Sun Tzu’s Art of War and its influence at Desuung Training (my experience in 30th batch desuup training at Tencholing)

Sun Tzu’s Art of War and its influence at Desuung Training

After five weeks of arduous Desuug training at the Military Training Centre-Tencholing, Wangdiphodrang, I finally succumbed to my bed to balance out five weeks of my deprived sleep. Yet the very next day, I woke up at 4:00 am in the morning, haunted in my dreams by the “fall in” whistle, I was still feeling beyond exhausted yet was unable to sleep. Left alone in my quiet room, I recapitulated the plight of desuung training and started to demystify how our Training Officers and Instructors resocialized us into the military system and made us obey all orders without hesitation and finally made us a well-trained and disciplined DESUUP.

It was on 19^th May 2018, when I first joined the Dessung Training with high spirit of volunteerism and excitement along with 124 other volunteers, little did I know that the Trainee Officers and Instructors have all mastered Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Sun Tzu was a Chinese General in the period when local warlords constantly waged war against each other in 400 BC. King Helu (King of the state of Wu) agonized over a growing threat of invasion by his neighboring Kingdoms, summoned Sun Tzu to train a smaller Wu army and defeat the larger invading forces. At first, King Helu challenges Sun Tzu to apply his famous war doctrine to train 180 soft spoken and spoiled palace concubines into an orderly company. Sun Tzu accepted the King’s challenge. He divided the women into two groups and appointed two concubines as platoon leader to ensure discipline in their own groups. Sun Tzu then showed the women the important maneuvers and made sure they understood what to do. However, when he started ordering them to perform the drill, the women burst out in laughter. He ordered again and they still giggled. To this, he claimed that this failure of the troops to obey was the fault of the commanders. So, he beheaded the two leaders as an example for the rest of the company. Thereafter, the women did not utter a single sound and performed the drill exactly as commanded. While these women never saw battle, but Sun Tzu has proved his point. King Halu appoints Sun Tzu as Commander of the Wu army. Sun Tzu trains army of 30,000 to fight army 10 times larger. The strategies and tactics he used in winning a war not only become the foundation of his masterwork but also has shaped the way how many wars have been won and lost with numerous military tactics. Today, it has equally resounding effects on politics, sports, business, leading teams, and in our everyday life.

In the similar manner, on the first day of the training, all 125 new desuups were divided into four platoons. The Training Instructors taught us simple commands like “KaayJur” and “DraamTaen” and to always fall in three rows of the designated group. With diverse background of desuup trainees, disharmony in the execution of these commands was a natural thing. We even giggled and laughed at each other like Wu’s concubines as some executed the wrong commands despite clear instructions. The very next day, one dessung commander, four platoon commanders, and 12 section commanders were appointed and allocated responsibilities in making sure that discipline is observed within their units and platoons. But when the Training Instructor blew his whistle and simple orders of maneuvers to “fall in” and others were passed, there were vast majority of disciplinary problems within the control of the Training Instructors again. For instance, some arrived late, many still laughed and giggled at each other when commands were executed, some could not keep their hands and legs still, some mumbled, and so on.  There was only one way the Training Instructor could convince all desuups that the disciplinary problems in military training are symptoms of underlying weakness of total learning situation. Like Sun Tzu, the Training Instructor said “if the instructions are not explicit, it is the fault of the Instructor that the desuups do not obey. But if the orders are clear and my orders have been clear, it is the fault of the subordinate officers that orders are not obeyed…”. For the first time the Training Instructor commences the military punishments. But instead of beheading the platoon commanders like Sun Tzu and punishing the desuups who violated the commands and disciplinary conducts, the desuung commander and platoon commanders were publicly embarrassed and given harsh punishments while their failure to discipline their platoons were read in front of entire 125 desuups. Completely humiliated and annoyed desuung commander and platoon commanders in turn now becomes deadly serious. The Desuung Commander demands Platoon Commanders for complete discipline.  The Platoon Commander in turn orders his Section Commanders and ensures discipline in their own platoon. From there on, the entire desuups followed orders without hesitation and performed the drills exactly as commanded. Like Sun Tzu, the Training Instructors has convinced us that discipline is key principle of teaching in Military Training Center. Once understood everyone from the leader down to an individual desuup will be motivated to learn. And the big take away from this incident was that even a relatively small number of desuups with discipline can effectively undertake rescue operation, respond to fires and disasters, manage crowd control, and support the army, if required.

However, this method of disciplining was more coercive and controlling from outside. Therefore, revolt, disorder, and chaos could have been an inevitable thing, if it continued for the entire five weeks. This formidable task to maintain discipline in a large group of 125 desuups was worsen by diverse background of desuups comprising of old and young, female and male, weak and strong, unemployed to Chief Level Officers, acquiescent and recalcitrant, taciturn and loquacious individuals from all 20 dzongkhags. But, what made us resocialize into military system and obey orders from within? How did they mentally and emotionally transform us from a generally lackadaisical and uncooperative civilian to a well-disciplined individual? How did we submerge our individuality and ego to form a cohesive team? How did we agree to confinement and suppression (denying privacy, right to leave the military campus, etc), control and conformity (polish boots, make our beds, stack clothes, etc), and stress and punishments (deprive of sleep, food, shelter, shout personal insults and orders to humiliate, etc)? Overall, how did they successfully establish and maintain a desirable learning atmosphere, amongst the diverse group of 125 people?

Perhaps one thing that stand out the most was the application of key principles of Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Sun Tzu said that

“the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting”.

Fighting causes lives and money. Sun Tzu praises the generals who can outwit instead of outfight his opponent. He downplays the direct attack and puts the emphasis on maneuver, surprise and deception. Throughout history armies fight head to head in the battle field to show their strength and courage. But Sun Tzu doesn’t care of the glory. He only wanted to win.

Like Sun Tzu, the Military Training Center was successful in winning a war without fighting. They successfully subdued and disciplined 125 of us and without using much coercive force. Enemy here refers not to the enemy but the group of 125 civilians, of which some were recalcitrant and uncooperative and some were lackadaisical by nature. If Sun Tzu was still alive, he would have definitely praised our fair, firm and friendly Training Adjutant for outwitting 125 desuups for five weeks. He was later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel towards the final week of our training by His Majesty the King.

The Training Adjutant, led the entire group with not just our bodies, but also our minds, hearts and spirits. He never destroyed our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits. While he ensured every one of us to complete the entire physical training exercise, drills and others, at the same time he ensured that some were not over-worked in this process. On the contrary to our common belief of punishing those who could not make it, he advocated Sun Tzu’s principle of subduing the enemy without fighting by adopting the concept of libertarian paternalism. Liberalizing the trainees to withdraw from physical and practical trainings and other desuung programs based on their will but at the same time restricting the choice to relax, forcing them to complete a lesser training course, equally making them to watch their colleagues under the sun, and nudging them to recover soon.

Other techniques implemented in desuung training that relates to Sun Tzu’s principles are:

Sun Tzu said “put the army in the face of death where there is no escape and they will not flee or be afraid-there is nothing they cannot achieve”.

In the similar way, we were placed in a deep forest to “run back” to the nearest road point of distance more than five kilometers, with no possibilities of retreat.

Sun Tzu said “When the enemy is relaxed, make them toil. When full, starve them. When settle, make them move”.

No sooner we settle to relax after the orders to relax were passed subsequently after a tiring exercise, we were asked to “fall in” into groups for another exercise. If we eat heavy lunch, then heavy exercise followed immediately. Many a times this was frustrating. But as I look back, I realize the importance of frustrating our enemies with such techniques to ambush when they finally move.

            Sun Tzu used “divide and conquer… when the enemy is double the strength”

Social loafing was a common phenomenon at desuung training. Some of us exerted less effort to achieve a goal when we work in a group, particularly when were asked to clap, sing loudly -Zhabten and Desuung honour code, execute drills, and perform return show. In order to maximize equal effort and participation, the Training Adjutant and Training Instructors used Sun Tzu’s principle of divide and rule to achieve the desired outcomes. In particular, those who were shy and reluctant to perform on stage, also appeared on the stage with at least one cultural program in the end.

Sun Tzu said “to rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes. To be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues”

At Military Training Centre every program has a contingency plan. The contingency plans are well planned not only for passing out parade (back-up plan if it rains), but also for all other classes and events.

Towards the end of the five weeks of intensive desuung training, on 23^rd of June 2018, as all of us proudly marched on the famous Tencholing “oil coal tar” ground to perform the passing out parade. Our voice roared into the air, boots crashed the ground, hands banged the rifle butts, and everyone moved as one with the call of the parade commander and line marker. More particularly, when the national flag was unfurled by the flag hoister and we all sang the national anthem, as loud as we can along with the military music band, we all felt tears of joy with greatest sense of unprecedented accomplishment that “yes we all did it”. This was all possible because of the commendable techniques of our Training Adjutant and the influence of Sun Tzu’s Art of War at the Military Training Center. For now, although, I selfishly get temptations to demystify and publish all techniques at the Military Training Center by relating it to Sun Tzu’s principles (specially preparation, deception and indirect attacks to win war), on second thought as rightly said by a wise man “some things are best kept secret”. Desuung training must go on and it does not end with my 30^th batch.

Lastly, I reverently submit my heartfelt gratefulness to our Supreme Commander His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo for his farsighted vision to institute Desuung and to the Military Training Center and Desuung Office for making us well-trained and disciplined Desuup. I humbly pledge you all to be a guardian of peace and vow to abide by the desuung honour code to eternity.