Offensive (military)

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An offensive is a

The offensive was considered a pre-eminent means of producing victory, although with the recognition of a defensive phase at some stage of the execution.[1]

A quick guide to the size or scope of the offensive is to consider the number of troops involved in the side initiating the offensive.

Offensives are largely conducted as a means to secure initiative in a confrontation between opponents. They can be waged on land, at sea^[2] or in the air.

A naval offensive, such as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, can have wide-ranging implications for national strategies and require a significant logistical commitment to destroy enemy naval capabilities. It can also be used to interdict enemy shipping, such as World War II's Battle of the Atlantic. Naval offensives can also be tactical, such as Operation Coronado IX^[3] conducted by the United States Navy's Mobile Riverine Force during the Vietnam War.

An

A theatre offensive can be a war and a dominant feature of a national security policy, or one of several components of war if a country is involved in several theatres such as the United Kingdom in 1941. In general theatre, offensives require over 250,000 troops to be committed to combat operations, including combined planning for different arms and services of the armed forces, such as air defence troops integrated into the overall plan for ground operations.^[5]

Strategic offensive

A strategic offensive is often a

A strategic offensive is the aggressive expression of war planning and the use of strategic forces as a whole, combining all resources available for achieving defined and definitive goals that would fundamentally alter the balance of power between belligerents.[6] However, the planning and execution of strategic offensives are always based on theoretical considerations because it is impractical, uneconomic and difficult to hide a full-scale rehearsal of large-scale operations.

A strategic offensive consists of simultaneous, tandem or phased operational offensives that seek to achieve specific operational objectives that eventually lead to the achievement of a strategic goal, usually a complete defeat of the opposition, but also destruction of a significant enemy force or occupation of strategically significant territory, such as the

Any given strategic offensive is a derivative of a combination of factors such as national military doctrine, past military experience, and analysis of socio-political, economic and military circumstances.[8]

See also

• The best defense is a good offense
• Military operation
• Offensive jihad
• Pre-dawn raid
• Charge (warfare)

References

Sources

• Glantz, David M., Soviet military operational art: in pursuit of
  ISBN 0-7146-4077-8
• Glantz, David M., The Soviet strategic offensive in Manchuria, 1945: August storm, Frank Cass, London, 2003
• Fulton, William B., Major General, VIETNAM STUDIES RIVERINE OPERATIONS 1966-1969, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, U.S. Government Printing Office, WASHINGTON, D. C., 1985
• Longmate, Norman. The Bombers. Hutchins & Co, 1983.
  ISBN 0-09-151580-7
  .
• Isby, David C., Weapons and tactics of the Soviet Army, Jane's Publishing Company Limited, London, 1981