Thirteenth Century Mongol Warfare: Classical Military Strategy or Oper

This study shows that thirteenth century Mongol warfare is an example of emerging operational art. There is significant debate on the origins of operational art. The School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) advances two arguments. Both arguments purport that operational art has Euro-American origins. The thirteenth century Mongol Army was a well organized, brilliantly led and masterly controlled organization that achieved astounding military feats. The Mongols identified military strategic goals, established military conditions to achieve those goals, conducted sequential and simultaneous operations, and allocated operational resources. The Mongols also conducted campaigns with commanders that consistently displayed broad operational vision. The study defines classical military strategy, then looks at the definition and origin of operational art. The study next examines two thirteenth century Mongol campaigns: the Khwarezmian Campaign (1219-1223) and the Central European Campaign (1241). The study analyzes the two campaigns using the definition of operational art found in Field Manual 100-5, Operations as criteria. The study concludes that the thirteenth century Mongols practiced a form of operational art. Implications on the study of the historical practice of operational art are discussed.