Economy of Force scenario: A staff plan spreads limited combat power across minor tasks and starves the main effort. Which joint principle is violated?

• A. Economy of Force
• B. Mass
• C. Surprise
• D. Unity of Command

Answer: (A)

Economy of Force is about using only the amount of force necessary on secondary tasks so the main effort has enough strength to prevail. When a staff plan spreads limited combat power across many minor tasks and leaves the main effort under-resourced, you’re not preserving force for the decisive operation. Instead of concentrating on what matters most, you dilute effort and fail to mass on the objective, which undermines effectiveness.

The other principles don’t fit this scenario as well: mass focuses overwhelming power at the decisive point, which isn’t happening here; surprise deals with timing and unpredictability, not resource allocation; unity of command is about having a single authority, not how force is distributed.