Noted: Compiling such a list can be a complex undertaking. “Issues of scale, era and location complicate the question, as do the criteria for a ?sneak attack? ? which is often viewed as a preemptive strike by those who launch it,” observes military historian John W. Hall at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “Rarely are such affairs complete and total surprises. In hindsight, it often emerges that the indicators for an attack were present but overlooked, or not placed in the proper context.”
Office of Strategic Communication