Tactic and Strategy: What's the difference?

[Dari]

I've checked the dictionary and I'm having a problem discerning the difference. Can anyone give me an example?

 

[BeauJangles]

Tactics are smaller scale (like what wins a battle). Strategy is what wins the war.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Tactics are smaller scale (like what wins a battle). Strategy is what wins the war.

Similarly, tactics are more specific while strategery is more general in scope.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: her209

Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Tactics are smaller scale (like what wins a battle). Strategy is what wins the war.

Similarly, tactics are more specific while strategery is more general in scope.

better said.

Wikipedia links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_tactics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategy

 

[Zenmervolt]

As Professor Goldstein (Donald M. Goldstein, wrote "Miracle at Midway" among other books) used to say, "Amateurs talk strategy, dilettantes talk tactics, professionals talk logistics".

To simplify:

Strategy is the overall plan for achieving the end goal.
Tactics are heuristics for dealing with things that come up en-route to most goals.
Logistics is knowing what forces you have, what your capabilities really are, knowing what your impediments really are, and knowing how you're actually going to do all the things that the amateurs and dilettantes are telling you that you should do.

For example, when the Germans invaded Russia in WWII, they had a strategy (catch the Soviet defenses unawares and overwhelm them, causing a swift capitulation), and they had tactics (some of the finest fighting units at the time, well-versed in military maneuvering), but they completely and utterly ignored logistics (first, Russia is friggin' huge, which means they can muster a gigantic army, and second, it gets fucking cold in Russia during the winter, both of which make it incredibly difficult to supply an invading army).

The best strategy in all of history along with the best tactics in all of history will still result in ruin if logistics are ignored. Similarly, marginal strategy with marginal tactics can still succeed grandly with appropriate attention to logistical difficulties.

Another, simpler example:

Strategy: Driving into town to get a pizza.
Tactics: Walking to the car, starting the car, putting the car in gear, backing out of the driveway, etc.
Logistics: Checking the gas gauge.

Good strategy, good tactics, but if you run out of gas halfway there, neither the strategy nor the tactics matter.

ZV

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

tactics comprise a strategy

 

[lyssword]

tactics = short term
strategy = long term + tactics combined.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
tactics comprise a strategy

Correct, and sometimes your tactics will have to change depending on the situation.

Strategy: Wear out our enemy by cutting lines of supplies and reinforcements.
Tactics: Set up surveillance and and ambush from the flanks as they approach.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Tactics would be a set of instructions that can be applied on the fly as situations change pursuit of a goal. Tactics would amount to the field formations and communications that are employed in the separate scenarios that accomplish the goal

Strategy would be the general idea of how to accomplish the same goal. Often strategy will encompass many separate scenarios in which tactics are employed.

Strategy: To take the city we must first take bunker one so that it cannot cover bunkers two and six. Then we take bunkers two and four to leave bunkers five, three and six isolated. The remaining bunkers will fall quickly afterwards.

Tactics: All the individual maneuvers of the squads that make the attacks on bunkers 1 through 6.

 

[SSSnail]

So can I be a tactical strategist?

 

[lyssword]

Originally posted by: SSSnail
So can I be a tactical strategist?

Yes. Imagine tactics a circle, it is inside the circle that is strategy (Venn diagram )

 

[ElFenix]

tactics is the real time portion of total war, strategy is the turn by turn portion

 

[lyssword]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
tactics is the real time portion of total war, strategy is the turn by turn portion

Or how about tactics = micromanagement (what happens on a small scale), strategy = macro management (on a big scale) like in RTS games

 

[IronWing]

Strategy is running away.
Tactics is ducking as you run.
Logistics is bringing a clean pair of underwear with you.