Concentration and Economy of Force in War

 

"Never bring all our forces into play haphazardly and at one time, thereby losing all means of directing the battle; but fatigue the opponent, if possible, with few forces and conserve a decisive mass for the critical moment. Once this decisive mass has been thrown in, it must be used with the greatest audacity."  Clausewitz

-------------

Many of you will be bored.  You think yourselves too grand to bother with the underlying philosophy of the soldier's trade.  Your eyes will glaze over and you will not read the linked essay encapsulating Clausewitz' meditations on war.  IMO he was the greatest of all philosophers of war.  He was far greater than people like Boyd and his "OODA Loop,"  far greater than the recent hackneyed apostles of the failed COIN cult.

 

The present situation in Syria is tolling the doom of the present Syrian secular state and the possibility of the existence of other such governments in the ME.  Sisi in Egypt is reviled in the leftist R2P media, but, in fact, he saved Egypt from jihadi rule IN SPITE OF the efforts of the snowflakes in the Borgist dominated US government.

 

Syria has committed the ultimate error.  It has spread its inadequate forces all over the map seeking all at once to realize Assad's desire to liberate all of Syria's territory more or less at once.

 

The R+6 is fighting at:

 

1. Around Daraa in he SW where he jihadis have the active support of Israel, which as usual,  sees its enemies in a light clouded by hatred for all Arabs.

2. In Suweida east of the Daraa corridor.

3. On the Syrian/Lebanese mountain border.

4. In northern Hama Province.

5.  In Palmyra's desert countryside.

6. At Deir al-Zor where the "battling bastards of Deir al-Zor" deserve every real soldier's admiration.

7.  In eastern Aleppo Province south of the US led Tabqa effort.

8.  West of Aleppo City where inadequate SAA forces try expand their perimeter against the resurgent forces of AQ jihadis who have been allowed to re-consolidate their positions after defeat in Aleppo City.

9.  Anywhere else?

 

You can't fight like this and win.  Absent significant Russian and Iranian reinforcements, in the end the Syrians, Hizbullah and Iranians will be gradually worn down and defeated nationwide.  And what then?  "What then" will be another jihadi emirate and a life of oppression for the Syrian minorities.  This seems to be acceptable to the Israeli/R2P satellite state called the US a satellite which was once a proud country. A country for which my ancestors literally fought since the 17th Century.

 

What should be done?  Syria should call for international volunteers, to be trained and organized in Syria.  At the same time, concentration of forces should be adopted as national strategy.  pl

 

 

 https://www.clausewitz.com/mobile/principlesofwar.htm

 

Comments

[Babak Makkinejad]

All:

The comments of "lucopter" caused me to post this by Ambassador Chas Freeman:

http://chasfreeman.net/greater-israel-and-the-prospects-for-peace-in-the-middle-east/

[LondonBob]

The last thing I will have to say on this is that you need to look up the Battles of Aachen and Hurtgen Forest to see why the opportunity to bypass the Siegfried Line wasn't one to pass up.

[turcopolier]

LondonBob

Whoa! I am among those who thought M-G was a good plan poorly executed. pl

[LondonBob]

I know, wasn't aimed at you, or aimed at anyone really. Just an important point that is oft forgotten when assessing M-G, the other options weren't great and offered limited gains even if successful.

[turcopolier]

LondonBob

A recently deceased friend fought in the Hurtgen Forest. The infantry of the US divisions in there under all that tree burst artillery was basically wiped out, so, I'm with ya on tis. M-G was worth a try. pl

[LeaNder]

Thanks, for the work, Pundita. This was pretty helpful for me.

Not least the Southfront article. Finally helped me to connect separate bits and pieces on my mind, I seem to have never been guite able to connect: Desert Hawks.

[lucopter]

Babak, I agree with you. I am not disputing the historical facts.

I am just pointing out that given the current situation where there exists a huge disparity in power projection between Israel and Iran, does it make sense for Iran to keep this going, or would it be better for them to figure out a way to deescalate the situation?

I guess one could argue that its not possible to deescalate because Israel doesn't want it. Which is probably true. But Iran could score much bigger political victory by taking the first big step and recognizing the state of Israel.

A nation's policies shouldn't be formulated with the goal of fighting injustice around the world. A nation's foreign policy should be based on pragmatic approach that elevates the long-term preservation of the nation as the primary goal. One should not take actions that would put one's nation at unnecessary risk.

[Babak Makkinejad]

Thank you for your comments.

Like all US friend and allies - barring France and UK - Israel has little ability to project power beyond a few tens of kilometers outside of its border.

Furthermore, over the last 2500, Yehud has not done anything against Iran (or what contemporary Iranians consider to have been Iran). Yehud will not do so now either.

What Israelis would like to do is to have NATO attack Iran, and that task has been delegated to their co-coreligionists in US, UK, France as well as Shoah Cultists; to accomplish through their lies and propaganda.

And if you are thinking of Israel using nuclear weapons against Iran; well, that would be their last act as a state as well as the death of US & Co. as a global political alliance.

Furthermore, in my opinion, Iran does not need Israel. It is Israel that needs Iran to work its way back into the good graces of the World of Islam. Now, Israel leaders could fly to Tehran and negotiate the disposition of Palestine with Iranian leaders; they could put the transfer of Custodianship of the Al Haram Al Sharif to the Supreme Jurisprudent of Iran - that might get the Iranian leaders interested.

Your last statement:

"A nation's foreign policy should be based on pragmatic approach that elevates the long-term preservation of the nation as the primary goal" is fine as far as it goes.

But I do not think that any state or country save the United Kingdom has performed that feat over the last 600 years.

And then we have the examples of Serbia, Iraq and Libya; enough said.

[Lurker]

Certainly, it looks like an entente between USA and Russia but UK, Israel and France who started this (with the Saudis) may not be excited about it. Another False Flag might be in the offing.

[turcopolier]

LeaNder

I have been thinking of the words "kraut" and "meister." I suppose that "meister kraut" could be applied to people like; Goethe, Schiller, Mendelssohn, von Rundstedt while "kraut meister" might be someone who makes a great "choucroute?" Speaking of that a French lady friend of ours in Sanaa whipped up a grea choucroute once based on supplies I bought from the supply officer of a visiting US naval vessel and the usual sauerkraut. Sanaa is at about 8,000 feet in altitude. We had all had a few drinks and blew up like balloons. She could also produce a marvelous leg of lamb, redolent of rosemary, thyme, etc. this was entitled "Gigot de Janine." She it was who announced one day that I would just start speaking French the way a little child does from constant exposure, and so it was. pl

[LeaNder]

It is an interesting study. I wouldn't have thought, admittedly.

He was rather contemptuous of military academic training as in staff colleges, writing that it was a poor substitute for actual experience

Already in the introduction he makes it quite clear that his study rests on two pillars his experience and the more academic study of war at his time. He seems to be challenging the writing on the military of his time, but he does it quite slyly.

[LeaNder]

And considering Recep has effed over one and all, could there be a quiet global consensus to send him to the world beyond and blame it on Daesh?

Interesting. Who would be in and who would be out of such a global consensus?

To the extend this can be understood at all out of the whole context, concerning the equation between PKK and Daesh, what is the hard evidence that acts of terrorism in Turkey were committed by PKK fighters who leaked out of Northern Syria into Turkey? How is the state of affairs between the Kurds in Turkey and the Turkish military?

[LeaNder]

Yehud=Yehud Medinata?

they could put the transfer of Custodianship of the Al Haram Al Sharif to the Supreme Jurisprudent of Iran - that might get the Iranian leaders interested.

Ooops. ...

[LeaNder]

The French are called frogs, aren't they? Since they eat frog legs, I guess. My grandpa wanted to introduce me to them as kid, but I opted out after having watched them kicking in the pan while they were salted. Gave the impression they were still somehow living. Since my grand pa is gone, frog legs are gone too. Never ate them after, but everyone tried to convince me how tasty they are.

I always wondered if choucroute is purely Alsatian, but maybe it isn't. Anyway a friend of mine had it sent to London. He missed it. Maybe he can get it now.

Once I stumbled across a remark about the Polish community in America. Their reheated cabbage seems to have been hard for the delicate American nose, or maybe even cabbage more generally. Anyway, my father, who turns blind, makes him even more difficult to deal with, loves it most if it is reheated, or cooked twice. ;)

[turcopolier]

LeaNder

Janine was from Lorraine which is pretty close to Alsace. pl

[Thomas]

"Interesting. Who would be in and who would be out of such a global consensus?"

The out camp would be the Muslim Brotherhood, some of the West Coast Gulfies (it depends if their personal hatred towards Recep overrides the strategic game playing) and individual bit players with influence on the Sultan not wanting to lose their privileged access. In camp is all others.

How is the state of affairs between the Kurds in Turkey and the Turkish military?

Low intensity civil war.

[fanto]

BM,
you made very good replies to lucopter. Thank you. It seemed to me from the beginning of his entries that he is a clever troll pushing pro izzy agenda.

[LeaNder]

"West Coast Gulfies"?

Apart from the US, triggered by the "West Coast" part, there is only the Persian Gulf left.

[LondonBob]

Elijah Magnier saying there will be an airborne element to the DEZ push. Following on from the Market Garden discussion lets hope the planners emulate the likes of 'Windy' Gale rather than the incompetents of Brereton, Browning and Urquhart.

[YT]

Ma'am,

This pagan Chink bids you: Happy Mothers' Day.

"Love is patient and kind.

Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

It does not demand its own way.

It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.

It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

Love never gives up,never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."

– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

(My 68 year-old mother suffers from glaucoma, so I understand your frustrations...)