Combat (French language for fight) is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using ) or unarmed (not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of self-defense or to impose one's will upon others. An instance of combat can be a standalone confrontation or part of a wider conflict, and its scale can range from a fight between individuals to a war between organized groups. Combat may also be benign and , as in the cases of and mock combat.
Combat may comply with, or be in violation of, local or international laws regarding conflict. Examples of rules include the Geneva Conventions (covering the treatment of people in war), Middle Ages chivalry, the Marquess of Queensberry Rules (covering boxing), and the individual rulesets of various combat sports.
Hand-to-hand combat
Hand-to-hand combat (
melee) is combat at very close range, attacking the opponent with the body (striking,
,
strangling, etc.) and/or with a melee weapon (
knife,
, batons, etc.), as opposed to a ranged weapon.
Hand-to-hand combat can be further divided into three sections depending on the distance and positioning of the combatants:
Military combat
Military combat involves two or more opposing
military forces meeting in
. Military combat situations can involve multiple groups, such as guerilla groups,
Insurgency, domestic and/or foreign
. A military combat situation is known either as a
battle or a war, depending on the size of the fighting and which geographical areas in which it occurs. Combat effectiveness has always demanded that the personnel maintain strategic preparedness by being sufficiently trained,
military weapons, equipped, and
Military funding to carry out combat operations in the unit to which they are assigned.
[North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO Standardization Agency AAP-6 – Glossary of terms and definitions, p. 80] Warfare falls under the law of war, which govern its purposes and conduct, and protect the rights of
combatants and
non-combatants.
Sources
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Martin van Creveld: The Changing Face of War: Lessons of Combat, from the Marne to Turkey. Maine, New England 2007.
Further reading
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Wong, Leonard. 2006. " Combat Motivation in Today's Soldiers: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute." Armed Forces & Society, vol. 32: pp. 659–663.
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Gifford, Brian. 2005. " Combat Casualties and Race: What Can We Learn from the 2003-2004 Iraq Conflict?" Armed Forces & Society, vol. 31: pp. 201–225.
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Herspring, Dale. 2006. " Undermining Combat Readiness in the Russian Military, 1992-2005." Armed Forces & Society, Jul 2006; vol. 32: pp. 513–531.
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Ben-Shalom, Uzi; Lehrer, Zeev; and Ben-Ari, Eyal. 2005. " Cohesion during Military Operations: A Field Study on Combat Units in the Al-Aqsa Intifada." Armed Forces & Society, vol. 32: pp. 63–79.
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Woodruff, Todd; Kelty, Ryan; Segal, Archie Cooper, David R. 2006. " Propensity to Serve and Motivation to Enlist among American Combat Soldiers." Armed Forces & Society, Apr 2006; vol. 32: pp. 353–366.
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Dienstfrey, Stephen. 1988. "Women Veterans' Exposure to Combat." Armed forces & Society, vol. 14: pp. 549–558.
