Strategy and Tactics

Strategy versus Tactics

Basically, tactics are short-term actions that are part of a long-term strategic plan. Although the two terms are closely related, tactics are not always in best interests of the strategy. The Japanese attack ob Peal Harbor in 1941 was a highly successful tactic, but was a dismal mistake as a strategy as it awaken a sleeping giant and led to the Japanese defeat. The United States' 2003 attack on Iraq was a tactical success, but appears to have been a mistake strategically. Shooting and killing a burglar caught in your home at night may seem to have been a good short-term tactic at the time, but after dealing with criminal and civil courts trials for years afterward, you would probably think that your overall defensive strategy was flawed; you probably should have spent more money on alarms and locks, it would have been much cheaper and less trouble in the long-term. Sometimes a failed tactic may turn out to be good for the strategy. If your strategy is to earn the goodwill of the people in a country, a tactical missile intended for a chemical warfare plant that misses its target may be a good thing if the target was in fact an aspirin factory.