Battlefield control is the process of maintaining position and managing resources such that casualties from defensive gaps can be maximized. [According](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indirect_approach?wprov=sfti1#Principles) to Captain B.H. Liddell Hart, a British Army strategist, there are two major tactical problems to be solved in the course of battle to ensure success at a critical moment:[^1] - **Dislocation** is a tactic that precedes any lethal action. It disturbs the status quo. - **Exploitation** follows from dislocation. It acts on the opportunity presented by the disturbance. Battlefield actions are largely dependent on resolving these contingencies. As an example, an enemy garrisoned in a secure bunker must first be dislocated with gas or bombardment, such that it is safer to be outside the bunker than in it. The transition from secure bunker to a new defensive position is the moment of exploitation. Thus, one would expect at least two battlefield actions on the part of the aggressor, an attack on the original position, and an an attack during the transition. Alternatively, the aggressor could set up an ambush behind the new defensive position. Battlefield control is a useful metaphor for project planning in design, as new installations often create disturbances that can be optimized to redirect landscape dynamics. [^1]: Liddell, H. B. (1991). _Strategy_. Penguin.