The principles of war at play in the war on drugs
Has the war on drugs being waged by the Duterte administration benefited from using the principles of war? Let us look at the conduct and the consequences.
War is always synonymous with struggle, strife, conflict, and sufferings. We have seen it in many forms: War on terror, insurgency war, wars of national liberation, and lately the utmost priority of this administration, the war on drugs.
Most wars that resulted in success and victory were achieved by adherence to the Principles of War. The purpose of this paper is not to justify the conduct of the war on drugs, but to evaluate its present and potential operational results based on these principles.
According to Carl Von Clausewitz, a noted military strategist, “No one starts a war or rather no one in his senses ought to do so without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by that war.”
President Duterte declared a war on drugs, a campaign promise he made haste to put into action from the get-go. When he made this declaration, it was very clear in his mind that the cause was noble and urgent: To dismantle the infrastructure and all the apparatuses of narcotics, and end the suffering that the trade and distribution of illegal drugs has brought to many Filipinos.
Judging by his performance as Davao Mayor, the platform that he presented during the election campaign, he prepared for this war a long time ago, not on a whim nor click of a finger, nor an election propaganda. It was all for real, clear-cut, serious, and calculated. And regardless of all its negative feedback, he remains unfazed, with no intention to withdraw or slow down. He has emerged more of a warrior rather than a politician, true to his consistent record as a public servant.
Given the magnitude of information made available to him, he was able to conclude the severity of the problem. That defined his explicit objective.
When you go to war, you develop a plan, a template as a guidepost based on facts, assumptions, physical reconnaissance, and even gut feel. In military parlance, this is called intelligence preparation of the battlefield. In business, it is environmental scan.
Duterte did not mind who would be affected: The powerful politicians, oligarchs, celebrities, drug lords and the masses as well. He knew the real enemy. This translates to the principle of objective. The basic purpose of war is to destroy the enemy and their will to fight.
Objective determines the end-state that goes down the line in the chain of command, and the levels of governance, clearly understood by the officers, rank and file so that the mission is undertaken in sync. If there is a gap in the chain, the commitment will not be total, and this could result in operational lapses.
So far, so good, except the sensationalized treatment and frenzied reaction to the killings. War has its own direct and collateral damages; even peace operations are not exempt.
In this campaign, the Commander in Chief moved his forces, assets and wherewithal directly to bear on the enemy without letup, decisively in pursuit of a clearly defined objective. This follows the principle of offensive.
You conduct offensive operations to seize the initiative, giving little space to your enemy to maneuver, consolidate and retaliate. The full force of the law enforcement agencies with military support initiated simultaneous and relentless offensive actions in all fronts that sent the narco forces in disarray and confusion.
When you are on the offensive, the momentum must be maintained. You do not divide your forces. Concentrate your strength on the most vulnerable spot that will weaken and decimate their resolve and fighting spirit.
Having identified the National Bureau of Prison as the center of gravity, all elements possessing “combat power” were massed to bear on the facility and its personalities. Other secondary objectives located in different parts of the country were likewise subdued before they can even reorganize. The principle of mass was applied.
In the employment of forces, it is essential to coordinate and allocate forces and assets at the most decisive point to achieve maximum results. Thus by employing government forces and agencies at selective targets, calibrating actions depending on the need and severity of threat, the principle of economy of force was achieved.
As it happened, the campaign against illegal drug syndicates, supporters and users was launched beyond unexpected proportions. The whole nation was surprised. Never in the history under any President has there been a serious campaign to fight the illegal drugs problem. Either some leaders were sleeping with the enemy, or had depended on the goods to preserve and perpetuate political power, or there were just too many who depended on the drug trade for their livelihood. In truth, many simply could not care less.
It was thus a big surprise when the full pressure was unleashed by Mr. Duterte. Living up to his promise, he let the dogs out, and how. The affected sectors had very little time to recover and recapitulate. The extensive inventory of intelligence information facilitated the application of the principle of surprise.
In the same mode, he made moves and actions unpredictable, always keeping the enemy off balance. This principle of maneuver is slowly decimating the ranks of active narco personalities. The conduct of all operations were clear and understood in simple but comprehensive operational plan and concomitantly, the principle of security was never compromised, or at least minimized.
The planning, execution and the follow through appear to be seamless, uncomplicated, fully understood by all the actors and participants in the war operations. It conformed to the principle of simplicity.
The principle of the unity of command was very distinct and pronounced. The Commander in Chief has explicitly and unequivocally stated that he is responsible for the success or failure in this campaign. He has projected the personality of a combat commander: Strong, decisive, fearless, and uncompromising leadership. He has stated time and again the he will see this through, regardless of the cost, even offering his life for this worthy cause if it need be. This quality of leadership extracts unquestioned obedience to command, generates high morale and boosts esprit d’ corps to achieve the avowed mission.
Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs portrays a design crafted using the principles of war. The war has been transformed into a crusade whose success or failure will dictate the values and quality of life of our people in the succeeding generations.
While this war has been explosive and controversial, it cannot be otherwise. War has high risks and trade-offs. The effects can only be mitigated but it can never be discounted. This war will be long and protracted. The effects on the other sectors might take a toll in the short-run but its strategic value in the medium- and long-term will reap satisfactory benefits for the nation.
It must be pointed out that the setbacks that are effecting the nation at least temporarily in the field of international relations and economy is not a by-product of the war on drugs but media bias and exploitation on an international scale. There is too the impact of the uncalibrated, impulsive, and unpredictable statements made by the President on various issues.
In due time, the right mix of intent, expression and action will be achieved. But what is essential and important is that all must be involved, as this war on drugs goes full steam ahead toward victory. This war is not his war alone, it is our war, it is our future.
