Jomini: Offensive-Defensive

Before reading this article i would recomend you to read → Jomini Biography as it would give an insight how he evolved as a strategist.



Jomini was a great proponent of offensive warfare. As in (ARTICLE XVI.(OF STRATEGIC COMBINATIONS) he clearly defined both the offensive and defensive war and proposed that offensive war for a single operation is somewhat taking an initiative and nearly always it is advantageous

"it carries the war upon foreign soil, saves the assailant’s country from devastation, increases his resources and diminishes those of his enemy, elevates the morale of his army, and generally depresses the adversary."

With that, he also pointed out that offensive with respect to the grand invasion was a bit risky as it results in long lines of operation and also the hostility of locals. The plus point is that the enemy is struck at the vital points and deprived of his resources, he will soon be compelled to seek speedy redressal of issues.

"He who invades does so by reason of some superiority;....."

On defensive operations, he said that 

"a defensive war is not without its advantages when wisely conducted". 

He believed that if one's forces are inferior to the enemy, then an active -defensive strategy may accomplish great successes in restoring equality.Jomini explained that this active type of defense (taking the offensive at times),

 "promises many chances for success . . . [and] combines the advantages of  both systems."

Jomini was also a proponent of the element of surprise. He states that 

"it is sufficient to attack [an enemy] in force at the point intended before preparations can be made to meet the attack." 

He further cites confusion of the enemy as an advantage. 

But he also condemned the defensive strategy. Jomini wrote:

". . . to bury an army in entrenchments where it may be outflanked  and surrounded, or forced in front even if secure from a flank attack, is manifest folly; and it is hoped that we shall never see another instance of it." 

JOMINI: Art of War

Antoine Henri Jomini

Jomini’s major contribution to the Art of War concern’s the tangible i.e. physical aspect of warfare. Under all his theories on the subject lies the fundamental principle which defined in the below four maxims (Chapter 3: Section: THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF WA

(1) To throw by strategic movements the mass of an army successively, upon the decisive points of a theater of war, and also upon the communications of the enemy as much as possible without compromising one's own.

(2) To maneuver to engage fractions of the hostile army with the bulk of one's forces.

(3) On the battlefield, to throw the mass of the forces upon the decisive point, or upon that portion of the hostile line which it is of the first importance to overthrow.

(4) To so arrange that these masses shall not only be thrown upon the decisive point but that they shall engage al the proper t times with energy.

The Art of War by Jomini is divided into 6 parts:

1. Statesmanship in its relation to war.
2. Strategy; or the art of properly directing masses upon the theater of war, either for defense or for invasion.
3. Grand Tactics.
4. Logistics; or the art of moving armies.
5. Engineering—the attack and defense of fortifications.
6. Minor Tactics.

Here Strategy defines where to act; Logistics brings the troops to the point/front; Grand Tactics involves how troops would be employed and deployed; Minor Tactics includes integration of infantry, artillery, and cavalry for a combined attack and Engineering focus on the attack and defense of fortification.

Jomini : Biography

The 18th and 19th century were centuries full of conflict for Europe. Napolean's war raged between France and series of 3 coalitions of European Countries from 1792-1815. These conflict also produced few greatest military thinkers of all time.Napolean who often regarded as a great military strategist left no written records of his concepts and his military applications but mostly penned mostly novellas, essays, etc.

But thanks to 2 men for recording analyzing and interpreting his strategy and contributions:

1. Antoine-Henri, Baron Jomini (6 March 1779 – 24 March 1869)
2. Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz[1] (1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831)

Antoine Henri Jomini

Antoine-Henri, Baron Jomini was the first among the military thinkers who analyzed Napoleon’s warfare tactics. Swiss by birth Jomini joined the French Army. He was working backend i.e as a staff officer throughout his career.

In 1806 after publishing his views on the current war with Prussia and his exceptional knowledge of Fredrick the Great's campaign made Napolean appoint him at his headquarters. Later he was offered to join Russian Armed service which he did after the consent of both countries. But was caught in a flux when the war between the France and Russia started which he tackled by engaging as non-combatant in the communications area.

In his later life, he started Military Academy of St Petersburg (1826) in Russia and then retired in France where he advised Napoleon III for the Italian campaign (1859) and died on 22 March 1869, in Paris at the age of 90.

The famous quote for Jomini was “Devin de Napoléon” or the man who guessed what Napoleon was about.

He along with Clausewitz had done for Defence Studies what Adam Smith had done for Economics.