Military doctrine

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Military doctrine is the expression of how military forces contribute to campaigns, major operations, battles, and engagements. A military doctrine outlines what military means should be used, how forces should be structured, where forces should be deployed, and the modes of cooperation between types of forces.^[1] "Joint doctrine" refers to the doctrines shared and aligned by multinational forces or joint service operations.^[2]

There are three broad categories of military doctrines: (1) Offensive doctrines aim to punish an adversary, (2) Defensive doctrines aim to deny an adversary, and (3) Deterrent doctrines aim to disarm an adversary. Different military doctrines have different implications for world politics. For example, offensive doctrines tend to lead to arms races and conflicts.^[1]