06.006 To be certain to take what you attack...

[sonshi]

To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

Foreknowledge is the 1st step in determining where are the weaknesses.

Know the targets well.

Ensure that you know the gains and losses from attacking each of the targets.

Decide on which target you want to hit with most of your force.
Shape him with an assortment of misdirectional tactics

When the time is right, attack him with quicknesss, proper momentum and precise timing. The attack strategy must be well prepared and planned.

I agree with Cardinal999.

Always, always, always apply your strengths against the enemies' weaknesses.

Always.

The strategy of the indirect approach is about the surest way to catch the enemy off-guard and usually will result in victory.

By possessing overwhelming firepower and applying same at decisive points, it makes it exceedingly difficult for the enemy to properly defend. Of course, when one side has such overwhelming forces, an effective counter strategy is to retreat and try an blend in with the civilians and wait for another day.

-BingFa

[gonzo]

Basic common sense. Attack where the defenses are the lightest in order to aquire the territory.

Gonzo

Sun Tzu said, "To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend."

The general must gather, qualify and quantify information of the opposition's means of resistance in order to make the plans to execute a well-concerted attack.

[Dan]

To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

Find out where your enemy is weak. Then attack him there. Win. Gain territory and resources. SImple enough.

I like his/her explanation best. To use the analogy of applying for work. How do I acquire foreknowledge. How does one get in the loop....? Volunteering maybe or political involvement. I am weak in this area.

Know my target intimately well. I ought to be well versed on the web site as a primer. Maybe check with the chamber of commerce to find out more about the company.

I have no knowledge of how to beindirect on an all out assault on applying for a job. Maybe it means contacting or getting to know people in the business. Maybe a good question for shonshi.

Be a well trained invading force. Have the resume perfected, have the references ready, have an interest in the job, have my volunteer service reference ready, practice interviewing well in advance, be well groomed ...shoes shined shirt dry cleaned..new tie.

Don't give the objective any opportunities to escape.

pawn11

[markb287]

This is a sure method to attacking your target. You shouldn't attack the enemy where he can defend, even if you can defeat him, because this may weaken armor or something bad may happen during battle. Battles are last resorts. But you should attack where he cannot defend, so that you can take what he can't block without fighting. If an enemy is weak in one spot, take what you need from there.

[MonteChristo]

Places, which are not defended can be taken at limited losses to resources and according to ‘Take the whole intact’ paradigm.

Also those wins are quick. As we learn from Sun Tzu, the speed of operations is one of necessary condition to win. Being fast and flexible is an effective weapon.

In business terms those companies, which make decisions fast and have minimum amount of bureaucracy have an advantage over those, which loose time in long approval processes.

[waterbearer]

To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

To attack where the enemy cannot defend, a general must have substantive intelligence, especially from spies within the enemy force.

An army may travel on its stomach (did Napolean really say that?) but it wins its wars as much on useful and precise intelligence as it does on strength of arms.

Mobility, matched with deception, grounded in planning and preparation, founded on information....the simplicity of complexity!

[Truthseeker]

Originally posted by sonshi
To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

A good technique for taking the initiative is to establish oneself in undefended territories. Look for opennings or vulnerabilities in your opponent's strategy or action and plan for gaining a threshold in enemy territory. Once one has the initiative in these undefended territories it will then be difficult for one's enemy to defend against the attack. Of course the objective, all the while, is to take our intented target with the least amount of fatalities.

[Bushranger]

To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

Beware of the bait ...

Sun Tzu here states what is required to achieve sureness of attack - attack where there cannot be a defence. He does not say, "attack where the enemy is not defending." Rather than rely upon failure of the foe (to mount a defence) to remain unremedied, and undergo the chance that the enemy will scramble to mount a defence, we should only attack where it is not possible to mount a defence at all. Put our strength against his certain weakness.

Thus we can take what we attack. The overlying issue, therefore, is whether we want to take what we can attack with certainty. If so, then the exertion of strength is advisable.

The ideal attack, when it comes, is sure of success. Being sure of its success, the general is able to factor it into his future plans within the wider conflict. This increase of degree of certainty provides strategic advantage and, in another sense, what the general takes with his victory.

[dej2]

Originally posted by sonshi
To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

Sawyer's book--"To ensure taking the objective in an attack, strike positions that are undefended."

Attack the enemy's weakest positions will guarantee a victory.

[Daedalus]

It appears to me that Sun Tzu is saying do not attack unless you know you can win.

It is almost common sense. Why attack an enemies strongest point? One must patiently look for a weakness, a weakness in a system.

Some may ask themselves how this can be used in a practical manner. Well, in addition to all out combat, it can be used in business and finance to.

If you want to take control of someone's business or assets, you can attack them at a weak point or a weak time. Perhaps the company begins to suffer economic hardship, or its stocks fall. Perhaps the company overcharges the customers for cheaply made goods.

If you decided to acquisition the company, and they are your competitors, it woul dbe a good time to wait until they are weak. But if they are not obviously weak, it would be wise to look for a potential weakness and exploit it.

An example would be a angel investor who notices how tired people are of paying a electric company due to rising prices. As an alternative the investor chooses an independent inventor of a alternative energy device and then uses his resources to market it, offering a cost efficient alternative to a monopoly power company. Customers would come overnight.

Daedalus

[Vesting]

Originally posted by sonshi
To be certain to take what you attack, attack where the enemy cannot defend.

To be uncertain to lose what you defend, don't forget to defend where the ally can attack.

That means. Don't forget to look behind your back too. Your best 'friend' can become your worst nightmare, if it not so by becoming your enemy too, it may so because of his misfortunes or misunderstanding of your intentions. It's generally better to trust your enemy to know what he's doing. Never underestimate your allies.