Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd (Strategy and History) by Frans P.B. Osinga

Author:Frans P.B. Osinga [Osinga, Frans P.B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2007-01-24T00:00:00+00:00

Napoleon furthermore used unified lines of operations as the basis for mutual support between units. He threatened enemy communications to isolate the opponent. He forced the opponent to fight under unfavorable conditions through operations that held or diverted the enemy (feints, pinning maneuvers) and by attacks against exposed flanks or through weak fronts. All the while he maintained freedom of maneuver by setting up centers of operations and alternative lines of communications and keep these (at least some) open. As for command and control, Napoleon initially used a centralized concept with a low degree of tactical variety, which created strategic success to produce tactical success. So higher-level confusion within the enemy camp must make up for lower level uniformity of Napoleon’s units and their operations.

In later campaigns Napoleon exchanged variety, rapidity and surprise for rigid uniformity and massed artillery fire, dense infantry columns and heavy artillery against regions of strong resistance. He de-emphasized loose, irregular methods at the tactical level. And in the end he thus failed.45 Boyd sees in the early victories a substantiation of his own views, and in the latter of Napoleon’s less victorious campaign he finds fault with the loss of variety and flexibility.

Next, he turns his critique on Clausewitz and Jomini, the premier analysts of Napoleon’s art of war. In Boyd’s view, Clausewitz proposed a strategy along the following lines:

Exhaust the enemy by influencing him to increase his expenditure of effort.

Seek out centers of gravity upon which all power/movement depend and, if possible, trace them back to a single one.

Compress all effort, against those centers, into the fewest possible actions.

Subordinate all minor or secondary actions as much as possible.

Move at the utmost speed.

Seek a major battle (with superiority of number and conditions) that will promise a decisive victory.

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