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Why does The Art of War emphasize learning about an enemy's forces, movements, and positions?
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Detail of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting an English soldier in combat with Norman cavalry during the Battle of Hastings, wool on linen, 11th-century; in the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, France.
The Art of War emphasizes gathering accurate information about an enemy’s forces, movements, and positions because such intelligence is the foundation of successful strategy and the key to avoiding defeat. Sun Tzu famously summarized this necessity with the axiom: "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat".12
By analyzing an adversary's dispositions and deployments, a commander can:
- Identify Vulnerabilities: Careful study allows a leader to find where an enemy is strong or deficient, enabling them to attack where the opponent is weak and avoid them where they are strong.3
- Manipulate Behavior: Through deception and unexpected movements, a commander can force an enemy to reveal their position or respond in ways that expose their vulnerabilities.3
- Achieve Foreknowledge: Reliable intelligence—often gathered through the use of spies—provides the "foreknowledge" required to make informed decisions that are beyond the reach of those who rely only on guesswork.3
Ultimately, this systematic approach ensures that victory is determined by calculations made before battle begins, rather than by chance.3