A military engagement is a
combat
Combat (French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
between two forces, neither larger than a
division nor smaller than a
company
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared ...
, in which each has an assignor perceived
mission. An engagement begins when the attacking force initiates combat in pursuit of its mission, and ends when the attacker has accomplished the mission, or ceases to try to accomplish the mission, or when one or both sides receive sufficient
reinforcement
In behavioral psychology, reinforcement is a consequence applied that will strengthen an organism's future behavior whenever that behavior is preceded by a specific antecedent stimulus. This strengthening effect may be measured as a higher fr ...
s, thus initiating a new engagement.
As a tactical mission, the engagement is often a part of a
battle
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 for ...
. An engagement normally lasts one to two days; it may be as brief as a few hours and is rarely longer than five days. It is at this scale of combat that
tactical engagement ranges of weapons and support systems become important to the troops and their commanders.
[pp.65-66, Dupuy]
See also
*
Military campaign
A military campaign is large-scale long-duration significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of interrelated military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war. The term derives from the ...
References
Sources
*
Dupuy, T.N. (Col. ret.), ''Understanding war: History and Theory of combat'', Leo Cooper, London, 1992
*
Simpkin, Richard, ''Race to the Swift: Thoughts on Twenty-first Century Warfare''. Foreword by
Donn A. Starry. London: Brassey's Defence, 1985. .
Military operations by type
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