text: what is the difference between 'strategic' and 'tactical'?   there are three commonly identified 'levels' in war.  the strategic level is where national and political goals are turned into military objectives.  at the strategic level most of the decisions are made by the civilian leadership with the military providing advice.   the operational level is concerned with the maneuvering of armies, fleets etc.  this is all large scale and tends to involve a series of battles in order to achieve an objective set by the strategy.  now we get to the tactical level.  the tactical level is concerned with how a battle is fought.  this can range from a general deciding where to out his brigades - to a sergeant telling an individual soldier to fire a particular weapon.