Warfighting The United States Marine Corps

This little army manual has served the Marines through many confrontations. In a period when wars are no longer fought on the battlefield but in intimate relationships of boss to worker or spouse to spouse, the tenets of war strategy apply because the social heat and hostility that usually gets played out in warfare is rerouted in social relationships. Marine your way through these everyday conflicts. "When Striking Power Meets Defensive Desire" Combat Regardless of its type and nature or the level at which it is fought, combat manifests itself in two different but complementary forms: the offense and the defense. The offense and defense are neither mutually exclusive nor clearly distinct; as we will see, each includes elements of the other. The offense contributes striking power. The offense generally has as its aim some positive gain; it is through the offense that we seek to impose some design on the enemy. The defense, on the other hand, contributes resisting power, the ability to preserve and protect oneself. Thus, the defense generally has a negative aim, that of resisting the enemy's will. The defense is inherently the stronger form of combat. Were this not the case, there would be no reason ever to assume the defensive. The offense, with its positive aim, would always be preferable. But in fact, if we are weaker than our enemy, we assume the defensive to compensate for our weakness. Similarly, if we are to mount an offensive to impose our will, we must develop enough force to overcome the inherent superiority of the enemy's defense. At least one party to a conflict must have an offensive intention, for without the desire to impose upon the other, there would be no conflict. Similarly, the second party must at least possess a defensive desire, for without the willingness to resist, there again would be no conflict. We can imagine a conflict in which both parties possess an offensive intention. But after the initial clash, one of them must assume a defensive posture out of weakness until able to resume the offensive. This leads us to the conclusion that while the defense is the stronger form of combat, the offense is the preferred form, for only through the offense can we truly pursue a positive aim. We resort to the defensive when weakness compels. Offense v. Defense While opposing forms, the offense and defense are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they cannot exist separately. For example, the defense cannot be purely passive resistance. An effective defense must assume an offensive character, striking at the enemy at the moment of his greatest vulnerability. It is "not a simple shield, but a shield made up of well-directed blows." The truly decisive element of the defense is the counterattack. Thus, the offense is an integral component of the concept of the defense. Similarly, the defense is an essential component of the offense. The offense cannot sustain itself indefinitely. At some times and places it becomes necessary to halt the offense to replenish, and the defense automatically takes over. Furthermore, the requirement to concentrate forces at the focus of effort for the offense often necessitates assuming the defensive elsewhere. Therefore, out of necessity we must include defensive considerations as part of our concept of the offense. The Culminating Point This brings us to the concept of theU. S. Marine Corps Staff is the author of 'Warfighting The United States Marine Corps', published 1995 under ISBN 9780385478342 and ISBN 0385478348.