Military deception reconsidered

Abstract

This thesis explores the elements of military deception and defines the overarching principles that make for successful military deception. A good reference point is the six principles of military deception as defined by Joint Publication (JP) 3-58: focus, integration, timeliness, security, objective, and centralized control. However, I propose that operational advantage, consisting of surprise, information advantage and security are essential elements of a successful military deception. To refine the scope of the research this analysis of deception is focused on the tactical and operational levels of war. This thesis begins with a cross analysis of the principles of deception as defined by the U.S. military and academics, followed by historical case studies, then an application and validity test of my proposed key elements of deception against the case studies.