Front line

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For other uses, see Front line (disambiguation).

A front line is a line of confrontation in an armed conflict, most often a war. On either side of the front line stand the forces of the various combatants. In modern warfare, due to the broken nature of mechanized combat, front lines rarely form; instead a zone of confrontation comprises a wide band where forces engage in battle.

World War I featured the most clearly defined front lines known to date: the front line in France became marked by dug trenches almost throughout.

The adjective front-line is also used to describe weapons, ships or aircraft that are of the latest fighting standard, or army units intended to serve at the front line.

Forward Line of Own Troops {FLOT) in U.S. military parlance is the line of a force's forward-most reconnaissance troops. It may or may not correspond with the forward edge of battle area (FEBA).

The U.S. Department of Defense definition is:

A line that indicates the most forward positions of friendly forces in any kind of military operation at a specific time. The forward line of own troops (FLOT) normally identifies the forward location of covering and screening forces. The FLOT may be at, beyond, or short of the forward edge of the battle area. An enemy FLOT indicates the forward-most position of hostile forces.

Forward Edge of Battle Area (FEBA) is a military term used by American and British/Commonwealth military forces and other members of the NATO, referring to the front lines in a conflict. The FEBA may or may not correspond to the forward line of own troops (FLOT).

It is defined by the Department of Defense and NATO as:

"The foremost limits of a series of areas in which ground combat units are deployed, excluding the areas in which the covering or screening forces are operating, designated to coordinate fire support, the positioning of forces, or the maneuver of units."