In War, The Chief Incalculable Is The

In Any Problem Where An Opposing Force Exists And Cannot Be Regulated, One Must Foresee And Provide For Alternative Courses. Adaptability Is The Law Which Governs Survival In War As In Life ... To Be Practical, Any Plan Must Take Account Of The Enemy's Power To Frustrate It; The Best Chance Of Overcoming Such Obstruction Is To Have A Plan That Can Be Easily Varied To Fit The Circumstances Met.

To Ensure Attaining An Objective, One Should Have Alternate Objectives. An Attack That Converges On One Point Should Threaten, And Be Able To Diverge Against Another. Only By This Flexibility Of Aim Can Strategy Be Attuned To The Uncertainty Of War.

In Reality, It Si More Fruitful To Wound Than To Kill. While The Dead Man Lies Still, Counting Only One Man Less, The Wounded Man Is A Progressive Drain Upon His Side.

The More Usual Reason For Adopting A Strategy Of Limited Aim Is That Of Awaiting A Change In The Balance Of Force ... The Essential Condition Of Such A Strategy Is That The Drain On Him Should Be Disproportionately Greater Than On Oneself.

If You Find Your Opponent In A Strong Position Costly To Force, You Should Leave Him A Line Of Retreat As The Quickest Way Of Loosening His Resistance. It Should, Equally, Be A Principle Of Policy, Especially In War, To Provide Your Opponent With A Ladder By Which He Can Climb Down.