This is a list of established military terms which have been in use for at least 50 years. Since technology and doctrine have changed over time, not all of them are in current use, or they may have been superseded by more modern terms. However, they are still in current use in articles about previous military periods. Some of them like ''camouflet'' have been adapted to describe modern versions of old techniques.

Administrative

Cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...

: a temporary or semi-permanent military quarters; in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations. *

Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

Materiel Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context. In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specifi ...

(also ''matériel'') *

Military supply chain management Military supply-chain management is a cross-functional approach to procuring, producing and delivering products and services for military materiel applications. Military supply chain management includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, internal inf ...

Staging area A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...

Intelligence

Signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

(SIGINT) and

signals intelligence in modern history Before the development of radar and other electronics techniques, signals intelligence (SIGINT) and communications intelligence (COMINT) were essentially synonymous. Sir Francis Walsingham ran a postal interception bureau with some cryptanalytic ca ...

Electronic intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...

(ELINT) ***

High-frequency direction finding High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF or nickname huff-duff, is a type of radio direction finder (RDF) introduced in World War II. High frequency (HF) refers to a radio band that can effectively communicate over ...

(nicknamed ''huff-duff'') is the common name for a type of radio direction finding employed especially during the two world wars. **

Communications intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is list of intelligence gathering disciplines, intelligence-gathering by interception of ''Signal, signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from ele ...

(COMINT) *

Human intelligence Human intelligence is the intellectual capability of humans, which is marked by complex cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and self-awareness. High intelligence is associated with better outcomes in life. Through intelligence, humans ...

(HUMINT) * Imagery intelligence (IMINT) *

Measurement and signature intelligence Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) is a technical branch of intelligence gathering, which serves to detect, track, identify or describe the distinctive characteristics (signatures) of fixed or dynamic target sources. This often incl ...

(MASINT) *

Open-source intelligence Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (covert and publicly available sources) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforcement, and busi ...

(OSINT)

On land

Demilitarized zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or bounda ...

(DMZ): Area that is specifically established to be free from military presence or action. Often used to create a buffer between two conflicting states to prevent accidental border skirmishes and established by treaty or a third party peace keeper. *

No man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

: land that is not occupied or, more specifically, land that is under dispute between countries or areas that will not occupy it because of fear or uncertainty, or for tactical or strategical considerations. No man's land was what the Allied Expeditionary Force under the command of General Pershing would refer to the land separating the fronts of the two opposing armies, as it was deadly to be there.

Arms and services

Artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

includes any engine used for the discharge of large projectiles. *

Artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to fac ...

: an organized group of artillery pieces (previously artillery park). * Also see below

Doctrinal

These terms are used for talking about how armed forces are used. Many of the terms below can be applied to combat in other environments although most often used in reference to land warfare. *

Ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...

: carrying out a surprise attack on an enemy that passes a concealed position. *

Artillery barrage In military usage, a barrage is massed sustained artillery fire (shelling) aimed at a series of points along a line. In addition to attacking any enemy in the kill zone, a barrage intends to suppress enemy movements and deny access across tha ...

: a line or barrier of exploding artillery shells, created by continuous and co-ordinated fire of a large number of guns. *

Battalia Battalia may refer to: * Battalia (formation), battle array for both an army and components of an army * Battalia (moth), a genus of moths belonging to the subfamily Tortricinae of the family Tortricidae See also * ''Battalia'' (1673), a musical p ...

: an army or a subcomponent of an army such as a battalion in

battle array A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(common military parlance in the 17th century). *

Blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are leg ...

: a ring of naval vessels surrounding a specific port or even an entire nation. The goal is to halt the movement of goods which could help the blockaded nation's war effort. *

Booby trap A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

Breach Breach, Breached, or The Breach may refer to: Places * Breach, Kent, United Kingdom * Breach, West Sussex, United Kingdom * ''The Breach'', Great South Bay in the State of New York People * Breach (DJ), an Electronic/House music act * Miroslava ...

: a gap in fortified or battle lines. * Breakout: exploiting a breach in enemy lines so that a large force (division or above) passes through. *

Bridgehead In military strategy, a bridgehead (or bridge-head) is the strategically important area of ground around the end of a bridge or other place of possible crossing over a body of water which at time of conflict is sought to be defended or taken over ...

and its varieties known as

beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The ...

s and

airheads ''Airheads'' is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes, directed by Michael Lehmann, and starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, Ernie Hudson, Michael McKean, Judd Nelson, Michael Richards, Amy Locane and ...

. *

Charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

: a large force heads directly to an enemy to engage in close quarters combat, with the hope of breaking the enemy line. * Chequered retreat, (''retraite en échiquier'', Fr.) a line or battalion, alternately retreating and facing about in the presence of an enemy, exhibiting a deployment like chequered squares *

Column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

: a formation of soldiers marching in files in which the files is significantly longer than the width of ranks in the formation. *

Counterattack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in "war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

Counter-battery fire Counter-battery fire (sometimes called counter-fire) is a battlefield tactic employed to defeat the enemy's indirect fire elements (multiple rocket launchers, artillery and mortars), including their target acquisition, as well as their command ...

* ''

Coup de grâce A coup de grâce (; 'blow of mercy') is a death blow to end the suffering of a severely wounded person or animal. It may be a mercy killing of mortally wounded civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the sufferer's consent. ...

'': a death blow intended to end the suffering of a wounded soldier; also applied to severely damaged ships (called

scuttling Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

when applied to friendly ships). * ''

Coup de main A ''coup de main'' (; plural: ''coups de main'', French for blow with the hand) is a swift attack that relies on speed and surprise to accomplish its objectives in a single blow. Definition The United States Department of Defense defines it as ...

'': a swift pre-emptive strike. * ''

Debellatio The term "debellatio" or "debellation" (Latin "defeating, or the act of conquering or subduing", literally, "warring (the enemy) down", from Latin ''bellum'' "war") designates the end of war caused by complete destruction of a hostile state. Israel ...

'': to end a war by complete destruction of a hostile state. More severe than sacking. *

Decisive victory A decisive victory is a military victory in battle that definitively resolves the objective being fought over, ending one stage of the conflict and beginning another stage. Until a decisive victory is achieved, conflict over the competing objecti ...

: an overwhelming victory for one side, often shifting the course of conflict. *

Defilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

: a unit or position is "defiladed" if it is protected from direct exposure to enemy fire; see also

Hull-down In sailing and warfare, hull-down means that the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible, but the main, lower body (hull) is not; the term hull-up means that all of the body is visible. The terms originated with sailing and naval warfare i ...

. *

DUSTOFF Casualty evacuation, also known as CASEVAC or by the callsign Dustoff or colloquially Dust Off, is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualty (person), casualties from a combat zone. Casevac can be done by both ground and ...

: a now traditional call sign for US Army Air Ambulance helicopter operations engaging in

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

. *

Echelon formation An echelon formation () is a (usually military) formation in which its units are arranged diagonally. Each unit is stationed behind and to the right (a "right echelon"), or behind and to the left ("left echelon"), of the unit ahead. The name of ...

: a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally. *

Encirclement Encirclement is a military term for the situation when a force or target is isolated and surrounded by enemy forces. The situation is highly dangerous for the encircled force. At the strategic level, it cannot receive supplies or reinforceme ...

: surrounding enemy forces on all sides, isolating them. *

Enfilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

: a unit (or position) is "enfiladed" when enemy fire can be directed along the long axis of the unit. For instance, a trench is enfiladed if the enemy can fire down the length of the trench. May also refer to placing a unit in a position to enfilade, or the position so enfiladed. *

Envelope An envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin, flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card. Traditional envelopes are made from sheets of paper cut to one of three shapes: a rhombus, a sh ...

Extraction point In military tactics, extraction (also exfiltration or exfil) is the process of removing personnel when it is considered imperative that they be immediately relocated out of a hostile environment and taken to an area either occupied or controlle ...

: the location designated for reassembly of forces and their subsequent transportation out of the battle zone. *

Fabian strategy The Fabian strategy is a military strategy where pitched battles and frontal assaults are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition and indirection. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy ...

: avoiding

pitched battle A pitched battle or set-piece battle is a battle in which opposing forces each anticipate the setting of the battle, and each chooses to commit to it. Either side may have the option to disengage before the battle starts or shortly thereafter. A ...

s in order to wear down the enemy in a

war of attrition The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...

. * Fighting withdrawal: pulling back military forces while maintaining contact with the enemy. *

File File or filing may refer to: Mechanical tools and processes * File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece **Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing ** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...

: a single column of soldiers. *

Flanking maneuver In military tactics, a flanking maneuver is a movement of an armed force around an enemy force's side, or flank, to achieve an advantageous position over it. Flanking is useful because a force's fighting strength is typically concentrated in ...

: to attack an enemy or an enemy unit from the side, or to maneuver to do so. *

Forlorn hope A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the kill zone of a defended position, or the first men to climb a scaling ladder against a defen ...

: a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high. *

Frontal assault The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, full-force attack on the front line of an enemy force, rather than to the flanks or rear of the enemy. It allows for a quick and decisive victory, but at the cost of subjecting the attackers to ...

frontal attack The military tactic of frontal assault is a direct, full-force attack on the front line of an enemy force, rather than to the flanks or rear of the enemy. It allows for a quick and decisive victory, but at the cost of subjecting the attackers to ...

: an attack toward the front of an enemy force. *

Garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

: a body of troops holding a particular location on a long-term basis. *

Guerrilla tactics Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ta ...

: attacking the enemy and the subsequent breaking off of contact and retreating; also referred to as "hit-and-run tactics". * '' Hors de combat'': a unit out of the fight, surrendered, wounded (when incapacitated), and so on. *

Infantry square An infantry square, also known as a hollow square, was a historic combat formation in which an infantry unit formed in close order, usually when it was threatened with cavalry attack. As a traditional infantry unit generally formed a line to adva ...

pike square The pike square (German: ''Gevierthaufen'', lit. 'square crowd', or ''Gewalthaufen'' lit. 'crowd of force') was a military tactical formation in which 10 rows of men in 10 columns wielding pikes, was developed by the Swiss Confederacy during th ...

, or

schiltron A schiltron (also spelled sheltron, sceld-trome, schiltrom, or shiltron) is a compact body of troops forming a battle array, shield wall or phalanx. The term is most often associated with Scottish pike formations during the Wars of Scottish Indep ...

Infiltration Infiltration may refer to: Science, medicine, and engineering *Infiltration (hydrology), downward movement of water into soil *Infiltration (HVAC), a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning term for air leakage into buildings *Infiltration (me ...

Interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose ...

: to attack and disrupt enemy supply lines. *

Killing field A killing field, in military science, is an area in front of a defensive position that the enemy must cross during an assault and is specifically intended to allow the defending troops to incapacitate a large number of the enemy. Defensive emplace ...

Lodgement A lodgement is an enclave, taken and defended by force of arms against determined opposition, made by increasing the size of a bridgehead, beachhead, or airhead into a substantial defended area, at least the rear parts of which are out of direc ...

: an enclave made by increasing the size of a bridgehead. *

: the tactical medical evacuation of wounded from the field of battle by air, bringing them to a higher level of medical care and treatment, e.g. from a forward field location or a forward aid station to a combat support hospital, forward surgical team or other treatment facility able to provide significant stabilizing care or definitive treatment to the injured. *

Melee A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...

or ''Mêlée'' *

Mess The mess (also called a mess deck aboard ships) is a designated area where military personnel socialize, eat and (in some cases) live. The term is also used to indicate the groups of military personnel who belong to separate messes, such as the o ...

: A place where troops gather for their meals * Mikes:

Minute The minute is a unit of time usually equal to (the first sexagesimal fraction) of an hour, or 60 seconds. In the UTC time standard, a minute on rare occasions has 61 seconds, a consequence of leap seconds (there is a provision to insert a nega ...

s. When used in normal vernacular speaker will say will be ready in X-Mikes where X represents number of minutes. * Mobile columns, or movable columns (French: or ) — in contrast to stationary troops ''troupes sédentaire''. This may be used as a bureaucratic description to describe the function for which troops are raised for example the regiments of the

Highland Fencible Corps The plan of raising a fencible corps in the Highlands was first proposed and carried into effect by William Pitt the Elder, (afterwards Earl of Chatham) in the year 1759. During the three preceding years both the fleets and armies of Great Britain ...

were raised for garrison duties while Scottish line regiments in the British Army were raised to fight anywhere; or it may be an operational description. * No quarter given: all enemy troops are to be killed, even those who surrender. Also referred to as "take no prisoners". *

Overwatch ''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: '' Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games f ...

: tactical technique in which one unit is positioned in a vantage position to provide

perimeter A perimeter is a closed path that encompasses, surrounds, or outlines either a two dimensional shape or a one-dimensional length. The perimeter of a circle or an ellipse is called its circumference. Calculating the perimeter has several pr ...

surveillance and immediate

fire support Fire support is defined by the United States Department of Defense as " Fires that directly support land, maritime, amphibious, and special operations forces to engage enemy forces, combat formations, and facilities in pursuit of tactical and ope ...

for another friendly unit. *

Patrolling Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armored units, naval units, and co ...

Parthian shot The Parthian shot is a light cavalry hit-and-run tactic made famous by the Parthians, an ancient Iranian people. While performing a real or feigned retreat at full gallop, the horse archers would turn their bodies back to shoot at the pursuing ...

Phalanx The phalanx ( grc, φάλαγξ; plural phalanxes or phalanges, , ) was a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar pole weapons. The term is particularly ...

* Pickets (or ''picquet''s): sentries or advance troops specifically tasked with early warning of contact with the enemy. A soldier who has this job is on "picket duty", and may also be referred to as a "lookout." (see also Vedette, a mounted sentry or outpost) * Pincer maneuver *

Pitched battle A pitched battle or set-piece battle is a battle in which opposing forces each anticipate the setting of the battle, and each chooses to commit to it. Either side may have the option to disengage before the battle starts or shortly thereafter. A ...

* Pocket: see "salient". *

Pyrrhic victory A Pyrrhic victory ( ) is a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat. Such a victory negates any true sense of achievement or damages long-term progress. The phrase originates from a quote from P ...

: a victory paid for so dearly that it potentially could lead to a later defeat ("a battle won, a war lost"). *

Raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

Rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * ...

: a single line of soldiers. *

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

* Retreat: withdrawal of troops from a battlefield (can be either orderly or unorderly; fighting or by rout). *

Rout A rout is a panicked, disorderly and undisciplined retreat of troops from a battlefield, following a collapse in a given unit's command authority, unit cohesion and combat morale (''esprit de corps''). History Historically, lightly-equi ...

: disorderly withdrawal of troops from a battlefield following a defeat, either real or perceived. * Sack: the destruction and looting of a city, usually after an assault. * Safe-guard: individual soldiers or detachments placed to prevent resources (often farms full of crops and livestock) from being looted or plundered * Salients: a pocket or "bulge" in a fortified or battle line. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a "re-entrant". *

Scorched earth A scorched-earth policy is a military strategy that aims to destroy anything that might be useful to the enemy. Any assets that could be used by the enemy may be targeted, which usually includes obvious weapons, transport vehicles, communi ...

: the deliberate destruction of resources in order to deny their use to the enemy. *

Scuttlebutt Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain).Scuttling Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

: the deliberate destruction of a ship to prevent its capture and use by an enemy. Commonly used as a ''

coup de grâce A coup de grâce (; 'blow of mercy') is a death blow to end the suffering of a severely wounded person or animal. It may be a mercy killing of mortally wounded civilians or soldiers, friends or enemies, with or without the sufferer's consent. ...

'', but has also been a protest (as after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

). *

Shield wall A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...

: the massed use of interconnected shields to form a wall in battle. *

Shield wall (fortification) A shield wall, also shield-wall or , refers to the highest and strongest Curtain wall (fortification), curtain wall, or tower of a castle that defends the only practicable line of approach to a castle Hill castle, built on a mountain, hill or h ...

: the highest and thickest wall of a castle protecting the main assault approach. *

Shoot and scoot Shoot-and-scoot (alternatively, fire-and-displace or fire-and-move) is an artillery tactic of firing at a target and then immediately moving away from the location from where the shots were fired to avoid counter-battery fire (e.g. from enemy ar ...

: a type of fire-and-movement tactic used by artillery to avoid counter-battery fire. *

Siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...

: a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault in the later phase. **Siege ''en régle'': A siege where a city or fortress is invested but no bombardment or assault takes place. Instead, the besieger attempts to persuade the defenders to surrender through negotiation, inducement, or through privations such as starvation. This may be done because the fortress is too strong for the attackers to capture through bombardment and assault, or because if the fortification when captured is undamaged it immediately becomes a functional strong point for the former besiegers. **

Circumvallation Investment is the military process of surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. It serves both to cut communications with the outside world and to prevent supplies and reinforcements from being introduced ...

: a line of fortifications built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards it. **

Contravallation Investment is the military process of surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. It serves both to cut communications with the outside world and to prevent supplies and reinforcements from being introduced. ...

: a second line of fortifications behind the circumvallation facing away from the enemy fort to protect the besiegers from attacks by allies of the besieged. **

Escalade {{Unreferenced, date=May 2007 Escalade is the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders. Escalade was a prominent feature of sieges in ancient and medieval warfare, and though it is no longer common in modern warfare, ...

: the act of scaling defensive walls or ramparts with the aid of ladders, a prominent feature of siege warfare in medieval times. ** ''

Chevaux de frise The ''cheval de frise'' (plural: ''chevaux de frise'' , "Frisian horses") is a defensive obstacle, which existed in a number of forms and were employed in various applications. These included underwater constructions used to prevent the passa ...

'': sword blades chained together to incapacitate people trying to charge into a breach in the walls. **

Investment Investment is the dedication of money to purchase of an asset to attain an increase in value over a period of time. Investment requires a sacrifice of some present asset, such as time, money, or effort. In finance, the purpose of investing i ...

: surrounding an enemy fort (or town) with armed forces to prevent entry or escape. ** Military mining, undermining of defence positions either fortifications or enemy front line trenches (see also

camouflet A camouflet, in military science, is an artificial cavern created by an explosion. If the explosion reaches the surface then it is called a subsidence crater, crater. The term was originally defined as a countermine dug by defenders to prevent the ...

). **

Parallel Parallel is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Computing * Parallel algorithm * Parallel computing * Parallel metaheuristic * Parallel (software), a UNIX utility for running programs in parallel * Parallel Sysplex, a cluster of ...

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

Sapping Sapping is a term used in siege operations to describe the digging of a covered trench (a "sap") to approach a besieged place without danger from the enemy's fire. (verb) The purpose of the sap is usually to advance a besieging army's positio ...

: digging approach trench towards enemy fortifications within range of the besieged guns. **

Siege engines A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

: specialised weapons used to overcome fortifications of a besieged fort or town; in modern times, the task has fallen to large artillery pieces. **

Siege train A siege engine is a device that is designed to break or circumvent heavy castle doors, thick city walls and other fortifications in siege warfare. Some are immobile, constructed in place to attack enemy fortifications from a distance, while other ...

: specialised siege artillery moved in a column by road or by rail. **

Siege tower A Roman siege tower or breaching tower (or in the Middle Ages, a belfry''Castle: Stephen Biesty's Cross-Sections''. Dorling Kindersley Pub (T); 1st American edition (September 1994). Siege towers were invented in 300 BC. ) is a specialized siege ...

: a wooden tower on wheels constructed to protect assailants and ladders while approaching the defensive walls of a fortification. *

Sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...

(also "to sally (forth)"): a sudden attack against a besieging enemy from within a besieged fort or town. *

Surrender at discretion An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. It is often demanded with the threat of complete destruction, extermination or annihilation. In modern times, unconditional surrenders most ofte ...

unconditional surrender An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. It is often demanded with the threat of complete destruction, extermination or annihilation. In modern times, unconditional surrenders most ofte ...

instead of surrendering with terms. *

Skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

* Switch position: A defensive position oblique to, and connecting, successive defensive positions paralleling the front. * thunder run: quick surprise penetration attack deep into enemy territory, designed to confuse and potentially break enemy lines and take a city. * Vedette, a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc. *

Withdrawal (military) A tactical withdrawal or retreating defensive action is a type of military operation, generally meaning that retreating forces draw back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to ...

: retreat (i.e., pulling back) of troops from a battlefield (can be either orderly or unorderly; fighting or by rout)

Ordnance

These terms concern identification of means of combat to inflict damage on the opponent.

Edged

Weapons that inflict damage through cutting or stabbing. *

Bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

Bill (weapon) A bill is a class of agricultural implement used for trimming tree limbs, which was often repurposed for use as an infantry polearm. In English, the term 'Italian bill' is applied to the similar roncone or roncola, but the Italian version tende ...

Danish axe The Dane axe is an early type of battle axe, primarily used during the transition between the European Viking Age and early Middle Ages. Other names for the weapon include English long axe, Danish axe, and hafted axe. Construction Most axes, b ...

Halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...

Hands A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the koala (which has two opposable thumbs on each " ...

Knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...

Dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

Lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier ( lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike si ...

Pole weapon A polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, thereby extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly ...

poleaxe The poleaxe (also pollaxe, pole-axe, pole axe, poleax, polax) is a European polearm that was widely used by medieval infantry. Etymology Most etymological authorities consider the ''poll''- prefix historically unrelated to "pole", instead mea ...

Pike (weapon) A pike is a very long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Late Middle Ages and most of the Early Modern Period, and were wielded by foot soldiers deployed in pike square formation, until it was largely replaced by bayone ...

Partisan (weapon) A partisan (also known as a partizan) is a type of polearm that was used in Europe during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. It consisted of a spearhead mounted on a long wooden shaft, with protrusions on the sides which aided in parrying sword t ...

Sabre A sabre ( French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as th ...

Spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

Projectile munitions

Munitions are weapons and ordnance that inflict damage through impact.

=Individual

= *

Bow (weapon) The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elasticity (physics), elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the ...

Crossbow A crossbow is a ranged weapon using an elastic launching device consisting of a bow-like assembly called a ''prod'', mounted horizontally on a main frame called a ''tiller'', which is hand-held in a similar fashion to the stock of a long fi ...

Sling (weapon) A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone, clay, or lead " sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling or slingshot (in British English). Someone who specializes in using slings ...

and

slingshot A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...

(hand catapult) Firearms *

Carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and lighter ...

Machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

Musket A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually d ...

Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...

Revolver A revolver (also called a wheel gun) is a repeating handgun that has at least one barrel and uses a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold up to six roun ...

Rifle A rifle is a long-barreled firearm designed for accurate shooting, with a barrel that has a helical pattern of grooves ( rifling) cut into the bore wall. In keeping with their focus on accuracy, rifles are typically designed to be held with ...

Shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...

Submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

=Artillery

= Crew-served, non-vehicle mounted weapons *

Ballista The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ...

Catapult A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...

Mangonel The mangonel, also called the traction trebuchet, was a type of trebuchet used in Ancient China starting from the Warring States period, and later across Eurasia by the 6th century AD. Unlike the later counterweight trebuchet, the mangonel o ...

Onager (siege weapon) The onager (British , , U.S. /ˈɑnədʒər/) was a Roman torsion powered siege engine. It is commonly depicted as a catapult with a bowl, bucket, or sling at the end of its throwing arm. The onager was first mentioned in 353 AD by Ammianus ...

Trebuchet A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weigh ...

Guns *

Bombard (weapon) The bombard is a type of cannon or mortar which was used throughout the Middle Ages and the early modern period. Bombards were mainly large calibre, muzzle-loading artillery pieces used during sieges to shoot round stone projectiles at the wal ...

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

Autocannon An autocannon, automatic cannon or machine cannon is a fully automatic gun that is capable of rapid-firing large-caliber ( or more) armour-piercing, explosive or incendiary shells, as opposed to the smaller-caliber kinetic projectiles (bull ...

Basilisk In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk ( or ) is a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king, who causes death to those who look into its eyes. According to the ''Naturalis Historia'' of Pliny the Elder, the basilisk of Cyrene i ...

Bombard __NOTOC__ Bombard may refer to the act of carrying out a bombardment. It may also refer to: Individuals *Alain Bombard (1924–2005), French biologist, physician and politician; known for crossing the Atlantic on a small boat with no water or food ...

Carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main func ...

Culverin A culverin was initially an ancestor of the hand-held arquebus, but later was used to describe a type of medieval and Renaissance cannon. The term is derived from the French "''couleuvrine''" (from ''couleuvre'' "grass snake", following the La ...

Demi-cannon The demi-cannon was a medium-sized cannon, similar to but slightly larger than a culverin and smaller than a regular cannon, developed in the early 17th century. A full cannon fired a 42-pound shot, but these were discontinued in the 18th centur ...

Demi-culverin The demi-culverin was a medium cannon similar to but slightly larger than a saker and smaller than a regular culverin developed in the late 16th century. Barrels of demi-culverins were typically about long, had a calibre of and could weigh up t ...

** Falconet **

Hand cannon The hand cannon (Chinese: 手銃 ''shŏuchòng'', or 火銃 ''huŏchòng''), also known as the gonne or handgonne, is the first true firearm and the successor of the fire lance. It is the oldest type of small arms as well as the most mecha ...

Minion Places *Minions, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom People * Frank Minion (born 1929), American jazz and bop singer *Fred Minion, English professional footballer *Joseph Minion (born 1957), American film director and screenwriter *Marcus F ...

Saker Saker may refer to: * Saker falcon (''Falco cherrug''), a species of falcon * Saker (cannon), a type of cannon * Saker Baptist College, an all-girls secondary school in Limbe, Cameroon * Grupo Saker-Ti, a Guatemalan writers group formed in 1947 * ...

Gun A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, p ...

Field gun A field gun is a field artillery piece. Originally the term referred to smaller guns that could accompany a field army on the march, that when in combat could be moved about the battlefield in response to changing circumstances ( field artille ...

Naval artillery Naval artillery is artillery mounted on a warship, originally used only for naval warfare and then subsequently used for naval gunfire support, shore bombardment and anti-aircraft roles. The term generally refers to tube-launched projectile-firi ...

Howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

Mortar (weapon) A mortar is usually a simple, lightweight, man-portable, muzzle-loaded weapon, consisting of a smooth-bore (although some models use a rifled barrel) metal tube fixed to a base plate (to spread out the recoil) with a lightweight bipod mount and a ...

Explosives

Explosive ordnance causes damage through release of chemical energy. * Artillery shell *

Bangalore torpedo A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially ...

Camouflet A camouflet, in military science, is an artificial cavern created by an explosion. If the explosion reaches the surface then it is called a subsidence crater, crater. The term was originally defined as a countermine dug by defenders to prevent the ...

* Grenade **

Hand grenade A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade genera ...

Rifle grenade A rifle grenade is a grenade that uses a rifle-based launcher to permit a longer effective range than would be possible if the grenade were thrown by hand. The practice of projecting grenades with rifle-mounted launchers was first widely used du ...

(see also

Grenade launcher A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...

) **

Rocket propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are ...

Land mine A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...

Anti-tank mine An anti-tank mine (abbreviated to "AT mine") is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles. Compared to anti-personnel mines, anti-tank mines typically have a much larger explosive c ...

Anti-personnel mine Anti-personnel mines are a form of mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles. Anti-personnel mines may be classified into blast mines or fragmentation mines; the latter may ...

Incendiary

Incendiary ordnance causes damage through release of heat. *

Flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...

Greek fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...

* Napalm * White phosphorus

Vehicles

* Armored car (military), Armored car * Chariot * Half-track * Armored personnel carrier * Tank * Tank destroyer

Engineering

:''See also List of fortifications'' * Abatis: a defensive obstacle consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row. * Banquette, or fire step * Barbed wire * Bartizan: a cylindrical turret or sentry post projecting beyond the parapet of a fort or castle * Bastion * Bastion fortress: a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''star fort'' or ''Trace italienne''). * Artillery battery, Battery: an artillery position, which may be fortified. * Berm * Blast wall: a barrier for protection from high explosive blast. * Blockhouse: a) Medieval and Renaissance - a small artillery tower, b) 18th and 19th centuries - a small colonial wooden fort, c) 20th century - a large concrete defensive structure. * Breastwork (fortification), Breastwork * Bastion, Bulwark * Bunker: a heavily fortified, mainly underground, facility used as a defensive position; also commonly used as command centres for high-level officers. * Caponier: a defensive firing position either projecting into, or traversing the ditch of a fort. * Carnot wall: a wall pierced with loopholes, sited above the scarp of a ditch but below the rampart. * Casemate: a vaulted chamber for protected storage, accommodation or if provided with an embrasure, for artillery * Castle ** Medieval fortification *** Arrow slit (arrow loop, loophole) *** Barbican *** ''Chemin de ronde'' *** Concentric castle *** Drawbridge *** Gatehouse *** Keep or donjon *** Moat *** Machicolation *** Murder-hole *** Portcullis * Citadel * Counterscarp: the opposing side of a ditch in front of a fortification, i.e., the side facing it. * Counterscarp#Counterscarp gallery, Counterscarp gallery: a firing position built into the counterscarp wall of the ditch. * Counter mine: anti-siege tunnel dug by a fortification's defenders below an attacker's Mining (military), mine with the intent of destroying it before the attackers are able to damage (the foundations of) the fortification's walls. * Coupure * Covertway, Covertway * Defensive fighting position; for example, a rifle pit, sangar (fortification), sangar or fox hole. * Ravelin, Demi-lune * Ditch (fortification), Ditch: a dry moat. * Dragon's teeth (fortification), Dragon's teeth: Triangular obstacles acting as roadblocks for armoured vehicles. * Dutch Water Line: a series of water-based defensive measures designed to flood large areas in case of attack. * Earthworks (engineering), Earthworks * Embrasure: an opening in a parapet or casemate, for a gun to fire through. * Fascine is a bundle of sticks or similar, were used in military defences for revetting (shoring up) trenches or ramparts, especially around artillery batteries, or filling in ditches and trenches during an attack. * Flèche (fortification), Flèche: an arrow shaped outwork, smaller than a ravelin or a lunette, with 2 face (fortification), faces with a parapet and an open gorge (fortification), gorge * Fort * Fortification * Fortress * Gabion: a large basket filled with earth, used to form a temporary parapet for artillery * Glacis: a bank of earth sloping away from the fort, to protect it from direct artillery fire * Gorge (fortification), Gorge: opening at the rear of an outwork for access by defending troops from the main defensive position * Hill fort (New Zealand: Pa (Māori)) * Lunette (fortification), Lunette: an outwork consisting of a salient angle with two flanks and an open gorge. * Magazine (artillery), Magazine: a protected place within a fort, where ammunition is stored and prepared for use. * Mining (military), Mining: a siege method used since antiquity against a walled city, fortress or castle, where tunnels are dug to undermine the foundations of the walls; also see counter-mine. * Outwork: a minor defence, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. * Parapet: a wall at the edge of the rampart to protect the defenders. * Pillbox (military), Pillbox: a small concrete guard post. * Polygonal fort: a later type of fort without bastions. * Defensive wall, Rampart: The main defensive wall of a fortification. * Ravelin: a triangular fortification in front of bastion as a detached outwork. * Redan: a V-shaped salient angle toward an expected attack, made from earthworks or other material. * Redoubt: a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, which can be constructed of earthworks, stone or brick. * Reduit: an enclosed defensive emplacement inside a larger fort; provides protection during a persistent attack. * Sangar (fortification), Sangar: a small temporary fortified position with a breastwork originally of stone, but built of sandbags and similar materials in modern times. * Sally port *

* Scarp (fortification), Scarp: the side of a ditch in front of a fortification facing away from it. * Sconce (fortification), Sconce: a small protective fortification, such as an earthwork, often placed on a mound as a defensive work for artillery. * Coastal defence and fortification#Sea fort, Sea fort: a coastal fort entirely surrounded by the sea, either built on a rock or directly onto the sea bed. * Slighting: the deliberate destruction of an (abandoned) fortification without opposition from its (former) occupants and/or defenders. *

* Star fort: a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''Bastion fortress'' or ''Trace italienne''). * Tenaille (archaic Tenalia): an advanced pincer-shaped defensive work in front of the main defences of a fortress. * Terreplein: the fighting platform on top of a rampart, behind the parapet. * ''Tête-de-pont'': a temporary defensive work defending a bridge at the end closest to the enemy. * ''Trace italienne'': a star-shaped fortress surrounding a town or city (also known as ''Bastion fortress'' or ''star fort''). * Trench warfare, Trench

Geographic

*Defile (geography), Defile: a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front. *Debouch: **To emerge from a defile or similar into open country; **A fortification at the end of a defile; **Water that flows out of a defile into a wider place such as a lake.

Naval

Arms and services

These terms concern combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in naval warfare.

Doctrinal

These terms concern the type of use of naval armed forces. *

* ''

'': a final shot intended to finish off a sinking (enemy) ship (which should be distinguished from

). * Crossing the Tee * Vanguard—the leading part of an advancing military formation * Line astern, line ahead, or line of battle * Raking fire *

Scuttling Scuttling is the deliberate sinking of a ship. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel from becoming a navigation hazard; as an act of self-destruction to prevent the ship from being ...

* Weather gage

Operational

* Adrift: Loose and out of control. Typically applied to a ship or vessel that has lost power and is unable to control its movement. * Aft: Any part of the ship closer to the stern than you currently are. * All Hands: The entire ship's crew to include all officers and enlisted. * Aye aye, sir, Aye, Aye: Response acknowledging and understanding a command. * Bow (ship), Bow: Front of the ship. * Below: Any deck beneath the one you are currently on. * Carry on: An order given to continue work or duties. * Cast off: To throw off, to let go, to unfurl. * Colours, standards and guidons, Colours: Raising and lowering of the National Ensign, the National flag, and organization flags. * Fathom: Unit of measurement generally used for depth from sea level to sea floor. * General quarters, General Quarters: Battle stations. Generally set when the ship is about to engage in battle or hostile activities. * Jettison: To throw or dispose of something over the side of the ship. * Ladder: Also known as a ladder well. Much like civilian stairs, however much steeper. * Leave (U.S. military), Leave: Vacation time nearly completely free unless an emergency recall occurs. * Shore leave or Liberty (US): Permission to leave the ship/base to enjoy non-work activities. * Mid-watch: Tends to be the midnight to 0400 watch. Also known as "balls to four" due to military time equivalent 0000-0400. * Port and starboard, Port Side: Left hand side of the ship. * Quarters: Generally the morning assembly of all hands for muster and accountability. * Port and starboard, Starboard: Right hand side of the ship. * Stern: Rear of the ship. * Taps (bugle call), Taps: Lights out, time to sleep. * Turn to: Start working. * Working Aloft: Working above the highest deck, generally performing maintenance on the ship's mast or antennas.

Ordnance

* Naval mine, Sea mine * Torpedo * Gun turret, Turret

Vessels

* Aircraft carrier * Helicopter carrier * Escort carrier * Fleet carrier * Light aircraft carrier, Light carrier * Fighter catapult ship * CAM Ship, Catapult aircraft merchant ship * Merchant aircraft carrier * Aircraft maintenance carriers of the Royal Navy, Aircraft maintenance carrier * Flagship * Q-ship, Special service ship * Troopship * Ship's tender * Attack transport * Battleship * Dreadnought * Pocket battleship * Seaplane tender * Sloop-of-war, Sloop * Battlecruiser * Cruiser * Heavy cruiser * Armored cruiser * Light cruiser * Scout cruiser * Destroyer * Destroyer escort * Flotilla leader, Destroyer flotilla leader * Destroyer tender, Destroyer depot ship * Frigate * Corvette * Hovercraft * Landing Craft Air Cushion * Landing craft carrier, Landing craft depot ship * Armed merchantman, Merchant cruiser * Submarine * Submarine tender * Midget submarine * Cruiser submarine * Attack submarine, Hunter-killer submarine * Ballistic missile submarine * Cruise missile submarine, Guided missile submarine * Submarine chaser * Submarine aircraft carrier * Torpedo boat * Amphibious command ship * Amphibious assault ship * Amphibious transport dock * Dock landing ship * Expeditionary transfer dock * Littoral combat ship * Coastal defence ship * Barracks ship * Patrol boat * Research vessel * Survey ship * Dry dock * Torpedo trials craft * Guard ship * Cable layer * Cable repair ship * Cargo ship * Andromeda-class attack cargo ship, Attack cargo ship * Vehicle cargo ship * Bulk carrier, Dry cargo ship * Replenishment oiler * Oil tanker * Strategic sealift ship, Maritime prepositioning ship * Platform supply vessel, Offshore supply ship * Container ship * Hospital ship * Fast combat support ship * Expeditionary fast transport * Salvage ship * Tracking ship, Instrumentation ship * Tugboat, Fleet ocean tug * CB90-class fast assault craft, Riverine command ship * Mark V Special Operations Craft, Special operations insertion ship * High-speed transport * Legend-class cutter, Maritime security cutter * Medium endurance cutter * High endurance cutter * Sentinel-class cutter, Fast response cutter * Marine Protector-class patrol boat, Marine protector * Amphibious warfare ship, Landing ship * Landing ship, tank, Tank landing ship * Icebreaker * Polar-class icebreaker, Heavy icebreaker * USCG Inland construction tender, Inland construction tender * USCG seagoing buoy tender, Seagoing buoy tender * Keeper-class cutter, Coastal buoy tender * General frank s. besson-class logistic support vessel, Logistic support ship * Floating battery * Training ship * Minelayer * Mine countermeasures vessel * Minesweeper * Gunboat * River gunboat, Riverine gunboat * Dock landing ship * Monitor (warship), Monitor * Breastwork monitor * River monitor, Riverine monitor * Technical research ship * Self defense test ship * Sea-based X-band radar, Self-propelled radar station * Sea Fighter, Fast sea frame * Crane vessel, Crane ship * SS Wright (T-AVB-3), Aviation logistics support ship * Moored training ship * Naval trawler

Engineering

Air

Arms and services

These terms concern combat arms and supporting services of armed forces used in air warfare.

Operational

: used by air forces to indicate an aircraft mission count (''flew seven sorties'') or in the sense of a departure (''the aircraft sortied'').

Doctrinal

These terms concern the type of use of aviation armed forces.

Tactics

* Bombing: specifically area bombing, carpet bombing and pattern bombing. * Sortie: a mission flown by an aircraft

Ordnance

* Bomb * Missile

Aircraft

* Airship * Bomber * Dirigible, balloon * Fighter aircraft, Fighter * Fighter bomber * Spotter plane

Engineering

References

{{reflist

External links

*
A Dictionary of Military Architecture: Fortification and Fieldworks from the Iron Age to the Eighteenth Century
' by Stephen Francis Wyley, drawings by Steven Lowe

A more comprehensive version has been published as ''A Handbook of Military Terms'' by David Moore at the same site

by the National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior
Military Terms Dictionary
Lookup on military terms offering you clear definitions by some of the most reliable reference works in this field.
Military acronyms and abbreviations
Military lists, Terms Military terminology, * Lists of government and military acronyms, Established