Editing Tactic (method)

{{short description|Conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks}}
{{Other uses|Tactic (disambiguation){{!}}Tactic}}
{{Redirect|Tactician|the company|Tactician Corporation}}
A '''tactic''' is a conceptual action or short series of actions with the aim of achieving a short-term goal. This action can be implemented as one or more specific tasks. The term is commonly used in [[business]], by [[protest]] groups, in [[military]], [[espionage]], and [[law enforcement]] contexts, as well as in [[chess]], [[sports]] or other [[Competition|competitive activities]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=9780850451634 |edition=first |publisher=Osprey |year=1973 |page=259}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The word originates from the  [[Ancient Greek]] [[adjective]] {{lang|grc|τακτικός}} (''taktikos''), meaning ''that which pertains to ordinance''. The related [[Ancient Greek]] noun is  {{lang|grc|τάγμα}} (''tagma''), meaning ''ordinance, command''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://logeion.uchicago.edu/%CF%84%CE%AC%CE%B3%CE%BC%CE%B1|title="ΛΟΓΕΙΟΝ - τάγμα"|access-date=25 February 2024}}</ref>
Both words root in the verb {{lang|grc|τάσσω}} (''tasso''), meaning ''draw up in order, station, appoint''

==Distinction from strategy==
A [[strategy]] is a set of guidelines used to achieve an overall objective, whereas tactics are the specific actions aimed at adhering to those guidelines.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Difference between Strategy and Tactics|url=http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2013/01/14/the-difference-between-strategy-and-tactics/|publisher=web-strategist.com|access-date=30 November 2016}}</ref>

===Military usage===
In military usage, a [[Military tactics|military tactic]] is used by a [[military unit]] of no larger than a [[Division (military)|division]] to implement a specific mission and achieve a specific objective, or to advance toward a specific [[Targeting (warfare)|target]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Tactics—A Component Part of Military Art. In The Soviet Art Of War|first=Vasiliy G. |last=Reznichenko |isbn=9780429314681 |edition=first |publisher=Routledge |year=2019 |page=235-239}}</ref>

The terms tactic and strategy are often confused: tactics are the actual means used to gain an objective, while strategy is the overall campaign plan, which may involve complex operational patterns, activity, and decision-making that govern tactical execution. The [[United States Department of Defense]] ''Dictionary of Military Terms'' defines the tactical level as "the level of war at which battles and engagements are planned and executed to accomplish military objectives assigned to tactical units or task forces. Activities at this level focus on the ordered arrangement and [[Maneuver warfare|maneuver]] of combat elements in relation to each other and to the enemy to achieve combat objectives."<ref>[http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/t/05251.html Dictionary of Military Terms] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050211105150/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict/data/t/05251.html |date=February 11, 2005 }} [http://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/pubs/dictionary.pdf Copy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff site]</ref>

If, for example, the overall goal is to win a war against another country, one strategy might be to undermine the other nation's ability to wage war by preemptively annihilating their military forces. The tactics involved might describe specific actions taken in specific locations, like surprise attacks on military facilities, missile attacks on offensive weapon stockpiles, and the specific techniques involved in accomplishing such objectives.{{OR|date=July 2019}}

==See also==
*[[Chess tactic|Chess tactics]]
*[[Political tactics]]
*[[:Category:Protest tactics|Protest tactics]]
*[[Tactical bombing]]
*[[Tactical wargame]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Tactics}}
* [http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/tactics.html Tactics - BusinessDictionary.com definition]


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[[Category:Tactics| ]]