Defence (military)

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In military science, defence (or defense) is the art of preventing an attack, or minimizing the damage of an attack, e.g. by preventing an enemy from conquering territory.

Thus, if a party attacks an enemy who is about to attack that party, this could be called defence. However, this leaves room for interpretation.

Typically defensive are e.g. armour and a bunker. Also defensive are guns, rockets, etc. with a range within the party's territory: they can only attack an attacker. If the weapon is mobile it may also be used in an attack, after moving it.

Defence may also be a euphemism for war, such as Ministry or Department of Defense, although this does not carry the negative connotation of war. Usage in this way has broadened the term to include most military issues.

[edit] Territorial defence

In the strictest sense of the word, military defence means the protection of a territory against an enemy. After the emergence of the nation-state as the main international actor, the military is usually organised on national level, and territorial defence is synonymous with national defence.

Modern collective defence arrangements are changing some of these traditional views. During the Cold War, the defence of most countries was dominated either by the United States or by the Soviet Union. Most Western European countries were organised within NATO, while most Eastern European countries were united within the Warsaw Pact.

The rampart defences of Ostend

[edit] Defence through the ages

Historically, it was generally true that defenders had an advantage over attackers. Battles commonly focused on sieges of important cities, allowing defenders to strengthen their position. They had the ability to make preparations for the battle to protect themselves from the enemy while making the enemy vulnerable, such as preparing positions such as trenches and fortifications or in more modern time laying obstacles such as landmines. However in encounters larger than the small scale the attacker may often have the advantage, since they get to choose the time and place of battle. An attacker may concentrate their entire force on a small part of the defended area, while the defender is forced to spread their forces over the possible area of attack.

However, the defenders' advantage has been gradually reduced in the modern era, due to factors like the increased mobility of the modern force, better communications technology, increased destructiveness of weaponry (destroying most defence-based structures with ease).