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Afront line (alternativelyfront-line orfrontline) inmilitary terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of anarmed force'spersonnel andequipment, usually referring to land forces. When afront (an intentional or unintentional boundary) between opposing sides forms, the front line is the area where each side's forces are engaged in conflict. Leaders have often fought at the front lines either purposefully or due to a collapse in battle formation. While a calculated risk, fighting on the front has in instances reduced communication and heightened morale. The front is in direct contrast to therear, which is the position furthest from conflict.
All branches of theUnited States Armed Forces use the related technical terms,Forward Line of Own Troops (FLOT) andForward Edge of Battle Area (FEBA). These terms are used asbattlespace control measures that designate the forward-most friendly maritime or land forces on thebattlefield at a given point in time during anarmed conflict. FLOT/FEBA may include covering and screening forces. TheForward Line of Enemy Troops (FLET) is the FEBA from the enemy's perspective.
Although the term "front line" first appeared in the 1520s, it took until 1842 for it to be used in the military sense. Its first use as an adjective was from 1915.[1]
The word "front" gained the military sense of "foremost part of an army" in the mid-14th century, which, in turn, led the word to take on the meaning "field of operations in contact with the enemy" in the 1660s. That sense led to the phrasehome front, which first appeared in 1919.[2] In a non-combat situation or when a combat situation is not assumed, front can mean the direction in which the command is faced.[3]
Theattributive adjective version of the term front line (as in "our front-line personnel") describes materiel or personnel intended for or actively in forward use: at sea, on land or in the air:at the front line.
In the land campaigns ofWorld War I, FEBAs, FLOTs and FLETs could often be identified by eye. For example, in France and Belgium, they were defined by opposing defensivetrench systems.
Typical modern conflicts are vastly different, characterised by "war amongst the people", the concept of a "Three Block War", and the presence of an asymmetric threat from irregular or terrorist combatants. In those cases, the concepts of front line, FEBA, FLOT and FLET may be of little relevance. The term "front line" has come to refer more to any place where bullets and bombs are flying or are likely to fly.
