Principles of War: Self Analysis - Objective

I’m analyzing my martial arts skills, capabilities, and personal style through the lens of the Principles of War as defined in U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-0 starting on page 4-11. My commentaries on the definitions are found through the links below.

Mass
Objective
Offensive
Surprise
Economy of Force
Maneuver
Unity of Command
Security
Simplicity

My grade for Mass was a “C”. Now it’s time to get a grade on the Principle of War: Objective.

“Direct every military operation toward a clearly defined, decisive, and attainable objective.”

An objective must be defined, decisive, and attainable.

Defined:
Strategically, my objective in the self defense situation is clear and predetermined; survival with minimum injury for myself and my loved ones.

Tactically, my objective is a decisive disabling counter technique – a clean hard Judo throw, a sidekick to the side of the knee, a knife-hand strike to the throat, or a hammer fist to the clavicle. But, I’ll wait for the opportunity even while trying to create it through feints, jabs, and offensive combinations.

I think my Objective is well defined and so I grade this element of the Principle of War an “A”.

Decisive:
My strategic objective is decisive. Tactically, however, I can’t be certain that a successful attack would be decisive – that it would achieve the strategic objective. Consequently, I’ll give myself a “B” for this element of the Principle of War: Objective.

Attainable:
My strategic and tactical objectives are attainable – that is; perceived by me to be possible. The probability of success depends on the capability of my opponent. The probability, however, is never zero. It is always possible to catch a good counter technique against even a highly training opponent. For the “Attainable” element of the Principle of War: Objective I grade myself a “B”.

Overall Grade:
I’ve graded myself an “A” for “defined”; a “B” for “decisive”; and a “B” for “attainable”. Overall, my grade for the Principle of War: Objective is a “B”.

In my next post I’ll grade myself on the Principle of War Offensive.

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