• Passing through another unit and preparing a defense.
• Maintaining contact with the enemy so another force can conduct a counterattack.
• Transitioning to a withdrawal or retirement to prepare for future offensive operations.

SUMMARY
Throw in a dash of offense, a cup of defense, and a bunch of challenging decision-making and you have the ingredients for a delay. We hope we have portrayed the difficulty of executing a delay. The first thing a Commander must determine is that a delay is necessary. So many times, a Commander will believe if he continues to duke it out with his enemy and the situation will reverse. Unfortunately, this mindset usually turns the situation from bad to worse. Once the Commander makes this determination the keys to success are a flexible plan, disciplined units, and timely decisions based on appropriate intelligence and information. The delay – clearly one of the most difficult missions a unit will execute and a Commander will lead!

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“A retreat, even when executed in the most skillful manner and by an army in good condition, always gives an advantage to the pursuing army; and this is particularly the case after a defeat and when the source of supplies and reinforcements is at a great distance; for a retreat then becomes more difficult than any other operation in war, and its difficulties increase in proportion to the skill exhibited by the enemy in conducting the pursuit.”

Antoine-Henri Baron Jomini

NEXT MONTH
In our next article, we will talk transitions. Specifically, how a commander transitions his unit from the defense to the offense and vice versa. We will address several issues including: 1) The physical actions that must occur. 2) How do you determine when the window of opportunity is there to transition from defense to offense. 3) How to take advantage of the opportunity. 4) How do you know when it is time to transition to the defense? History has shown numerous times Commanders who did not see the window open to transition to the offense. It has also shown Commanders who would not transition to the defense when they should have. We will cover it all in detail next month!

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