The Art of War - Weapons, Tactics, Strategy, Etc.

[Stryder50]

Yes, there is a useful book by that name and will look at it in a later post. For now, the focus is on "Tools of the Trade", or TradeCraft. Devices, knowledge, skills, methods etc. for conducting war and hopefully winning at it.

As an example and starter, this slide show linkage;

30 Inventions That Shaped Military History​

...
While humans have been fighting one another since as long as they’ve been humans, modern warfare began only about 5,000 years ago, during the age of chariots - antiquity’s version of the modern tank.

Chariots could only have been invented in ancient societies with governments and bureaucracies capable of developing and building them by the hundreds, as well as recruiting and training the soldiers that rode them into battle.

The chariot is the earliest example of how new military technology can upend previous methods of warfare. History is filled with such inventions or developments - innovations that changed the way wars are fought.

To identify 30 inventions that revolutionized combat, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed independent research from a variety of sources. These inventions were not always initially meant to be used in warfare, but when the technology was repurposed for military use, the technology forever changed the way wars were fought.
...

MSN

 

[Stryder50]

18 of the Deadliest Weapons of All Time​

...
War never changes, right? Violence has been a hallmark of human behavior as far back as anyone knows. What has changed are the tools people use to carry out violence. Throughout the ages humankind has invented countless weapons. Some have filled specific niches while others became massively popular and were adapted around the globe. One thing is certain, though: The means we’ve developed for killing one another have gotten progressively more efficient at the purpose.


To identify history’s deadliest weapons, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed a report called “Quantification Related to Weapon Lethality,” originally issued in 1964 by the Historical Evaluation and Research Organization for the U.S. Army Combat Developments Command. It rates the lethal potential of various weapons on such quantifiable measures as number of potential targets per strike, relative effect, effective range, accuracy, reliability, and mobility.

Some weapons on the list also point to the rapid evolution of technology since the Industrial Revolution. The sword, for example, was used for thousands of years in numerous different forms and cultures, and still has a ceremonial place in military life. On the other hand, many of the weapons used in World War I were already obsolete by the start of World War II.
...

18 of the Deadliest Weapons of All Time – 24/7 Wall St.

War never changes, right? Violence has been a hallmark of human behavior as far back as anyone knows. What has changed are the tools people use to carry out violence. Throughout the ages humankind has invented countless weapons. Some have filled specific niches while others became massively...

247wallst.com

 

[Stryder50]

19 Commercial Products Invented by the Military​

...
The Biden Administration recently unveiled its $715 billion defense budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. The administration said this discretionary funding request, if approved, would enhance the country’s defenses in large part through innovation and modernization.

The U.S. armed forces indeed has a long history of innovation, with many of the inventions originally created with battlefield necessities in mind often finding civilian uses. Dozens of devices, gadgets, foods, and more that we use every day were initially conceived by and for the military.

24/7 Wall St. identified 19 commercial products that were developed as the direct result of military research. These products range from hi-tech marvels to simple household items.

Many of the inventions created for the military and later popularized for commercial products were made around World War II. During the war, it was necessary to find ways to keep troops safe and healthy and their vehicles and equipment running while miles away from home fighting in Europe and the Pacific.

Some foods, gadgets, vehicles, and accessories developed for soldiers became so popular with troops that GIs wanted to continue to use them in civilian life after returning from battle. If veterans like a product, there can be a huge market for it, as there are an estimated 18 million veterans currently in the U.S. as well as over 1 million active duty service members.
...

19 Commercial Products Invented by the Military – 24/7 Wall St.

The Biden Administration recently unveiled its $715 billion defense budget proposal for fiscal year 2022. The administration said this discretionary funding request, if approved, would enhance the country’s defenses in large part through innovation and modernization. The U.S. armed forces...

247wallst.com

 

[there4eyeM]

The title of the famous book is actually a misnomer. War is not art. War is the antithesis of art. There is no art in war, only insanity. Technologies may have been advanced by military demands. Order and control have certainly developed as a result. The banalization of cruelty and inhumanity have been augmented. We can say very little good about war, even in the rare case when it is defensive.
The title might better be, "The Hell of War".

 

[Stryder50]

Logistics is essential but often overlooked. The example of the USA's ATC=Air Transport Command was built upon existing airlines and aircraft at first, but the global span of the operation paved the way for the much expanded global airways of post World War Two;

Air Transport Command and the Airlines During World War II​

...
During World War II, airlines worked closely with the military to further the war effort by transporting people and materiel. The airlines were well-prepared to play their part in the war effort — plans for their wartime mobilization had been drafted in 1937 by Edgar Gorrell of the industry’s Air Transport Association.

When the United States entered World War II four years later, the plan was put into action, and the airlines immediately began working closely with the military to coordinate the transport of aircraft, cargo, and personnel throughout the country and around the world.



TWA transferred its entire fleet of five Boeing 307s, along with their flight crews, to the ATC. The airline opened regular transatlantic service in 1942.
...
Two hundred of the nation’s 360 airliners – particularly the superlative Douglas DC-3s - were drafted for the war effort and placed under the control of the Air Transport Command (ATC). The ATC was formed in June 1942 at the order of U.S. Army Air Forces leader Gen. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold, who wanted to unify civilian and military air transport operations. Airline pilots and flight crew, many of whom were reserve officers in the military, were also called into the ATC and joined their military counterparts. The airline pilots possessed critical knowledge and experience in how to operate a regularly scheduled service over long distances. The ATC was organized by Gen. Robert Olds and later Gen. Harold George. They benefited immensely from the experience of American Airlines president Maj. Gen. C. R. Smith, who served as executive officer.

The ATC functioned as an enormous international airline, combining the efforts of the Ferry Command, which moved combat aircraft around the world, and the Air Service Command, which moved cargo and personnel.

The ATC’s Ferrying Division, which included the famous Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), replaced the Army Air Forces Ferrying Command and delivered newly-built aircraft from their factories to training bases or ports of embarkation. From there, the aircraft were flown to overseas destinations including war zones.

The ATC’s Air Transportation Division quickly established a vast national and international route network. The ATC built chains of airfields with concrete runways around the world so that heavy transports could operate anywhere. The first major route opened in 1942 to Brazil and across the south Atlantic to Africa and the Middle East, flying much needed weapons, ammunition, and supplies to the British and other Allied forces who were fighting the German Afrika Corps.
...

Air Transport Command and the Airlines During World War II

During World War II, airlines worked closely with the military to further the war effort by transporting people and materiel. Bob van der Linden, curator of air transportation, discusses Air Transport Command.

airandspace.si.edu

 

[Stryder50]

The title of the famous book is actually a misnomer. War is not art. War is the antithesis of art. There is no art in war, only insanity. Technologies may have been advanced by military demands. Order and control have certainly developed as a result. The banalization of cruelty and inhumanity have been augmented. We can say very little good about war, even in the rare case when it is defensive.
The title might better be, "The Hell of War".

In most cases of war, at least one side is usually considered the defensive one. Many would say that war happens when aggression, attack, and attempted conquest and subjugation is resisted by the object(target) of such actions. Almost always at least the one side will see the war thrust upon it as one of defensive nature.

Should the nation/people as target of the aggression decline to resist force with force, then they are just another conquest and subject(slave) property of the attacking ~ aggressor party. One way to avoid war is to never resist the violence and aggression of others, be a willing victim.

Apparently you have never read the book, nor have a clue about it, or the subject of this thread.
...
“The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.”

So begins The Art of War, a meditation on the rules of war that was first published in China. Historians don’t know the exact date of the book’s publication (though they believe it to be in the 4th or 5th century); in fact, they don’t even know who wrote it! Scholars have long believed that The Art of War’s author was a Chinese military leader named Sun Tzu, or Sunzi. Today, however, many people think that there was no Sun Tzu: Instead, they argue, the book is a compilation of generations of Chinese theories and teachings on military strategy. Whether or not Sun Tzu was a real person, it’s clear that “he” was very wise: The Art of War still resonates with readers today.
...

Premises of The Art of War​

The Art of War presents the basic principles of warfare and gives military leaders advice on when and how to fight. Its 13 chapters offer specific battle strategies–for example,
one tells commanders how to move armies through inhospitable terrain,
while another explains how to use and respond to different types of weapons
–but they also give more general advice about conflicts and their resolution.
Rules like
“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight;”
“He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces;”
“He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks;”
“Victory usually goes to the army who has better trained officers and men;” and
“Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril”

can be applied to particular battle situations as well as to other kinds of disagreements and challenges.
...
Meanwhile, executives and lawyers use the teachings of The Art of War to get the upper hand in negotiations and to win trials. Business-school professors assign the book to their students and sports coaches use it to win games. It has even been the subject of a self-help dating guide. Plainly, this 2,500-year-old book still resonates with a 21st-century audience.
....

The Art of War

“The art of war is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry

www.history.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few essential concepts;

“To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.”– Sun Tzu, The Art of War

“All warfare is based on deception.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War
...
Written as a war treatise in the 5th century BC, The Art of War by Sun Tzu may not seem relevant to life in the 21st century at first glance. However, once you start to read Sun Tzu’s words, you may realize that they have very real applications to modern life, especially if you are in a position of leadership or if you deal regularly with strategic questions.

These musings can be applied to practical problems you may be trying to solve, and they can also be good starting points for more theoretical reflection. Spanning topics from philosophy and wisdom to strategy and leadership, here are the most notable quotes from The Art of War.

Quotes on the Philosophy of War and Warriors​

Before sharing Sun Tzu’s more practical knowledge regarding leadership and strategy, it is useful to look at how warfare and fighting can be seen as metaphors for our lives today. Some of Sun Tzu’s philosophical quotes can help us make such connections.
....

60+ Quotes from The Art of War to Teach You Strategy and Leadership

You don’t need to be a four-star general to appreciate these Sun Tzu quotes from his monumental work on warfare.

www.audible.com

 

[Stryder50]

And now, the condensed essence, course 201;

1. “Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer.” – Sun Tzu​

2. “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” – Sun Tzu​

4. “In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” – Sun Tzu​

6. “Victory comes from finding opportunities in problems.” – Sun Tzu​

8. “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” – Sun Tzu​

10. “It is more important to out-think your enemy, than to outfight him.” – Sun Tzu​

...

10 The Art of War Quotes by Sun Tzu to Inspire You today

These strategies are an important aspect of many people's modern lives. We have created this list of 10 The Art of War quotes that should inspire you today.

www.goodmorningquote.com

 

[Stryder50]

Five Ways Art and War Are Related​

Five Ways Art and War Are Related - Political Violence at a Glance

By Dawn Brancati Art is used to promote war. Monarchs, dictators, and elected world leaders have all commissioned…

politicalviolenceataglance.org

 

[Stryder50]

A good place to start, Wiki;

The Art of War - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Stryder50]

15 Lessons “The Art of War” Teaches You About Winning Life Battles​

15 Lessons "The Art of War" Teaches You About Winning Life Battles

"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu is widely regarded by many as not only a "bible" for the battlefield but also a great source of lessons for life in general.

www.hongkiat.com

 

[Godboy]

Have you ever read about Honjo Masamune? You would think that the worlds finest katana ever made would be more famous, especially with the neat mystery at the heart of its disappearance. If it is found, it will likely be the most expensive sword in the world, probably worth more than "Joyeuse", which is another interesting sword to look up..



The Honjō Masamune[7] represented the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period and was passed down from one shōgun to another. It is one of the best known of the swords created by Masamune and is believed to be among the finest Japanese swords ever made. It was made a Japanese National Treasure (Kokuhō) in 1939.[14][15]

The name Honjō probably came about by the sword's connection to General Honjō Shigenaga (1540-1614) who gained the sword after a battle in 1561.[16] Shigenaga was attacked by Umanosuke who already possessed a number of trophy heads. Shigenaga was attacked with the Honjō Masamune which split his helmet, but he survived and took the sword as a prize.[7] The blade had a number of chips from the great battle but was still usable. It was kept by Shigenaga until he was sent to Fushimi Castle around 1592.

Shigenaga was later forced to sell the sword to Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's nephew and retainer. It was bought for 13 Mai, 13 ōban, which was 13 large gold coins. The blade was later valued in the Kyoho Meibutsu Cho at 1,000 Mai. It then went to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Shimazu Yoshihiro, again to Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tokugawa Yorinobu, and finally Tokugawa Ietsuna. It remained in the Kii (紀伊) branch of the Tokugawa family, and this ownership continued after the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1868). The last known owner was Tokugawa Iemasa at the end of World War II.[17]

Under the United States occupation at the end of World War II, all production of nihontō with edges was banned except under police or government permit. The Americans required that all swords be surrendered to the Foreign Liquidation Commission. Tokugawa Iemasa turned in the Honjō Masamune and 13 other "prized heirloom" swords to a police station at Mejiro in December 1945.[18]

In January 1946, the Mejiro police gave the swords to a man identified as "Sgt. Coldy Bimore" (possibly a garbled phonetic spelling of the man's name) of the Foreign Liquidations Commission of AFWESPAC (Army Forces, Western Pacific). In an episode of Expedition Unknown, Josh Gates traveled to Japan in search of the Honjō Masamune[19] and learned that there were no records of a "Sgt. Coldy Bimore" listed to have received the sword. The Honjō Masamune is the most important of the missing Japanese swords, and its current location remains unknown.[15][20] Only vague theories exist as to the location of the sword.

 

[there4eyeM]

Familiarity with the book has nothing to do with the error of associating art with what it speaks about. The tactics and strategies are quite solid and timeless. To call it the practice of war would be accurate. it is very literally sage advice. It has nothing to do with art except in the most tangentially poetic sense.

 

[Stryder50]

Familiarity with the book has nothing to do with the error of associating art with what it speaks about. The tactics and strategies are quite solid and timeless. To call it the practice of war would be accurate. it is very literally sage advice. It has nothing to do with art except in the most tangentially poetic sense.

As the saying goes, "Art is in the eye(or ear) of the beholder." Most of such I feel is way over rated, and much would fail my definition of "art".

Like with dance, well executed sport moves could be considered an art of sorts. Just as one of many examples.

Dictionary definitions of "art" tend to encompass a broader scale and range than you would apply.

I suggest you consider starting a thread of your own on your thesis rather than muddy this one.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

The title of the famous book is actually a misnomer. War is not art. War is the antithesis of art. There is no art in war, only insanity. Technologies may have been advanced by military demands. Order and control have certainly developed as a result. The banalization of cruelty and inhumanity have been augmented. We can say very little good about war, even in the rare case when it is defensive.
The title might better be, "The Hell of War".

That's simply your uninformed and baseless opinion. Have a nice fucking day!

 

[Stryder50]

The Beach Rats​

How a roguish crew of California lifeguards became World War II heroes.

...
On July 11, 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an order appointing William “Wild Bill” Donovan to create America’s first spy agency, which would come to be called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). A precursor to the CIA, the agency was divided into branches including Counterintelligence, Special Operations, Research and Analysis, and Morale Operations. Donovan, a World War I Medal of Honor winner turned Wall Street lawyer, also envisioned a Maritime Unit, filled with expert swimmers who could carry out reconnaissance and sabotage missions by sea.

One of Donovan’s first recruits into the Maritime Unit was a 34-year-old Hollywood dentist named Dr. Jack Taylor. With bright blue eyes and sun-streaked brown hair, the handsome Santa Monica native was renowned for his dental expertise but saw the work merely as a means to finance his passion for adventure. Eager to escape the tedium of dental work, the licensed pilot would take exotic holidays such as mining for gold in the Yukon Territory, where he once narrowly escaped being buried alive inside a gold mine. A consummate thrill seeker, Taylor was particularly fond of sailboat racing. He was a founder of the Santa Monica Yacht Club and had piloted his own boat solo across large stretches of the Pacific Ocean.

The globe-trotting dentist was a perfect fit for Donovan’s daring unit of swim saboteurs. In addition to being a world-class sailor, Taylor had served as a Santa Monica Beach lifeguard in his teens and had broken numerous swim records in high school. Into his 30s, he remained an avid skin diver and counted many of Santa Monica’s lifeguards, divers, spear fishermen, and surfers as friends.
...
In total, about a dozen Los Angeles–area lifeguards were recruited into the 226-member OSS Maritime Unit, contributing their ocean knowledge and skills to the elite group of swim commandos. Once known as watermen, they would soon acquire a new wartime nickname: frogmen.
...
The mission of the OSS frogmen was to insert into enemy territory by sea for the purposes of espionage and reconnaissance, to transport and supply resistance fighters, to sabotage enemy shipping and coastal defenses using underwater demolition, and to develop special maritime equipment and tactics that could be used by other U.S. military units.

The men trained at several top-secret facilities. One, called Area D, was in a bug-infested swamp a few miles south of Quantico, Virginia, on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. There, trainees learned to handle small boats, including kayaks and canoes. They studied navigation, currents, tides, nautical charts, and the art of explosives. Taylor served as the school’s chief instructor. The expert yachtsman taught recruits how to crew and sail an antique sailboat moored on the Potomac, and he organized night drills, requiring trainees to sneak out of the water past armed sentries. Training was rigorous and dangerous. Two trainees drowned when their boat capsized in the Potomac.

Another OSS training facility was located on Treasure Island in the Bahamas, where the recruits practiced blowing up replicas of enemy obstacles above the colorful coral reef and attached limpet mines to a sunken shipwreck. Whenever sharks approached the swimmers, the men cleverly emptied a sack containing dark blue powder to simulate the ink spray of a squid. The trainees also encountered an aggressive four-foot barracuda, which so often followed the swimmers, they gave him a name: Horace.

OSS recruits also had to complete the grueling Marine Raider Training Course at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, which emphasized beach infiltration and small boat operations in the high surf.
...

The Beach Rats

How a roguish crew of California lifeguards became World War II heroes.

www.altaonline.com

 

[Stryder50]

GET INSIDE! New York City ad on surviving a nuclear attack raises eyebrows​

GET INSIDE! New York City ad on surviving a nuclear attack raises eyebrows

 

[whitehall]

Join up if you have the balls. Spend a couple of years in the U.S. Military and get "the art of war" first hand.

 

[Stryder50]

Join up if you have the balls. Spend a couple of years in the U.S. Military and get "the art of war" first hand.

One also needs to be physically fit and healthy enough,
Within a certain age range,
Intelligent enough,
Have no serious criminal record,
... among other qualifications.
Assuming standards haven't lowered too much due to shortage of recruiting needs and fulfilling.

Also, not all jobs in the military are directly combat related so one might not get much "first hand; re: Art of War" and may be just another clerical, or mechanical job, etc.

 

[Stryder50]

Atomic Blonde​

It was a mystery: Marilyn Monroe, a silent film star and a cryptic statement. How did they all fit together?
...
A total of 10 short films were made, each focusing on ways secrets could be leaked and the importance of confidentiality. (Apparently only one survives, available on YouTube.) In each film, Monroe was tacked on to the end, cooing “I hate a careless man.” There she was, in all her glory, smiling broadly in her bathing suit and saying her line — and then she was gone. Jolting as it was, the message was clear: If you wanted a chance to sleep with Marilyn Monroe, you’d better keep your mouth shut.

According to the official records of the 1352nd Motion Picture squadron, the films “appeared to have done the job intended.” A report by Lookout Mountain in 1954 proudly stated that there were “no security breaks on the part of the Castle personnel.”

While it may remain a small slice of film history, we finally know that what looked like a routine photo shoot — involving a luminous actress and an accomplished actor/producer/ photographer — also played a key role in keeping the nation as ignorant as possible as thermonuclear bomb tests exploded in the South Pacific.
...

Atomic Blonde

Why was Marilyn Monroe lounging around a pool owned by a silent film star, saying the same cryptic phrase over and over? In the interest of nuclear-era propaganda, naturally. A Hollywood mystery finally is solved.

www.altaonline.com

 

[Stryder50]

Pending a new and different ~ dedicated thread ...

First Laser Weapon for Jet Fighters​

July 27, 2022
By: Warren Gray
Copyright © 2022

LANCE “is the smallest, lightest, high-energy laser of
its power class that Lockheed Martin has built to date…
a variety of potential applications and platforms are being
considered for potential demonstrations and tests.”
— Tyler Griffin, Lockheed Martin executive, 2022.

“Our (laser) beam-control technology enables precision
equivalent to shooting a beach ball off the top of the Empire
State Building from the San Francisco Bay Bridge.”
— Paul Shattuck, Lockheed Martin executive, 2020.
...
On Monday, July 11, 2022, it was publicly disclosed that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) received the Laser Advancements for Next-generation Compact Environments (LANCE) aircraft-mounted laser weapon this past February for testing and evaluation. This is a collaborative effort, combining a Lockheed Martin LANCE laser device inside a Boeing-produced pod and utilizing a Northrop Grumman beam director, all developed under a November 2017 contract for the Air Force’s broader, Self-protect, High-Energy, Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program.

The basic, Boeing pod design has already been flown aboard an F-15 Eagle jet fighter in 2019, and during ground tests that same year at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Demonstrator Laser Weapon System (DLWS) successfully shot down multiple air-launched missiles. In addition, Air Force fighter pilots have recently been flying simulated missions with podded airborne laser weapons in a virtual-reality battlefield environment. So, this advanced technology is now ready to move forward to the next phase, mounting and testing an actual LANCE weapon on a fighter aircraft.

However, SHiELD is not a widespread acquisition program for producing hundreds of these laser weapons for operational use. It’s actually a joint technology-demonstrator effort to work out any technical challenges or feasibility issues for mounting a high-energy laser device on an airborne platform, such as a jet fighter or AC-130J Ghostrider special operations aerial gunship, for which such weapons have been envisioned for future applications.

LANCE is “one-sixth the size” of a previous, 60 kW laser weapon that Lockheed Martin constructed for the U.S. Army and “represents the most-compact and capable, laser weapon technologies delivered to date.” It’s projected to have a power output of less than 100 kW and is planned for actual use on a fighter aircraft by 2025.

The SHiELD Turret Research in Aero Effects (STRAFE) beam-control system, which directs the laser onto the target, needs to coordinate sensor data on the current locations of both the firing platform and the target. Sophisticated software predicts exactly where the beam needs to aim and adjusts specially designed mirrors to focus the laser beam in precisely the correct direction. Then, the beam director continues making those calculations and adjustments multiple times per second.

Fortunately, Lockheed Martin has been employing this same type of beam-director technology since 2006 in their AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP), which is already in use on multiple Air Force and Navy fighter aircraft as well as B-1B and B-52H bombers. The Sniper pod uses laser designators, not high-energy laser weapons, but the only difference is in the power level, not the high-precision aiming. So, the combat-proven technology and the algorithms are still directly applicable to maintaining laser lock on any given target on the ground or in the air. And, Lockheed has also established a $20-million directed-energy system integration laboratory in Orlando, Florida for testing lasers up to 150 kW by 2024.
...

First Laser Weapon for Jet Fighters

By: Warren Gray Copyright © 2022 LANCE “is the smallest, lightest, high-energy laser of its power class that Lockheed Martin has built to date… a variety of potential applications and platforms are being considered for potential demonstrations and tests.” — Tyler Griffin, Lockheed Martin...

gunpowdermagazine.com