Editing J. F. C. Fuller (section)

==Military theories==
Fuller was a vigorous, expressive, and opinionated writer of [[military history]] and of controversial predictions of the future of war, publishing ''On Future Warfare'' in 1928. Seeing his teachings largely vindicated by the Second World War, he published ''Machine Warfare: An Enquiry into the Influence of Mechanics on the Art of War'' in 1942.

===''The Foundations of the Science of War'' (1926)===
Fuller is perhaps best known today for his "Nine Principles of War"<ref>''The Foundations of the Science of War'' (1926 ed.); Chapter IX, Section 6</ref> which have formed the foundation of much of modern military theory since the 1930s, and which were originally derived from a convergence of Fuller's mystical and military interests. The Nine Principles went through several iterations; Fuller stated that "the system evolved from six principles in 1912, rose to eight in 1915, to, virtually, nineteen in 1923, and then descended to nine in 1925".<ref name=Foundations>{{cite book|last=Fuller|first=J. F. C.|title=The Foundations of the Science of War|url=https://archive.org/details/foundationsofsci00jfcf|year=1926|publisher=Hutchinson|location=London}}</ref> For example, notice how his analysis of General Ulysses S. Grant was presented in 1929.<ref>{{cite book|author=J. F. C. Fuller|title=The Generalship of Ulysses S. Grant|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZbfasAL1qUC&pg=PA13|year=1929|page=13ff|publisher=Hachette Books |isbn=978-0-306-80450-2}}</ref>

The United States Army modified Fuller's list and issued its first list of the principles of war in 1921, making it the basis of advanced training for officers into the 1990s, when it finally reconceptualised its training.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kevin Dougherty|title=The United States Military in Limited War: Case Studies in Success and Failure, 1945–1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hKbQ8iVzmFUC&pg=PA5|year=2012|publisher=McFarland|page=5|isbn=978-1-4766-0010-9}}</ref>

====The Nine Principles of War====
The '''Nine Principles''' involve the uses of force (combat power). They have been expressed in various ways, but Fuller's 1925 arrangement is as follows:

# '''Direction:''' What is the overall aim? Which objectives must be met to achieve the aim?
# '''Concentration:''' Where will the commander focus the most effort?
# '''Distribution:''' Where and how will the commander position their force?
# '''Determination:''' The will to fight, the will to persevere, and the will to win must be maintained.
# '''Surprise (Demoralisation of Force):''' The commander's ability to veil their intentions while discovering those of their enemy. Properly executed ''Surprise'' unbalances the enemy – causing Demoralisation of Force.
# '''Endurance:''' The force's resistance to pressure. This is measured by the force's ability to anticipate complications and threats. This is enhanced by planning on how best to avoid, overcome, or negate them and then properly educating and training the force in these methods.
# '''Mobility:''' The commander's ability to manoeuvre their force while outmanoeuvring the enemy's forces.
# '''Offensive Action (Disorganisation of Force):''' The ability to gain and maintain the initiative in combat. Properly executed ''Offensive Action'' disrupts the enemy - causing Disorganisation of Force.
# '''Security:''' The ability to protect the force from threats.

====Triads and Trichotomies====
Cabalistic influences on his theories can be shown by his use of the "[[Trichotomy (philosophy)|Law of Threes]]" throughout his work.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Foundations of the Science of War'' (1926 ed.); Chapter IX, Section 6</ref> Fuller did not believe the Principles stood alone as is thought today,<ref>''Foundations of the Science of War'' (1926 ed.); Chapter IX, Section 6; Diagrams 17, 18 & 19</ref> but that they complemented and overlapped each other as part of a whole, forming the [[Economy of force|Law of Economy of Force]].<ref>Foundations of the Science of War (1926 ed.); "be reduced to three groups, namely, principles of control, resistance, and pressure, and finally to one law – the law of economy of force".</ref>

====Organisation of Force====
These Principles were further grouped into the categories of ''Control'' (command / co-operation), ''Pressure'' (attack / activity) and ''Resistance'' (protection / stability). The Principles of Control guides the dual Principles of Pressure and of Resistance, which in turn create the Principles of Control.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* '''Principles of Control (1, 4, & 7):''' Direction, Determination, & Mobility.
* '''Principles of Pressure (2, 5, & 8):''' Concentration, Surprise, & Offensive Action.
* '''Principles of Resistance (3, 6, & 9):''' Distribution, Endurance, & Security.

====The Unity of the Principles of War====
They were also grouped into Cosmic (''Spiritual''), Mental (''Mind / Thought / Reason''), Moral (''Soul / Sensations / Emotions''), and Physical (''Body / Musculature / Action'') Spheres, in which two Principles (like the double-edged point of an arrowhead) combine to create or manifest a third, which in turn guides the first and second Principles (like the fletches on an arrow's tail). Each Sphere leads to the creation of the next until it returns to the beginning and repeats the circular cycle with reassessments of the ''Object'' and ''Objective'' to redefine the uses of ''Force''. The Cosmic Sphere is seen as outside the other three Spheres, like the Heavens are outside the Realm of Man. They influence it indirectly in ways that cannot be controlled by the commander, but they are a factor in the use of Force. Force resides in the center of the pattern, as all of these elements revolve around it.<ref>''Foundations of the Science of War'' (1926 ed.); Chapter IX, Section 6; Diagram 17.</ref>
* '''Cosmic Sphere:''' Goal (''Object'') & Desire (''Objective'') = Method (''Economy of Force'')
** ''Goal'' is the overall purpose or aim of the mission (what Goals must the mission complete or achieve?).
** ''Desire'' concerns the priority of the achievement or acquisition of the Goal (how important and essential is the Goal to the overall mission effort?). 
** ''Method'' is how the forces available will carry out the mission (How much of the mission's force will be assigned - or are available – to accomplish the Goal?). 
* '''Mental Sphere (1, 2, & 3):''' Reason (''Direction'') & Imagination (''Concentration'') = Will (''Distribution'')
* '''Moral Sphere (4, 5, & 6):''' Fear (''Determination'') & Morale (''Surprise'') = Courage (''Endurance'')
* '''Physical Sphere (7, 8, & 9):''' Attack (''Offensive Action'') & Protection (''Security'') = Movement (''Mobility'')

These [[Principles of War]] have been adopted and further refined by the military forces of several nations, most notably within NATO, and continue to be applied widely to modern strategic thinking. Recently they have also been applied to business tactics<ref>
{{Citation
| publisher = Tactica
| last = McNeil
| first = Paul
| title = How to Apply Military Principles to High Value Sales Campaigns
| year = 2008
}}</ref> and hobby [[wargaming]].<ref>{{cite web
| last = Bigred
| title = 40K Tactics: Nine Principles of War
| work = Bell of Lost Souls
| access-date =21 December 2009
| date = 7 October 2009
| url = http://www.belloflostsouls.net/2009/10/40k-tactics-nine-principles-of-war-pt-1.html
}}</ref>

===''Lectures on Field Service Regulations III'' (1932)===
Fuller also had a knack for [[aphorisms]], witness: "To attack the nerves of an army, and through its nerves the will of its commander, is more profitable than battering to pieces the bodies of its men."<ref name=mwimw>{{Cite web |publisher=Modern War Institute |first=Paul |last=Barnes |url=https://mwi.usma.edu/maneuver-warfare-reports-of-my-death-have-been-greatly-exaggerated/ | title=Maneuver Warfare: "Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated" | date=9 March 2021 }}</ref> His ''Lectures'' have attracted much attention over the course of decades, with one staff writer even going so far as to extend his vision of the tank as "master-weapon" to say that the helicopter not the tank would be the chief determinant of success on the battlefield from the late 20th century.<ref name="coroalles88">{{cite news |last1=Coroalles |first1=Anthony M. |title=Lectures on FSR III Revisited: The Tactical Thought of J.F.C. Fuller Applied to Future War |work=Fort Leavenworth, Kansas |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA191435.pdf |publisher=School of Advanced Military Studies U.S. Army Command and General Staff College |date=4 January 1988}}</ref>

The book was carefully read by General [[Heinz Guderian]] of later [[Blitzkrieg]] fame and at the time Germany's foremost tank expert. The [[Soviet Army]] initially issued 30,000 copies of it and designated it as a table book for all Red Army officers. Later, the Soviets increased publication to 100,000 volumes. In Czechoslovakia, it became the standard reference for the teaching of mechanized warfare at their staff college. Ironically, in Britain only 500 copies were sold by 1935 while in the United States, the [[Infantry Journal]] received a copy at the time of publishing but failed to review it.<ref name=coroalles88/>

===''Armament and History (1945)''===
Fuller also developed the idea of the ''Constant Tactical Factor''. This states that every improvement in warfare is checked by a counter-improvement, causing the advantage to shift back and forth between the offensive and the defensive. Fuller's firsthand experience in the First World War saw a shift from the defensive power of the machine gun to the offensive power of the tank.<ref name=":1" />