Definition
Manoeuvre is the art of moving contested forces into advantageous positions. Sun Tzu calls it the "contest between armies" (Topic 7 of The Art of War) and explicitly names it the hardest of military problems: "no task is more demanding." Manoeuvre is the discipline of getting to the right place first, with enough force to matter, by a route the opponent does not contest.
The topic's central inversion: the indirect route arrives first. The shortest path between two points is usually the contested path, and the contested path is slow. The roundabout path — undefended because no one expected anyone to take it — gets there before the direct path does. Skilled manoeuvre is the discipline of preferring the unobstructed line.
Why it matters
How it works
Manoeuvre operates through three operational variables: route (direct vs. indirect), speed (the trade-off curve of speed/mass/supply), and timing (engaging when morale, terrain, and tempo favour you). The skilled commander manages all three. Force-marching at maximum speed for a hundred leagues delivers only a tenth of the army on time; a moderate pace delivers two-thirds. The right speed depends on what the campaign actually requires.
The topic closes with a famous list of refusals — the things a wise commander does not do, regardless of how attractive they look. Don't attack uphill. Don't engage well-ordered formations. Don't pursue a feigned retreat. Don't take obvious bait. Don't press a cornered enemy too hard ("leave him a way out"). Each refusal is a small piece of operational wisdom hard-won across centuries.