ChatGPT, please give me a summary of the tactic "Elastic Defense" in land warfare.

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The tactic known as "Elastic Defense" in land warfare is a strategy employed by a defending force to resist an enemy's advance while minimizing losses and preserving their own fighting capabilities. It focuses on flexibility, adaptability, and the exploitation of terrain and defensive positions.

The Elastic Defense tactic involves allowing the enemy to penetrate the defensive line to a certain extent, intentionally creating gaps or weak points. The defending force aims to absorb the enemy's momentum and momentum and slow down their advance by conducting delaying actions, engaging in defensive battles, and launching counterattacks at opportune moments.

The primary objective of the Elastic Defense is to wear down the attacking force, disrupt their cohesion, and stretch their supply lines and communication networks. By employing a combination of defensive maneuvers, ambushes, and counterattacks, the defending force aims to inflict casualties and attrition on the enemy while avoiding a direct, decisive engagement that could potentially result in heavy losses.

Key elements of the Elastic Defense include:

1. Flexibility: The defending force must be capable of adapting its defensive positions and maneuvers to exploit the enemy's weaknesses and vulnerabilities effectively. This may involve tactical withdrawals, repositioning, and adjusting defensive lines based on the evolving situation.

2. Defense in Depth: The defending force establishes multiple layers of defensive positions, utilizing natural and man-made obstacles, such as trenches, fortified positions, and minefields. This multi-layered approach aims to slow down and disorient the enemy while maximizing the defensive force's ability to launch counterattacks.

3. Mobile Reserves: The defending force maintains reserves that can be swiftly deployed to critical sectors under attack or to exploit opportunities that arise during the battle. These reserves provide the necessary mobility and firepower to launch counterattacks and disrupt the enemy's plans.

4. Reconnaissance and Intelligence: The defending force relies on accurate and timely information about the enemy's movements, intentions, and weaknesses. Effective reconnaissance and intelligence gathering enable the defending force to identify vulnerable points in the enemy's advance and concentrate their defensive efforts accordingly.

5. Psychological Warfare: The Elastic Defense may also employ psychological tactics to demoralize and confuse the attacking force. This could include spreading misinformation, launching limited-scope attacks, or utilizing deception techniques to create a sense of uncertainty and doubt among the enemy ranks.

Overall, the Elastic Defense tactic seeks to gradually exhaust the attacking force, disrupt their plans, and create conditions that favor the defending force. By exploiting their defensive advantages and using the enemy's own momentum against them, the defending force aims to ultimately repel or defeat the attacking force with minimal losses.

This was the written answer of ChatGPT to my title question. It's actually a bit more eloquent than the ordinary field manual chapter on the matter. The only clear mistake is once writing "strategy" instead of "tactic". The thing about intentional gaps or weak points is unknown to me. Part of the answer appears to be identical to what could be written about "delaying action". ChatGPT did not understand (or mention) that elastic defence seeks to reduce friendly casualties by exposing few troops in forward (and thus easily identified) positions to observation while keeping most combat troops behind the forward line of own troops /vorderer Rand der Verteidigung.

It appears the robot overlord army will be able to write its own doctrine based on existing published doctrines.

S O

defence_and_freedom@gmx.de

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