Planning is really the hallmark of any large military formation, and it's typically a weakness in new formations and new armies.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
State formation has been a brutal project, with many hideous consequences. But the results exist, and their pernicious aspects should be overcome.
You can make plans but if the opposition plays well, then all your plans become worthless.
The reason that everybody likes planning is that nobody has to do anything.
Thus, what is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy.
Sometimes you have to subordinate strategic considerations to tactical needs.
Strategy requires thought, tactics require observation.
Strategy is, at some level, the ability to predict what's going to happen, but it's also about understanding the context in which it is being formulated. And then you have to be open-minded to the fact that you're not going to get it right at the very beginning.
I'm a great believer in spontaneity because I think planning is the most destructive thing in the world.
The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.
In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.