Editing Military tactics (section)

===Kinetic or firepower===
Beginning with the use of melee and missile weapons such as clubs and spears, the kinetic or firepower function of tactics has developed along with technological advances so that the emphasis has shifted over time from the close-range melee and missile weapons to longer-range projectile weapons. Kinetic effects were generally delivered by the sword, spear, javelin and bow until the introduction of [[artillery]] by the [[Roman Empire|Romans]]. Until the mid 19th century, the value of infantry-delivered missile firepower was not high, meaning that the result of a given battle was rarely decided by infantry firepower alone, often relying on [[artillery]] to deliver significant kinetic effects. The development of disciplined [[volley fire]], delivered at close range, began to improve the hitting power of infantry, and compensated in part for the limited range, poor accuracy and low rate of fire of early [[musket]]s. Advances in technology, particularly the introduction of the [[rifled musket]], used in the [[Crimean War]] and [[American Civil War]], meant flatter trajectories and improved accuracy at greater ranges, along with higher casualties. The resulting increase in defensive firepower meant infantry attacks without artillery support became increasingly difficult. Firepower also became crucial to fixing an enemy in place to allow a decisive strike. [[Machine gun]]s added significantly to infantry firepower at the turn of the 20th century, and the mobile firepower provided by [[tank]]s, [[self-propelled artillery]] and [[military aircraft]] rose significantly in the century that followed. Along with infantry weapons, tanks and other armoured vehicles, self-propelled artillery, [[Precision-guided munition|guided weapons]] and aircraft provide the firepower of modern armies.{{sfn|Holmes et al.|2001|pp=894–895}}