On the Art of War: A Contrast of Clausewitz and Sun Tzu

Abstract

Military officers must be skilled in strategy and the operational art of campaigning. To acquire these skills, part of their learning must include study of the warfighting experiences of others as well as understanding the concepts of the classic military theorists. Young officers probably don't read enough of yet that is where the conceptual ability to strategize is gained. In this study, a comparison is made of the two greatest classic military strategists, Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. Using the WW I battle of Verdun and the 1950's battle of Dienbienphu as a framework, this study uses tangible historical examples to highlight and compare their teachings on war and strategy in such a way that the young military officer can gain a basic understanding of these concepts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 28, 1989
Accession Number
ADA208137

Entities

People

  • James A. Orahood

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter WMD
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artillery
  • Battles
  • Center Of Gravity
  • Classification
  • Combat Operations
  • Communists
  • Contrast
  • Economics
  • Gain
  • Geography
  • Gravity
  • Military Operations
  • Military Strategy
  • Universities
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Military Leadership and Professional Education.