Ancient Influences

MIDN 3/C Ionatan A. Soule

Sun Tzu’s Art of war has been studied for centuries.  Even though the context in which he wrote might be outdated, much of his advice through a little abstraction is still incredibly applicable to modern times, especially modern warfare.  Here at the Academy, the goal is to produce capable and competent military leaders who will win decisive battles when the time comes.  In order to be able to do this, they must be exceptionally well versed in decision making and strategic analysis.  All of these components are mentioned and covered by Master Sun.  Certain aspects between his doctrine and what is taught at the Naval Academy is remarkably similar and this is no coincidence.  Master Sun’s overarching philosophy is one of knowledge and preparation and is very similar to what is taught at the Naval Academy.  I think that a proper mixture of both is best as a military leader.

Sun Tzu first stipulates that war is, “A matter to be pondered carefully” (1).  This could not be truer and is one of the reasons that officers in the US military must have a college degree and that the Academy exists.  He then identifies five areas with which officers should be familiar: 1) the Way, 2) the Heaven, 3) the Earth, 4) Command and 5) Discipline.  The Way, “Causes men to be of one mind with their rulers, to live or die with them, and never to waver” (1-2).  Translated to modern English this simply means unit cohesion—an integral component of Academy education.  Unity and the bonds that are formed are taught as the foundation upon which militaries are built and can be as small as a two-man sniper team or the classic four-man fire team.  Sun Tzu’s concept of the Heaven, which includes Ying and Yang does not directly translate into anything taught here.  The closest thing I can think of is the need for proper balance in all aspects of warfare to achieve the optimum result.  The aspect covered by Earth is taught here extensively because it encompasses all physical aspects of the battlefield: “Height and depth, distance and proximity, ease and danger, open and confined ground, life and death” (2).  The final two, Command and Discipline, are incredibly important here at the academy. “Wisdom, integrity, compassion, courage, severity” (2) and “Organization, chain of command, control of expenditure” (2) are heavily stressed here at the Academy in classes such as ethics, leadership, and law.  On top of this, these are principle tenants of every single training we conduct.

Because of all this, I would argue that there is a clear similarity between Sun Tzu’s overarching message and what is taught here at the Academy.  One difference I did find was Sun Tzu’s principle that, “If [the enemy is] strong, avoid him” (2).  For the most part, the Academy teaches this.  But it is also a habit in our military to honor those who have the courage to charge an enemy position when death is certain, an action against Sun Tzu’s teachings.

Regardless, I believe that both are still incredibly similar. If I had to choose which is more effective, I would choose the Academy’s simply because it has proven its effectiveness in our modern time.

Word count: 540