Defence in depth | Wikipedia Easy Search

War
Part of a series on
History Prehistoric Ancient War in the Middle Ages (see Middle Ages) Early modern Late modern industrial fourth-generation
Battlespace Air/war above ground Sea Land Cold-region Desert Jungle Mountain Urban Subterranean Tunnel Cyber Information Space Airborne Amphibious Blue Brown Green Surface warfare Underwater
Weapons Artillery Biological Camouflage Cavalry Chemical Class Disinformation Drone Electronic Infantry Nuclear Psychological Unconventional Armor Barrage Combined arms Conventional Cyber Denial Lawfare Loitering Music
Tactics Battle Charge Counterattack Counter-rebellion (see Rebellion) Envelopment Guerrilla Siege Trench Withdrawal List of military tactics Aerial Cavalry Defeat in detail Foxhole Morale Rapid dominance Swarming Tactical objective Target saturation
Operational Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group
Strategy Attrition Defence in depth Fabian Offensive Scorched earth List of military strategies and concepts Counter-offensive Culminating Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval
Grand strategy Containment Economic Limited Philosophy Political Religious Strategic Technology Theater Total war
Administrative Branch Policy Staff Training Service Sociology
Organization Chain of command Command and control Doctrine Engineers Intelligence Ranks Technology and equipment
Personnel Military recruitment Conscription Recruit training Military specialism Women in the military Children in the military Transgender people and military service Sexual harassment in the military Conscientious objector Counter-recruitment
Logistics Military–industrial complex Arms industry Materiel Supply-chain management Main operating base Forward operating base Outpost
Science Power projection Loss of Strength Gradient
Law Court-martial Justice Perfidy Martial law War crime
Theory Air supremacy Full-spectrum dominance Overmatch
v t e

Defense in depth (also known as deep or elastic defense) is a military strategy. The delaying tactic is intended not to stop the advance of an enemy but to slow it down.^[1] A defense in deep buys time by slowly yielding to the enemy and usually causes additional casualties. That may slow down an advancing army and cause it to lose momentum.

↑ Michiko Phifer, A Handbook of Military Strategy and Tactics (New Delhi: Vij Books India Private Limited, 2012), p. 102