Flanking Maneuver

A flanking maneuver is the act of attacking an enemies exposed side (or “flank”) during battle. In slang terms, it is “to flank” someone, for short. It is a time-tested tactic that has been used on battlefields for as long as there have been wars, but metaphorical flanking maneuvers can be performed as well (more on that further down).

Flanking as we understand it, is a very broad military tactic which has been used in warfare for millenia. Knowing how flanking can be performed on all three Levels of Warfare will give you a better idea of how to make use of the concept on digital battlefields and during Anonymous Operations.

Flanking maneuvers were a particular favorite of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, such as Washington's infamous crossing of the Delaware River before the Battle of Trenton.

The traditional flanking maneuver happens on the tactical level. As a fighting force is typically concentrated towards the front, many methods have been developed to attack the vulnerable flank. There are many ways this can be done. Sometimes this takes the form of an ambush, where one waits for the enemy's strongest frontline forces to pass by, offering easy access to the flanks.

One can also split their forces into two groups, with one group laying down suppressive fire as a diversion, while the second group loops around to attack the exposed flank. These types of flanking attacks can be especially devastating, as they force the enemy to defend themselves from multiple directions, reducing their forward attack strength. In these cases, care must be taken to avoid friendly-fire, as attacking an enemy from multiple angles in this way can accidentally endanger friendly forces on the other side of the enemy's position.

Taking the concept up to the operational level, one can open up additional fronts to flank an enemy force that is concentrated in a specific geographic direction. Hannibal crossing the Alps to attack Rome from the north can be considered as a flanking maneuver on the operational level, and one which was very successful against the unprepared Roman legions.

Finally, at the strategic level you have flanking as a geopolitical tool. The encirclement of Nazi Germany by the diplomatic positioning of the UK, USA and Soviet Union, is a prime example of a successful flanking maneuver on the strategic level.

To attack both sides of the enemy at the same time is referred to as a pincer movement, also known as the double envelopment attack.

Flanking an enemy on today's modern asymmetric and digital battlefields is not too different from flanking in the days of old. The concept is very much the same: Find a weak spot around the primary line of defense, and concentrate your firepower on that spot.

For example: Is your enemy using Cloudflare to resist head-on DDOS attacks on their website, while their web server has detection software that prevents brute forcing your way in? Then maybe you should consider using a bit of social engineering to get unrestricted staff access through a side entrance, where those systems have no defensive value.

As long as you can think outside the box, there is a vulnerable flank to even the most daunting of enemy forces.