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Combat (French for fight) is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or can be used as a tool to impose one's will on others. An instance of combat can be a stand-alone confrontation or a small part of a much larger violent conflict. Instances of combat may also be benign and recreational, as in the cases of combat sports and mock combat.

Combat may comply with, or be in violation of, local or international laws regarding conflict. Examples of rules include the Geneva Conventions (covering the treatment of people in war), medieval chivalry, the Marquess of Queensberry Rules (covering boxing), and several forms of combat sports.

Hand-to-hand combat

Hand-to-hand combat (melee) is combat at very close range, attacking the opponent with the body (striking, kicking, strangling, etc.) and/or with a melee weapon (knives, swords, batons, etc.), as opposed to a ranged weapon.

Hand-to-hand combat can be further divided into three sections depending on the distance and positioning of the combatants:

• Clinch fighting
• Ground fighting
• Stand-up fighting

Military combat

Military combat can involve multiple groups, including guerilla groups, insurgencies, and domestic and/or foreign governments. A military combat situation is known either as a battle or a war, depending on the size of the fighting and which geographical areas in which it occurs. Combat effectiveness has always demanded that the personnel maintain strategic preparedness by being sufficiently trained, armed, equipped, and funded to carry out combat operations in the unit to which they are assigned. Warfare falls under the law of war, which govern its purposes and conduct, and protect the rights of combatants and non-combatants.

References

1. North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO Standardization Agency AAP-6 – Glossary of terms and definitions, p. 80

Sources

• Martin van Creveld: The Changing Face of War: Lessons of Combat, from the Marne to Turkey. Maine, New England 2007.

Further reading

• Wong, Leonard. 2006. "Combat Motivation in Today's Soldiers: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute."Armed Forces & Society, vol. 32: pp. 659–663.
• Gifford, Brian. 2005. "Combat Casualties and Race: What Can We Learn from the 2003-2004 Iraq Conflict?" Armed Forces & Society, vol. 31: pp. 201–225.
• Herspring, Dale. 2006. "Undermining Combat Readiness in the Russian Military, 1992-2005." Armed Forces & Society, Jul 2006; vol. 32: pp. 513–531.
• Ben-Shalom, Uzi; Lehrer, Zeev; and Ben-Ari, Eyal. 2005. "Cohesion during Military Operations: A Field Study on Combat Units in the Al-Aqsa Intifada." Armed Forces & Society, vol. 32: pp. 63–79.
• Woodruff, Todd; Kelty, Ryan; Segal, Archie Cooper, David R. 2006. "Propensity to Serve and Motivation to Enlist among American Combat Soldiers." Armed Forces & Society, Apr 2006; vol. 32: pp. 353–366.
• Dienstfrey, Stephen. 1988. "Women Veterans' Exposure to Combat." Armed forces & Society, vol. 14: pp. 549–558.

v t e Military and war
Concepts	Military Service History Technology Occupational roles Recruitment Roles: Soldier Sailor Airman Enlisted rank Officer Commanding officer Executive officer Protocols and structure: Ranks List Uniforms Awards and decorations By country Highest Categories: Ranks
Forces	Command and control Defense ministry Armed Forces: Army Navy Air force Marines Space force Special forces Airborne forces Commando Frogman Militia Reserves Functional specialties: Communications Engineers Intelligence Reconnaissance List Medical Military police Gendarmerie Security forces Border guard Coast guard Logistics By country Categories: Combat occupations Development: Basic training Military maneuvers Combat training
Branches	Land units: Combat arms Infantry Armor Cavalry Artillery Special reconnaissance Signal corps Naval units: Warships Surface Littoral Patrol Submarines Aircraft carriers Landing craft Auxiliary ship Air units: Fighters Bombers Command Close air support Electronic-warfare Reconnaissance
Structure	Organization By country Armies by country Chain of command Unified combatant command General staff Land: Army group Field army Corps List Division List Brigade By type Regiment By country By type Battalion By country By type Platoon Squad Naval: Naval fleet Task force Carrier strike group Division Flotilla Squadron Air: Combat box Special units by nation: Battle Fleet; U.S. Navy Front; Russian land forces
Vehicles	Ground: Ground List Combat Tracked vehicles Wheeled vehicles Armor Tank Infantry fighting vehicle Lists By country Armored car Scout car Truck List Gun truck Self-propelled artillery List Anti-aircraft Rail
Weapons	Land Weapons List Artillery: Artillery List By country Battery Field gun List Howitzer List Rocket List Infantry guns: Pistols Machine guns List Service rifles: Battle rifles List Assault rifle List Sniper rifle Other infantry weapons: Bazooka Anti-tank gun List Grenade List Flamethrower Bayonet Combat knife List Missiles: Shoulder-fired Anti-tank List By country Mortar Lists: Infantry Heavy Other: Land mine Shells Sea/Air: Guided missiles List Naval: Naval artillery List Anti-ship missiles Torpedoes Depth charges Close-in weapons Aerial: Guns Missiles Bombs
Equipment	Military equipment Lists By country Helmet List Camouflage List Body armor Facilities: Military base Lists Field hospital
Combat systems	Fire-control system Fire-control radar Director (military) Combat information center Sonar Radar Historical: Ship gun fire-control Gun data computer Torpedo Data Computer
Warfare	War Battle Strategy Tactics Combat Military science Diplomacy International law By era: Prehistoric Ancient Post-classical Early modern Late modern industrial fourth-gen By type: Armoured warfare Artillery Barrage Biological Camouflage Cavalry Chemical Class Combined arms Conventional Cyber Denial Disinformation Drone Electronic Infantry Lawfare Loitering Music Nuclear Psychological Radiological Unconventional
Battlespace	Aerospace Air Airborne Space Land Cold-region Desert Jungle Mountain Urban Sea Amphibious Blue Brown Green Surface Underwater Subterranean Tunnel Cyber Information
Tactics	List of military tactics Aerial Airlift Airbridge Airdrop Battle Cavalry Charge Counterattack Counterinsurgency Defeat in detail Foxhole Envelopment Guerrilla Morale Rapid dominance Siege Swarming Tactical objective Target saturation Trench Withdrawal
Operational	Military operation Operations research Blitzkrieg Expeditionary Deep operation Maneuver Operational manoeuvre group
Strategy	List of military strategies and concepts Military campaign Attrition Counter-offensive Culminating Defence in depth Fabian Mosaic Deception Defensive Depth Goal Naval Offensive Scorched earth
Policy	Diplomacy: Alliances Peace treaty Cooperation United Nations Mediation Public policy: Conscription Defense budget Defense policy Related: Government Nation
Lists	Military lists Wars Weapons Military tactics History lists: Wars Battles Military occupations Operations Sieges Related lists: War crimes Writers
Other namespace	Templates {{War}} {{Weapons}} {{Ranks}} Vehicles and weapons {{Tanks}} {{Weapons}} {{Infantry fighting vehicles}} {{Modern warships}} {{Aircraft}} Specific modern wars {{Napoleonic Wars}} {{World War I}} {{World War II}} {{Cold War}} Categories Lists of wars by country Conflicts by time
Related	Peace Peace and conflict studies Peace movement Peace process Disarmament Pacifism Détente Global studies Conscientious objector Anti-war movement Idealism in international relations Humanitarianism International cooperation Crimes against humanity {{International relations}} Categories: Peace organizations
Category  [REDACTED] Commons

• Combat
• Military operations by type