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This article at SWJ blog<\/strong> <\/a>has stirred a lively debate in the comments section with some very able practitioner-scholars weighing in.<\/p>\n ….Sun Tzu?s ancient military philosophy of indirectness and gradualism runs counter-culture with much of mainstream western military strategy. Western reliance on superior technology and firepower shaped American counterinsurgency doctrine to be largely lethal in nature and enemy focused. Clausewitz instructed generations of military officers that the destruction of the enemy?s army is the primary goal in all combat1; therefore, all political-military conflict results in offensive action where attrition of the enemy force becomes a universal requirement. Clausewitzian war theory \u201eworked? in both world wars in that the Allies did accomplish their desired goals; however critics such as Israeli strategist Shimon Naveh raise valid questions on whether Clausewitz?s fixation on offensive action and attrition warfare helped or hindered the Allied causes2. Despite Clausewitzian strategy?s seemingly illogical structure, application of his theories in the major 20th century conflicts created an enduring military school of war strategy with \u201eOn War? taking a sacred position.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In fairness to Clausewitz, this is over the top.<\/p>\n The US military could use more Sun Tzu; it\u00a0is far more Clausewitzian in the perspective of the officer corps\u00a0than it is “Sun Tzuite”, but\u00a0the armed services are not the Children of Clausewitz. Not even the US Army.\u00a0We’d probably be better off if the American\u00a0military was more thoroughly one or the other in terms of\u00a0strategic culture than the industrial age, bureaucratic, ad hoc, legacy thinking non-strategic<\/em><\/strong> hodgepode that currently prevails.<\/p>\n I do not expect that to change. American military organizational\u00a0culture is driven more by\u00a0appropriations than by ideas.<\/p>\n Some Related Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Sonishi.com Interview with Martin van Creveld on Sun Tzu<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Sonishi.com Interview with Chet Richards on Sun Tzu and Boyd<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Christopher Bassford on Sun Tzu, Jomini and Clausewitz<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Colin Gray on Clausewitz and the Modern Strategic World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n