Picket (military)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In military terminology, a picket (archaically, picquet) refers to soldiers or troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit (for example, an aircraft or ship) performing a similar function. First recorded usage of the term was in 1761.
In modern military terms it refers to a soldier or small group of soldiers maintaining a watch for the enemy.[1]
A staggered picquet consists of for example two soldiers where one soldier is relieved at a time. This is so that on any given picquet one soldier is fresh, having just started the picquet, while the other is ready to be relieved. Although each soldier is required to maintain watch for the full duration of a shift, halfway through each shift a new soldier is put on watch. Staggered picquets are subsequently more difficult to plan than standard picquets.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Compact Oxford English DictionaryPicket, noun
 |
This military article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
