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Amilitary campaign islarge-scale long-duration significantmilitary strategyplan incorporating a series of interrelatedmilitary operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called awar. The term derives from the plain ofCampania, a place of annual wartime operations by the armies of theRoman Republic.[citation needed]
A military campaign denotes the time during which a givenmilitary force conducts combat operations in a given area (often referred to as AO,area of operation). A military campaign may be executed by either a singleArmed Service, or as a combined services campaign conducted byland,naval,air, cyber, and space forces.
The purpose of a military campaign is to achieve a particular desired resolution of a military conflict as itsstrategic goal. This is constrained by resources, geography and/or season. A campaign is measured relative to the technology used by the belligerents to achieve goals, and while in the pre-industrial Europe was understood to be that between the planting (late spring) and harvest times (late autumn), it has been shortened during the post-industrial period to a few weeks. However, due to the nature of campaign goals, usually campaigns last several months, or up to a year as defined byTrevor N. Dupuy.
"A campaign is a phase of a war involving a series of operations related in time and space and aimed towards a single, specific, strategic objective or result in the war. A campaign may include a single battle, but more often it comprises a number of battles over a protracted period of time or a considerable distance, but within a single theatre of operations or delimited area. A campaign may last only a few weeks, but usually lasts several months or even a year".[1]
In premodern times, campaigns were usually interrupted during the winter season, during which the soldiers retreated into thewinter quarters (or 'cantonments') to get through the coldest months with warmth and protection. For example, theancient Romans had easily movablecastra aestiva ('summer quarters', with leather tents) but more stationarycastra hibera ('winter quarters', with wooden barracks).[2] In favourable weather and with proper equipment and supplies, however, military campaigns could be extended from the 'campaigning season' into winter in an attempt to catch the enemy off-guard. For example, in theFlanders campaign, French generalJean-Charles Pichegru unexpectedly crossed the frozenGreat Rivers during the harsh winter of 1794–95, and conquered theDutch Republic.[3] But ill-prepared winter campaigns often had disastrous consequences due to high mortality amongst the soldiers; the most notorious example of this is theFrench invasion of Russia byNapoleon (24 June – 14 December 1812).[4] Therefore, army commanders sought to take into account the need to return their troops to their winter quarters, or establish new winter quarters in a secure location, well before the winter set in, so as to not leave their soldiers vulnerable to the enemy nor the elements.
The success of a military campaign is evaluated based on the degree of achievement of planned goals and objectives through combat and noncombat operations. That is determined when one of the belligerent military forces defeats the opposing military force within the constraints of the planned resource, time and cost allocations. The manner in which a force terminates its operations often influences thepublic perception of the campaign's success. A campaign may end in conquest, and be followed by the transition of military authority to a civil authority and the redeployment of forces, or apermanent installation of a military authority in the occupied area.
Military campaigns, inside and outside defined wars, may exceed the original or even revised planning parameters of scope, time and cost. Such stalled campaigns, for example thewestern front in World War I, were formerly called "stalemates" but in the late 20th century themetaphor of aquagmire was often applied, and "frozen conflict" in the 21st. Such a situation may arise of various factors such as:
