All-around defense[1] or perimeter defense[2] is a type of defensive fighting position intended to give military units the ability to repel attacks from any direction.[3]
The positioning of the outer defensive fighting positions of a unit, is circular or triangular,[4] from a bird's-eye view.
One version consists of soldiers forming a wide circle around the soldier in charge (and radioman etc.) with a spacing typically of 3–4 metres between each person (on the circle's circumference).
When a group of soldiers relocate as a part of a defensive operation, a perimeter defense can be temporarily maintained without cover.
- ^ "fire guard" The term "all-around defense" used in a newspaper in 1944[dead link]
- ^ http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/FM%203-21.8%20%20The%20Infantry%20Rifle%20Platoon%20and%20Squad_5.pdf Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine "8-133. A perimeter defense allows the defending force to orient in all directions."
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.marines.mil/news/publications/Documents/FM%203-21.8%20%20The%20Infantry%20Rifle%20Platoon%20and%20Squad_5.pdf Archived 2012-09-13 at the Wayback Machine "The trace of the platoon is circular or triangular rather than linear"