The Swedish Way of Warfare - a Manoeuvre Approach?

Summary of Krister Pallin's and Markus Anderson's article in RSAWSPJ no 2 2001.

This is the second article of a planned series of articles that will deal with issues related to the current process of developing military strategic doctrine for the Armed Forces. From a theoretical perspec­tive, some prin­ciples of warfare under­lying the generic method now proposed by military strategic guidance - a ma­nœuv­re approach - are discussed.

The demands on any generic method of warfare for our Armed Forces are extensive. Such a method should, among other things:

• bring about a possibility to decide conflicts in our favour, in complex, dynamic situations characterized by uncertainty and time pressure;
• reflect our social, cultural and political values;
• be applicable in all conflicts, on all levels of war, and give Sweden the flexibility and forces to meet new threats;
• support the current vision of Network Centric Warfare.

The principles of the manoeuvre approach are best explained with the help of its application in war - manoeuvre warfare. The basic assumption in manoeuvre warfare theory is that one can defeat an opponent without having to destroy his main body of forces or weaponry. Instead, a decision can be produced by paralyzing the oppo­nent’s will or capability to fight. Consequently, the opponent's organization, cohesion and morale are therefore regarded as the main military objectives. A systems approach to military organizations and conflicts might be an important planning aid and a pedagogical instrument, since it highlights the importance of cohesion and coordination.

In order to break or dissolve the opponent’s cohesion, the indirect approach is the preferred modus operandi. The manoeuvre approach presumes that it is possible - by manoeuvre - to avoid confrontation in situations where the opponent is strong, and instead systematically focus on his weaknesses. The points of main effort should be places where our forces can produce a decision and where the opponent is weak or not expecting our attack. Such points are best referred to as critical vulnerabilities.

Another fundamental principle of the manoeuvre approach is the constant quest for the initiative. The initiative is basically all about taking actions that will render the opponent's actions irrelevant. This can be achieved by being faster, but also by being better at observing changes in the environment, orienting ourselves against our strategic, tactical or operational idea, and engaging the opponent at the right time. But the manoeuvre approach is more than one initiative. What we need is a state of continuous initiatives from our part, where the opponent seldom or never gets the chance of using his potentially superior force.

By denying the opponent the initiative he can be forced into a state of continuous reaction and parrying. In the end, his command and fighting capability can be paralysed, by logical dissolution of the coher­en­ce between actions and the real situation at hand - system breakdown or system shock. The continuous initiative on our behalf, in all situations - by unexpected actions or otherwise - is not only the best way of affecting the opponent, it is also a means for our own protection, since it makes predictions on our positions or actions very hard to do. The manoeuvre approach has its roots in such unexpected and surprising behaviour.

Consequently, there is no way of beforehand telling what a manoeuvre approach will display in terms of actions or effect. Every conflict situation is unique and gives its own space for manoeuvre. But, the selection of scale and content of every military venture should be guided by the principles that are highlighted in this article.