Principles of War: Surprise

The Principles of War can help us understand the connections between a battle in 253 B.C. and one in 1992 A.D. They can also be used to analyze martial arts training and to optimize the skills and capabilities of the martial artist.

M
O
O
Surprise
E
M
U
S
S

The fourth letter in the MOOSEMUSS mnemonic stands for “Surprise”. On page 4-14 of U.S. Army Field Manual FM-3-0, “Surprise” is defined.

“Surprise
Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared.

“4-47. Surprise is the reciprocal of security. Surprise results from taking actions for which an enemy or adversary is unprepared. It is a powerful but temporary combat multiplier. It is not essential to take the adversary or enemy completely unaware; it is only necessary that he become aware too late to react effectively. Factors contributing to surprise include speed, information superiority, and asymmetry.”

After defeating the Union Army of the Potomac from defensive positions on a ridge at Fredericksburg, General Robert E. Lee went on offense. Command of the Union Army was transferred to General Joseph Hooker who took up prepared defensive positions near Chancellorsville, VA. Hooker thought to bleed Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia like the Union Army was bled at Fredericksburg – but Lee wasn’t Burnside.

Lee’s cavalry reported that the Union right flank was anchored in thick woods but was lightly defended. Hooker thought the woods impenetrable by the Confederate Army. But Lee sent Stonewall Jackson’s corps around the Union flank to attack through the woods.

Jackson’s charge was a complete surprise crushing the right flank of the Army of the Potomac and routing the Army. Robert E. Lee’s use of the Principle of War, “Surprise” at Chancellorsville was masterful and it changed the strategic positions of the opposing forces. The Confederacy’s next move would be a fateful invasion of Pennsylvania leading to the Battle of Gettysburg.

In 1991 General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commanding the U.S. and coalition forces in the Middle East used an elaborate misdirection scheme to convince the Iraqis that the United States Marine Corps would make an Inchon-like amphibious landing on Iraq’s Gulf Coast.

Schwarzkopf intended no such landing but he convinced the Iraqi military commanders that the threat was serious and they pulled elite divisions from the Saudi boarder to defend the Gulf Coast. When Coalition forces rolled through the berms on the Saudi-Iraqi boarder the defenders were not only badly beaten up by the previous six weeks of air attacks - they were also too thin and lacking strategic reserves to impede Schwarzkopf’s assault.

Schwarzkopf’s surprise through misdirection is a form used frequently in all martial arts. It manifests itself in feints, in combinations, and in disguised techniques.

From the Field Manual again; “… it is only necessary that he become aware too late to react effectively.” Surprise is fleeting and the strike must happen quickly else the opponent is able to reorient his defense to counter the blow. In war, the window of opportunity to exploit surprise can be minutes or hours. In hand to hand combat the window may close in the blink of an eye.

“Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared.”

Link to the Martial Arts Training Report: The Principles of War