Which of the following is NOT one of the five elements of Tactical Employment?

• A. Mass or shift combat power rapidly
• B. Use of surprise
• C. Gain and maintain initiative
• D. Extending depth and width of modern battlefield with little regard to terrain

Answer: (C)

The tactic here is about how you shape the fight on the battlefield. The five elements of Tactical Employment describe concrete methods you use to press, disrupt, and control the enemy — the actions you take to project power and create advantages at decisive points.

Massing or shifting combat power rapidly is a direct way to overwhelm a point, seize the initiative, and force the enemy to react. Using surprise reduces the enemy’s ability to respond in time and sets the terms of the engagement. Extending depth and width of the battlefield compounds the enemy’s dilemmas, opens multiple axes of attack, and complicates their plan by spreading their defenses thinner.

Gaining and maintaining initiative, while essential to success, is the intended result of applying those methods. It describes the outcome you want to achieve—keeping the enemy off balance and forcing them to react—not a specific method or element by itself. Because the other choices represent concrete ways you implement Tactical Employment, the option about initiative is not one of the five elements.