Friction

Friction

1. How do we operate effectively within the medium of friction?

4. How do we operate effectively within the medium of friction?

1. While we should always strive to minimize self-induced friction, the first step to overcoming friction in war is acknowledging that it will always exist.

An understanding of friction is a large part of that much-admired sense of warfare, which a good general is supposed to possess. To be sure, the best general is not the one who is most familiar with the idea of friction, and who takes it most to heart (he belongs to the anxious type so common among experienced commanders). The good general must know friction in order to overcome it whenever possible, and in order not to expect a standard of achievement in his operations which this very friction makes impossible.

1. While attempting to overcome friction through persistent strength of mind and spirit (will), we must attempt at the same time to raise our enemy’s friction to a level that destroys his ability to fight.

1. Experience offers us the best possibilities for learning what is, and is not, possible in war.

Free-play exercises, force-on-force training and exercises, and exercises in which we must actually move people and equipment under conditions that most closely approximate war provide the best substitute for experience.

1. A study of history provides us insight into events on past battlefields and campaigns and manner in which various leaders overcame friction or allowed it to rule them.

means to reduce

1. Other orders that are relationships friction include a clear commander’s intent, simple plans and flexible, well-written SOPs, battle drill, wargaming, and habitual relationships.

2. How do we capitalize on or exploit disorder?

1. A summary of the nature of the battlefield should include friction, ceny, fluidity. War gravitates naturally toward disorder because of friction series fluidity. This natural disorder creates the conditions ripe for exploitation by an opportunistic will.

1. If we accept that the battlefield will be chaotic, then we must realize that as the batle progresses the battlefield will become increasingly disordered.

(1) Decisive results are rarely the direct result

of initial, deliberate action.

(2) The initial action creates the conditions necessary for subsequent actions to develop from it.

(3)

As the opposing foe. wills interact, they create various, fleeting opportunities for either

1. If we cannot impose precise, positive control over events, we can impose a general framework of order on the disorder (1.c., prescribe a general flow of action rather than try to control each event) by the following means:

(1) Decentralized control

(2) Simple plans that are flexible

(3) Commander’s intent

(4) Mission tactics using mission-type orders

(5) Fostering initiative in subordinates so they will seek opportunities

(6)

A designated main effort in our concept of operations.

1. By exploiting opportunities, we create more opportunities for exploitation in increasing numbers

1. It is often the ability and willingness to ruthlessly exploit these opportunities that generate results. The ability to take advantage of opportunity is a function of speed, Dexibility, boldness, and initiative,