The stage of strategic stalemate is a stage in the whole process of war between strategic defense and strategic offensive, and it is also the most difficult stage in war. The length of this stage depends on the contrast between the forces of the enemy and the enemy and the development of the war situation. At this stage, both sides of the war are trying to change the balance of forces and actively create conditions for victory. Therefore, the main task of operations in the stage of strategic stalemate is to consume and weaken the enemy, accumulate and strengthen one's own strength, and at the same time constantly make strategic preparations for campaigns and battles. At this stage, the two basic types of combat mode, strategic defense and strategic offensive, are intertwined to form a complex and ever-changing strategic situation.
In the stage of strategic stalemate, because both sides of the war have adjusted and supplemented their deployment and deployment on the battlefield, the balance of forces between the two sides has changed, and a relatively stable strategic situation has emerged. At this stage, the engagement between the two sides of the war is no longer a large-scale mobile war and a war of annihilation, but a positional war as the main form, adopting the tactics of attacking as defense, and actively carrying out campaigns, battles, and offensives in order to achieve victory in campaigns and battles.
In the stage of strategic stalemate, positional warfare has become the main form of warfare. Positional warfare is a form of warfare in which superior forces and weapons are concentrated in a certain area and within a certain period of time, relying on strongholds, assault positions, defensive positions, and so on, and with suppressing and destroying the enemy's vital forces as the main goal. In positional warfare, both warring sides try to change their posture and gain the strategic initiative through offensive and defensive operations. Therefore, positional warfare must be scientifically organized and commanded in light of the actual conditions of the enemy's situation, terrain, and tasks.
Guerrilla warfare is also an important form of warfare in the stage of strategic stalemate. Guerrilla warfare is a form of warfare that is dispersed and flowing, gathering and scattering, and flexible and mobile. In guerrilla warfare, guerrillas take advantage of the enemy's weaknesses in deployment or take advantage of the terrain, weather, and other conditions to flexibly disperse or concentrate their forces, flexibly change their mode of action, and adopt such means as attacking, ambushing, and harassing to strike at the enemy, disrupt the enemy's logistical supply lines and transportation lines, contain and consume the enemy, and cooperate with combat operations on the regular battlefield. Guerrilla warfare has the characteristics of being dispersed, independent, autonomous, and flexible, and can make full use of the strength of the masses of the people and take advantage of the weak links in the enemy's rear to strike at them.
In the stage of strategic stalemate, mobile warfare is also one of the important forms of warfare. Movement warfare is a form of warfare in which superior forces, weapons, and mobility are concentrated to strike at the enemy's vital forces with rapid action and flexible tactics. In a war of movement, troops should carry out long-distance raids behind or in front of the enemy or intersperse and divide the enemy's deployment, causing confusion or dispersing the enemy's forces, destroying the enemy's logistical supply lines and transportation lines, and annihilating the enemy's important targets or troops. Mobile warfare requires troops to have strong mobility, rapid reaction capabilities, and troop projection capabilities.
Information warfare is one of the important forms of warfare in the stage of strategic stalemate. Information warfare is a form of combat that uses information technology and information-based equipment to obtain and destroy the enemy's information. Information warfare includes three aspects: information reconnaissance, information offensive, and information defense. In information warfare, troops should use all kinds of information technology means to obtain, process, and transmit information, interfere with, destroy, or control the enemy's information system, and at the same time protect the security of their own information system. Information warfare requires the troops to have a high level of informationization and the ability to use technical means.
As a matter of fact, in the stage of strategic stalemate, various forms of combat do not exist in isolation, but are interrelated and mutually coordinated. Therefore, in actual operations, it is necessary to select appropriate combat forms for scientific organization and command in accordance with the actual conditions of the enemy, terrain, weather, and other actual conditions and the requirements of strategic objectives. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to the coordination and coordination of various forms of operations, and give play to the advantages of overall operations in order to achieve the greatest strategic results.