Since the dawn of man, military strategy has been the subject of much analysis. From Genghis Khan to Napoleon, the many great military leaders of history have become renowned for their ingenious tactics and quick decision-making. Only a fool would run headfirst into battle without a plan, and this plan becomes even more important as a battle's scale increases. However, even for individuals and small groups, it's wise to learn military strategy and tactics. These skills can greatly improve your chances of surviving an attack, or of defending yourself against enemies during a survival situation.

Obviously, countless books have been written on warfare strategy, including the ancient and often-quoted Art of War by Sun Tzu. Despite the many innovations and creative solutions that tacticians have developed, conventional warfare still adheres to a general course of actions. A user of Reddit's Military Strategy sub summarized these general tactics with the following flowchart, titled Military Strategy in a Nutshell:

Of course, a smart strategist would not follow this flowchart to the letter, since that would make actions entirely predictable to the enemy. Nevertheless, it provides a solid summary of the general logic used in planning attacks and defense. You may have noticed that the image also refers to guerrilla warfare, which radically changes this combat philosophy, and would likely be most useful in a real survival scenario. Fortunately, the same Reddit user created a second flowchart for guerrilla warfare:

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Now, it's entirely possible to poke holes in both these guides. There's no such thing as a perfect warfare strategy — if there was, we'd all be enslaved by whoever figured it out first. But if you don't like either of the two infographics above, not to worry. There's one last guide for you, titled “Military Strategy Flowchart for people who don't like Military Strategy Flowcharts”:

Written by Patrick McCarthy