Principle of Concentration of Force
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A military principle formalized through Lanchester's equations, which model how combat outcomes depend on the square of relative force strength. The core proposition is that concentrating a local advantage, often described as a ratio near three to one, allows a decisive result at low cost, whereas spreading the same force evenly produces attrition everywhere and victory nowhere. The key qualification is identifying the decisive point.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Center identification: find the point that actually decides the contest. - Withdrawal move: cut effort on secondary fronts to free resources for that point. - Saturation check: confirm the local advantage is large enough before committing.
Anchor fast decisions
Because the outcome depends on the square of relative strength, a modest local superiority produces a disproportionate result, and the surviving force can then be redeployed. Concentration therefore converts a smaller total force into a decisive local victory, whose gains can be applied to the next point. Even distribution forfeits this entirely, since it never creates a decisive local ratio.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_warverified
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