Tactical Principles

[Currahee]

The US Army lists five principles that should be considered whenever developing or critiquing a tactical plan.

These tactical principles apply everywhere from the playground brawl to a platoon size linear ambush.

They are...

SIMPLICITY - understandable by everyone with as few steps as possible.  Every step, ever movement, every turn is the potential for disaster.  There is no "fancy" in tactics, the best are brutal and blunt.

SPEED - Tactical plans should be executed as quickly as possible, you should strive to be on your next move before your enemy realizes completely what your last move was.

SURPRISE - Whenever you are initiating a conflict your enemy should not even realize he is in a conflict until you are almost done.  As civilians we are more likely to be reacting to conflict initiated by others - but if you pre-plan and work on your skills surprise is still possible.  (Think a bad-guy holding a knife  having two rounds center mass before he even gets a chance to think he mugged the wrong person.)

SECURITY - Even if you do the other three right you have to protect your flanks/rear.  If you don't the bad-guy can do the same thing to you.

VIOLENCE of ACTION - There is no halfway, when your mindset leads you to conclude it is time violence go all out, all the way. Apply all your power to the outset.  If you imagine a game of escalation then you are playing the enemies game.

[Currahee]

Mao Tse Tung wrote a book called "Principles of Guerilla Warfare"

In it he described an important consideration for us (over the straight US Army line)

Never get in a fight unless you KNOW you can win.  If you allow yourself to be forced into conflict on any terms where you are not ensured of victory then you are playing the enemies game, not your own.  The default tactic of the civilian or guerilla should be avoidance,  retreat if necessary.  Tactics are the means to an end, tactics are shor term... but your STRATEGY is to survive.

[thatGuy]

I'm loving it, the importantce of survival trumps all.

I read and reread what you wrote Currahee.

Speed, suprise, violence of action and security all come back to movement.