MOOSEMUSS (principles of war)
: Mass
Objective
Offensive
Simplicity
Economy of force
Maneuver
Unity of command
Surprise
Security
Mass
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: Mass refers to the concentration of friendly capabilities at the decisive place
and time to achieve decisive results. Mass applies to fir...
,🗸🗸🗸: Mass refers to the concentration of friendly capabilities at the decisive place
and time to achieve decisive results. Mass applies to fires, combat support, combat
service support, and numbers of forces. Proper use of the principle of mass, together
with the other principles of war, allow a numerically inferior force to achieve decisive
local superiority. The decision to concentrate requires strict economy and the
acceptance of risk elsewhere, particularly in view of the lethality of modern weapons
that mandate the rapid assembly and speedy dispersal of forces.
Objective
🗸🗸🗸: This principle advises the direction of every military operation toward a clearly
defined, decisive, and attainable objective. The objective of each operation must
contribute to the ultimate objective or purpose of the operation. It requires a clear
understanding of the overall mission and intent of the higher command, the tasks that
must be performed, and the reasons for them. Objectives ensure all actions contribute
to the higher commander's endstate. Clearly defined objectives promote initiative.
Offensive
🗸🗸🗸: Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. Offensive action is the decisive form of
combat. It is necessary to maintain freedom of action. Offensive action allows leaders to
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,exploit enemy weaknesses, impose their will upon the enemy, and determine the course
of the battle.
Simplicity
🗸🗸🗸: Simplicity means preparing clear, uncomplicated plans and clear, concise
orders to ensure thorough understanding. Plans should be as simple and direct as the
situation and mission dictate. Direct, simple plans and clear, concise orders reduce the
chance for misunderstanding and confusion and promote effective execution.
Economy of Force
🗸🗸🗸: The reciprocal of the principle of mass, economy of force allocates minimum
essential combat power to secondary efforts. The commander allocates the minimum
essential combat power to secondary efforts, requiring the acceptance of prudent risks
in selected areas to achieve superiority at the decisive time and location with the main
effort.
Maneuver
🗸🗸🗸: Maneuver is the flexible application of combat power to achieve a position of
advantage with respect to the enemy to accomplish the mission. Maneuver is the
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, employment of forces in any dimension, whether temporal (operate at a tempo greater
that the enemy's), psychological (destroy the enemy's will to fight), technological
(superior equipment), or spatial (a positional disadvantage) to gain an advantage.
Unity of Command
🗸🗸🗸: Unity of command requires unity of effort for every objective under one
responsible commander. The goal of unity of command is unity of effort.
Surprise
🗸🗸🗸: Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner that he is unprepared for. It
is not essential that the enemy be taken when unaware, but that the enemy becomes
aware too late to react effectively.
Security
🗸🗸🗸: The goal of security is to never permit the enemy to acquire an unexpected
advantage. Security measures are designed to prevent surprise, ensure freedom of
action, and deny the enemy information about friendly forces, capabilities, and plans. It
does not imply the over-application of caution to eliminate risk, but rather seeks to
enhance our operations through bold maneuver and acceptance of calculated risk.
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