The Art of War: A Sun Tzu-ian Look at the Operational Functions

The Art of War, the best known and most studied philosophy of war in history is regularly overlooked by students of the operational art. Developed by 5th century BC Chinese general Sun Wu, The Art of War finds great popularity in the ranks of junior officers and NCOs, dealing with war at the tactical level. Similarly, Sun's philosophy garners great attention among public officials and senior military officers, including many who never get past his opening statement: "War is a vital matter of the state; the province of life or death; the road to survival or ruin." Sun's immediate acknowledgement of the critical nature of war lead many to believe The Art of War is merely another recognition of the primacy of politics in warfare. Therefore, unfortunately, most planning or otherwise engaged in the operational level of war simply ignore a vital, invaluable source. While The Art of War is a one of the fundamental building blocks of the Naval War College Strategy and Policy Course, it gets precious little mention (if any) during the follow-on segment of study, Joint Military Operations. How unfortunate. Sun Tzu's philosophy has many direct applications to those planning and executing the military art at the operational level. Analysis of the Operational Functions (command and control, fires, intelligence, logistics, protection, and synchronization of operational functions) provides a useful framework from which to examine Sun's understanding of operational level warfare.