War of Time by Jan Hanska

Author:Jan Hanska
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030455170
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

The assailant must send his reserves to action when applying additional force has the best chance to turn the tide in his favor. The defender has a slightly different situation. Either the assailant can create a breakthrough and he has to commit reserves reactively to block it or he can make an active choice during an auspicious moment and switch into the offensive. Reserve is used to secure a decision and thus the counter-attack with reserves is one of the kairos-moments for the operational artist or tactician. When the reserves are committed, it must be done boldly. If reserves are committed piecemeal their effect diminishes. When reserves are thrown in, the battle or operation usually gets decided either way. The logic dictating employment of reserves has remained almost unaltered over time.Success in employing one’s operational reserves essentially depends on the timing of their commitment; otherwise, the operational commander can miss the opportunity to obtain the initiative and also enhance freedom of action for the enemy commander. Equally dangerous is to employ one’s operational reserve prematurely. One’s premature actions are usually the result of haste and lack of organization. They also might be caused by one’s unrealistic assessment of the enemy. In contrast, one’s preemptive actions are planned and organized with the aim to achieve surprise. In short, both premature actions and actions taken too late are a good indicator of a commander’s failure to use the factor of time properly. (Vego 2009, p. III–28)

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