passive defense
Shield without striking
Passive defense refers to protective measures that don't involve actively engaging a threat.
In military contexts, it includes fortifications, camouflage, dispersal, and hardening structures against attack—defense through resilience rather than counterattack.
The term extends to sports strategy, cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness: The city's passive defense included bomb shelters and blackout procedures.
Becoming less soft
- survivabilityCapacity to endure
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- absorptionProcess of taking in
mitigation · buffering · robustness · dispersal · backup systems · damage limitation · continuity · regeneration
Reinforced subterranean stronghold
- citadelFortified urban stronghold
- fortressHeavily defended military structure
- strongholdFortified place of defense
- rampartFortified defensive wall
bastion · redoubt · parapet · battlements · entrenchment · blast walls · air-raid shelter · palisade
Protective barriers for defense
- armorProtective combat covering
- obstaclesThings in the way
- buffer zonesSeparating areas preventing contact
- firewallNetwork access control system
barricades · fencing · blast doors · tank traps · razor wire · bollards · checkpoints · access control
Concealment through visual blending
- stealthSecret, undetected movement
- disguiseIdentity-concealing alteration
- coverProtect by overlaying
- screeningEvaluative selection process
masking · invisibility · decoys · deception · smoke screens · netting · blending · dispersal
Convincing someone not to
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- mutual assured destructionReciprocal annihilation prevents war
- MADMutual annihilation doctrine
- credibilityQuality inspiring trust
nuclear umbrella · counterforce · brinkmanship · non-proliferation · containment · tripwire
hardening
Becoming less soft
- survivabilityCapacity to endure
- redundancyNeedless duplication
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
absorption · mitigation · buffering · robustness · dispersal · backup systems · damage limitation · continuity · regeneration · restoration
bunker
Reinforced subterranean stronghold
- citadelFortified urban stronghold
- fortressHeavily defended military structure
- strongholdFortified place of defense
rampart · bastion · redoubt · parapet · battlements · entrenchment · blast walls · air-raid shelter · palisade · stockade
shields
Protective barriers for defense
- armorProtective combat covering
- obstaclesThings in the way
- buffer zonesSeparating areas preventing contact
firewall · barricades · fencing · blast doors · tank traps · razor wire · bollards · checkpoints · access control
camouflage
Concealment through visual blending
screening · masking · invisibility · decoys · deception · smoke screens · netting · blending · dispersal · blackout
dissuasion
Convincing someone not to
- retaliationPunitive response to injury
- mutual assured destructionReciprocal annihilation prevents war
- MADMutual annihilation doctrine
credibility · nuclear umbrella · counterforce · brinkmanship · non-proliferation · containment · tripwire
passive defenseoffensive operations
Attacks to gain ground
preemptive strike · counterattack · preemption · first strike · counteroffensive
passive defenseoffense
Violation or umbrage
attack · aggression · assault · military aggression · invasion
passive, defense, pass, passivity, passively, passiveness, defend, defensive, defensively