  In what Hussein must have seen as a 
terrible betrayal, his erstwhile Soviet ally gave tacit approval 
to removal of the U.S. VII Corps from Central Europe, where for 
decades it had guarded against a Soviet attack there.

     It was that VII Corps, with its 1st and 3rd Armored 
divisions, its brigades from the 2nd Armored and 3rd Infantry 
divisions and its 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment that provided the 
heavy punch for Gen. Schwarzkopf's main attack.  And getting them 
there involved yet another principle, that of Maneuver.  Not only 
were forces moved from Europe, they were moved from the United 
States as well.  The logistics task of transporting over half a 
million troops along with their arms, supplies and equipment was 
truly a Herculean effort.

     Consider ammunition stocks alone.  For planning purposes, 
the daily supply rate for an armored or mechanized division is 
5,000 tons.  Gen. Schwarzkopf said they had a 60-day supply on 
hand.  That's 300,000 tons.  Then multiply that by all the U.S. 
and allied divisions in country and the figures are in the 
millions.

     Security and Surprise are the next two reciprocal 
principles.  In Vietnam, security was almost non-existent.  But 
the coalition's maneuver plans were kept secret to the very end, 
enabling the allied armies to achieve both operational and 
tactical surprise against the enemy forces.  While there was some 
whining and sniveling about restrictions on press coverage, in 
the end the reasons for such restrictions were obvious.

     The principle of Simplicity is a kind of litmus test for the 
other principles.  The Vietnam War was one of the most 
complicated and convoluted wars ever waged, and the confusion 
demonstrated itself on the battlefield.

     Desert Storm, by contrast, was the model of simplicity, 
especially in the lines of communication, command and control.

     This was especially noteworthy, for, like Vietnam, politics 
made it impossible to achieve the principle of Unity of Command 
(that is, subordinating all forces to a single leader).  But 
through cooperation among the allies, unity of purpose to a 
remarkable degree was achieved nonetheless in both the 
multination air campaign and the ground campaign that followed.

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                      Extract of principles
                       from above article

1.  Objective (set and know your goals)
2.  Offensive (carry the war to the enemy, destroy his forces)
3.  Mass (main effort covers attainment of main objective)
4.  Economy of Force (covers secondary objectives)
5.  Maneuver (logistical support of forces)
6.  Security (keep your plans, strategies secret)
7.  Surprise (enemy doesn't anticipate the tactics & operations)
8.  Unity of Command (all forces subordinate to a single leader)
9.  Simplicity (litmus test of first 8 principles)