Outline of war

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to war:

War – organised and often prolonged armed conflict that is carried out by states and/or non-state actors. It is characterised by extreme violence, social disruption, and economic destruction. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political communities, and therefore is defined as a form of political violence or intervention. The set of techniques used by a group to carry out war is known as warfare. An absence of war is usually called peace.

What type of thing is war?
War can be described as all of the following:
 * Violence
 * Combat

Types of war

 * Cold war
 * Colonial war
 * Insurgency
 * War of independence
 * War of liberation
 * Civil war
 * Border war
 * Fault line war
 * Invasion
 * Proxy war
 * Religious war
 * Undeclared war
 * Police action
 * Total war
 * World War
 * World War III
 * Nuclear War
 * World War III

Types of warfare

 * Asymmetric warfare
 * Expeditionary warfare
 * Expeditionary maneuver warfare

Warfare by objective

 * Defensive warfare
 * Offensive warfare

Warfare by strategic doctrine

 * Attrition warfare
 * Fabian warfare
 * Conventional warfare
 * Economic warfare
 * Blockade warfare
 * Irregular warfare
 * Guerrilla warfare
 * Petty warfare
 * Urban guerrilla warfare
 * Joint warfare
 * Maneuver warfare
 * Network-centric warfare
 * Political warfare
 * Psychological warfare
 * Terrorism
 * Anarchist terrorism
 * Nationalist terrorism
 * Communist terrorism
 * Conservative terrorism
 * Left-wing terrorism
 * Right-wing terrorism
 * Religious terrorism
 * Christian terrorism
 * Islamic terrorism
 * Jewish religious terrorism
 * Special interest terrorism
 * Eco-terrorism
 * Anti-abortion violence
 * Narcoterrorism
 * Unconventional warfare

Warfare by terrain

 * Ground warfare
 * Arctic warfare
 * Ski warfare
 * Desert warfare
 * Jungle warfare
 * Mountain warfare
 * Trench warfare
 * Tunnel warfare
 * Urban warfare
 * Naval warfare
 * Amphibious warfare
 * Littoral warfare
 * Aerial warfare
 * Anti-aircraft warfare

Warfare by equipment or weapon type

 * Anti-surface warfare
 * Aerial warfare
 * Anti-aircraft warfare
 * Armoured warfare
 * Anti-tank warfare
 * Conventional warfare
 * Electronic warfare
 * Cyber electronic warfare
 * Horse-based warfare
 * Hybrid warfare
 * Biological warfare
 * Entomological warfare
 * Chemical warfare
 * Herbicidal warfare
 * Radiological warfare
 * Information warfare
 * Cyberwarfare
 * Cyber electronic warfare
 * Nuclear warfare
 * Mine warfare
 * Ski warfare
 * Naval warfare
 * Aerial warfare
 * Anti-aircraft warfare
 * Submarine warfare
 * Anti-submarine warfare
 * Intensified submarine warfare
 * Unrestricted submarine warfare
 * Surface warfare
 * Space warfare
 * Weather warfare

Warfare by era

 * Prehistoric warfare
 * Ancient warfare
 * Ancient Greek warfare
 * Aztec warfare
 * Celtic warfare
 * Dacian warfare
 * Endemic warfare
 * Gaelic warfare
 * Gothic and Vandal warfare
 * Illyrian warfare
 * Maya warfare
 * Roman warfare
 * Thracian warfare
 * Medieval warfare
 * Anglo-Saxon warfare
 * Early modern warfare
 * Napoleonic warfare
 * Industrial warfare
 * Modern warfare

Warfare by stages

 * First-generation warfare – refers to battles fought with massed manpower, using line and column tactics with uniformed soldiers governed by the state. It includes the earliest stages of organized, state-controlled armed forces waging war in the modern era.
 * Second-generation warfare – tactics of warfare used after the invention of the rifled musket and breech-loading weapons and continuing through the development of the machine gun and indirect fire.
 * Third-generation warfare – focuses on using speed and surprise to bypass the enemy's lines and collapse their forces from the rear. Essentially, this was the end of linear warfare on a tactical level, with units seeking not simply to meet each other face to face but to outmaneuver each other to gain the greatest advantage.
 * Fourth-generation warfare – conflict characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, soldier and civilian. It includes any war in which one of the major participants is not a state but rather a violent non-state actor. Fourth-generation warfare is characterized by the nation states' loss of their near-monopoly on combat forces, returning to modes of conflict common in pre-modern times.

Other

 * Champion warfare
 * Underwater warfare

History of war

 * History of war
 * Military History
 * Naval warfare in the Winter War
 * Naval warfare of World War I

Warfare by era
See: Warfare by era, above

Wars by death toll

 * List of wars by death toll

Wars by date



 * List of wars before 1000
 * List of wars 1000–1499
 * List of wars 1500–1799
 * List of wars 1800–99
 * List of wars 1900–44
 * List of wars 1945–89
 * List of wars 1990–2002
 * List of wars 2003–10
 * List of wars 2011–present
 * List of ongoing military conflicts

Wars by region

 * See also: Category:Lists of wars by region


 * List of conflicts in North America
 * List of conflicts in the United States
 * List of conflicts in Canada
 * List of conflicts in Central America
 * List of conflicts in South America
 * List of conflicts in Europe
 * List of conflicts in Asia
 * List of wars involving Iran
 * List of Chinese wars and battles
 * List of conflicts in the Middle East
 * List of conflicts in the Near East
 * List of conflicts in Africa
 * Conflicts in the Horn of Africa
 * List of conflicts in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa)

Wars by type of conflict

 * See also: Category:Warfare by type


 * List of wars of independence (national liberation)
 * List of military conflicts spanning multiple wars
 * List of world wars
 * List of border wars
 * List of wars extended by diplomatic irregularity
 * List of wars between democracies
 * List of civil wars
 * List of proxy wars
 * List of invasions

Battles

 * List of battles
 * List of sieges

Weapons of war

 * Weapons
 * Armoured warfare
 * Artillery
 * Biological warfare
 * Cavalry
 * Conventional warfare
 * Chemical warfare
 * Electronic warfare
 * Infantry
 * Mercenary
 * Nuclear warfare
 * Psychological warfare
 * Unconventional warfare

Military theory

 * Military theory
 * Philosophy of war
 * Principles of war
 * War cycles

Military organization
Military organization
 * Command and control (military)
 * Doctrine
 * Military education and training
 * Military engineering
 * Military intelligence
 * Military logistics
 * Materiel
 * Military supply chain management
 * Military rank
 * Military technology and equipment
 * Staff (military)

Operational level of war
Operational level of war
 * Blitzkrieg
 * Soviet deep battle
 * Maneuver warfare
 * Operational manoeuvre group

Military operations

 * Military operation
 * List of military operations
 * Military operation plan
 * Military operations other than war

Types of military operations
Types of military operations, by scope:
 * Theater – operation over a large, often continental area of operation and represents a strategic national commitment to the conflict such as Operation Barbarossa, with general goals that encompass areas of consideration outside of the military such as the economic and political impacts.
 * Campaign – subset of the theatre operation, or a more limited geographic and operational strategic commitment such as Battle of Britain, and need not represent total national commitment to a conflict, or have broader goals outside of the military impacts.
 * Battle – subset of a campaign that will have specific military goals and geographic objectives, as well as clearly defined use of forces such as the Battle of Gallipoli, which operationally was a combined arms operation originally known as the "Dardanelles landings" as part of the Dardanelles Campaign, where about 480,000 Allied troops took part.
 * Engagement – tactical combat event of contest for specific area or objective by actions of distinct units. For example the Battle of Kursk, also known from its German designation as Operation Citadel, included many separate engagements, several of which were combined into the Battle of Prokhorovka. The "Battle of Kursk" in addition to describing the initial German offensive operation (or simply an offensive), also included two Soviet counter-offensive operations Operation Kutuzov and Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev.
 * Strike – single attack, upon a specified target. This often forms part of a broader engagement. Strikes have an explicit goal, such as, rendering facilities inoperable (e.g. airports), to assassinating enemy leaders, or to limit supply to enemy troops.

Military strategy
Military strategy
 * Attrition warfare
 * Battlespace
 * Military deception
 * Strategic defence
 * Offensive (military)
 * Strategic goal (military)
 * Naval strategy

Grand strategy
Grand strategy
 * Containment
 * Economic warfare
 * Military science
 * Philosophy of war
 * Strategic studies
 * Total war

Military tactics
Military tactics
 * Air combat manoeuvring
 * Battle
 * Cavalry tactics
 * Charge (warfare)
 * Cover (military)
 * Counter-insurgency
 * Defensive fighting position
 * Guerrilla warfare
 * Morale
 * Siege
 * Tactical objective

Politics of war

 * Casus belli – Latin expression meaning the justification for acts of war. In theory, present international law allows only three situations as legal cause to go to war: out of self-defense, defense of an ally under a mutual defense pact, or sanctioned by the UN.
 * Declaration of war
 * War effort
 * War economy
 * Surrender
 * Capitulation an agreement in time of war for the surrender to a hostile armed force of a particular body of troops, a town or a territory.
 * Strategic surrender – surrender to avoid a last, chaotic round of fighting that would have the characteristics of a rout, allowing the victor to obtain his objective without paying the costs of a last battle.
 * Unconditional surrender – surrender without conditions, except for those provided by international law.
 * Victory
 * Debellatio – when a war ends because of the complete destruction of a belligerent state.
 * No quarter – when a victor shows no clemency or mercy and refuses to spare the life of the vanquished when they surrender at discretion. Under the laws of war "...it is especially forbidden...to declare that no quarter will be given".
 * Pyrrhic victory – victory with such a devastating cost that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately lead to defeat.
 * Anti-war movement
 * War as metaphor

Philosophy of war
Philosophy of war – examines war beyond the typical questions of weaponry and strategy, inquiring into such things as the meaning and etiology of war, the relationship between war and human nature, and the ethics of war.
 * Militarism – belief that war is not inherently bad but can be a beneficial aspect of society.
 * Realism – its core proposition is a skepticism as to whether moral concepts such as justice can be applied to the conduct of international affairs. Proponents of realism believe that moral concepts should never prescribe, nor circumscribe, a state's behaviour. Instead, a state should place an emphasis on state security and self-interest. One form of realism – descriptive realism – proposes that states cannot act morally, while another form – prescriptive realism – argues that the motivating factor for a state is self-interest. Just wars that violate Just Wars principles effectively constitute a branch of realism.
 * Revolution and Civil War – Just War Theory states that a just war must have just authority. To the extent that this is interpreted as a legitimate government, this leaves little room for revolutionary war or civil war, in which an illegitimate entity may declare war for reasons that fit the remaining criteria of Just War Theory. This is less of a problem if the "just authority" is widely interpreted as "the will of the people" or similar. Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions side-steps this issue by stating that if one of the parties to a civil war is a High Contracting Party (in practice, the state recognised by the international community,) both Parties to the conflict are bound "as a minimum, the following [humanitarian] provisions." Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention also makes clear that the treatment of prisoners of war is binding on both parties even when captured soldiers have an "allegiance to a government or an authority not recognized by the Detaining Power."
 * Nonviolent struggle – The "just war" criterion of "last resort" requires believers to look for alternative means of conflict. The methods of nonviolent action permit the waging of political struggle without resort to violence. Historical evidence and political theory can be examined to determine whether nonviolent struggle can be expected to be effective in future conflicts. If nonviolent action is determined effective, then the requirements for "just war" are not met.
 * Absolutism – holds that there are various ethical rules that are absolute. Breaking such moral rules is never legitimate and therefore is always unjustifiable.
 * Pacifism – belief that war of any kind is morally unacceptable and/or pragmatically not worth the cost. Pacifists extend humanitarian concern not just to enemy civilians but also to combatants, especially conscripts. For example, Ben Salmon believed all war to be unjust. He was sentenced to death during World War I (later commuted to 25 years hard labor) for desertion and spreading propaganda.
 * Right of self-defence – maintains (based on rational self-interest) that the use of retaliatory force is justified against repressive nations that break the zero aggression principle. In addition, if a free country is itself subject to foreign aggression, it is morally imperative for that nation to defend itself and its citizens by whatever means necessary. Thus, any means to achieve a swift and complete victory over the enemy is imperative. This view is prominently held by Objectivists.
 * Consequentialism – moral theory most frequently summarized in the words "the end justifies the means," which tends to support the just war theory (unless the just war causes less beneficial means to become necessary, which further requires worst actions for self-defense with bad consequences).

Laws of war

 * Laws of war
 * War crimes
 * List of war crimes

Prisoners of war

 * Prisoner of war
 * Prison camps
 * Concentration camp
 * Internment camp
 * Labor camp
 * Death or extermination camp
 * Prisoner-of-war camp
 * Prison escape
 * List of prisoner-of-war escapes
 * List of notable prisoners of war
 * Prisoner of war mail
 * Postal censorship

Effects of war
Effects of war
 * Casualties
 * Casualty
 * Casualty classifications
 * KIA – Killed In Action
 * MIA – Missing In Action
 * WIA – Wounded in action
 * List of genocides by death toll

War and culture

 * War in popular culture
 * List of war films and TV specials
 * Wars in popular culture
 * Trojan War in popular culture
 * World War I in popular culture
 * World War II in popular culture
 * Korean War in popular culture
 * Soviet war in Afghanistan in popular culture
 * Sri Lankan Civil War in popular culture
 * War as metaphor

War organizations

 * Council of war
 * Ministry of War

War museums

 * War museum
 * Imperial War Museum

War publications

 * The Art of War
 * On War

Persons influential in war

 * List of military writers

In ancient times

 * Alexander the Great
 * Hannibal
 * Julius Caesar

During the Middle Ages

 * William the conqueror

During the Mongol Invasions

 * Genghis Khan

During the Hundred Years' War

 * Henry V of England
 * Joan of Arc

At the Siege of Malta

 * Jean Parisot de la Valette

During the American Revolution

 * George Washington

During the Napoleonic Wars

 * Horatio Nelson
 * Napoleon

During the Taiping Rebellion

 * Hong Xiuquan

During World War I

 * Douglas Haig
 * Ferdinand Foch
 * John J. Pershing
 * Joseph Joffre

During World War II

 * Adolf Hitler
 * Charles de Gaulle
 * Douglas MacArthur
 * Erwin Rommel
 * Franklin D. Roosevelt
 * George S. Patton
 * Joseph Stalin
 * Winston Churchill