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Loss-Exchange Ratio (LER) is a military term that calculates the comparative casualties suffered by each combatant
Combatant

A combatant is someone who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict. If a combatant follows the law of war, then they are considered a privileged combatant, and upon capture they qualify as a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention ....
 from a battle, engagement or extended conflict. For example, at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
 (1863) during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, the Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 forces suffered approximately 23,000 casualties against 22,000 for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 — a loss-exchange ratio of roughly 1:1. By way of contrast, at the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman

At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the United Kingdom General Sir Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad....
 (1898), the British/Egyptian lost around 482 men, while the Mahdist Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
ese lost about 27,700 — a LER of 57:1.
concept of LER has become less important in modern military doctrine as it is now considered much more important to disrupt enemy forces and outmaneuver them, thereby reducing their combat effectiveness without necessarily inflicting massive casualties.






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Loss-Exchange Ratio (LER) is a military term that calculates the comparative casualties suffered by each combatant
Combatant

A combatant is someone who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict. If a combatant follows the law of war, then they are considered a privileged combatant, and upon capture they qualify as a prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention ....
 from a battle, engagement or extended conflict. For example, at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is frequently cited as the war's Turning point of the American Civil War....
 (1863) during the American Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
, the Union
Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the Federal government of the United States of the United States, which was supported by the twenty-three states which were not part of the secession attempt by the 11 states that formed the Confederate States of America....
 forces suffered approximately 23,000 casualties against 22,000 for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America formed as the government set up from 1861 to 1865 by eleven Southern United States U.S. state of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S....
 — a loss-exchange ratio of roughly 1:1. By way of contrast, at the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman

At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the United Kingdom General Sir Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad....
 (1898), the British/Egyptian lost around 482 men, while the Mahdist Sudan
Sudan

Sudan is a country in northeastern Africa. It is the largest in the African continent and the Arab World, and List of countries and outlying territories by total area by area....
ese lost about 27,700 — a LER of 57:1.

Contemporary use

The concept of LER has become less important in modern military doctrine as it is now considered much more important to disrupt enemy forces and outmaneuver them, thereby reducing their combat effectiveness without necessarily inflicting massive casualties. However, it has played a significant role in past wars, especially those that have devolved into stalemate
Stalemate

Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. One of the rules of chess is that stalemate ends the game, with the result a draw ....
 and become wars of attrition
Attrition

Attrition may refer to:*Physical wear*Loss of personnel by retirement*Attrition , the loss of participants during an experiment*Attrition , the loss of tooth structure by mechanical forces from opposing teeth...
. For example, the German objective at the Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun

The Battle of Verdun was one of the most critical List of World War I Battles in World War I on the Western Front . It was fought between the German Army and France armies, from 21 February to 15 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun in northeastern France....
 (1916) during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 was not the seizure of any strategic objective, but rather to inflict an LER of 2:1 on the French forces and thereby cripple the French army.

In asymmetrical warfare

LER has also been highly relevant in asymmetrical conflicts — for example, in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina Wars, the Vietnam Conflict, or often in Vietnam the American War occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to April 30, 1975....
, where despite overwhelming technological superiority, the French and then the Americans were unable to defeat the North Vietnamese forces. Vo Nguyen Giap
Vo Nguyen Giap

General V? Nguy?n Gi?p is a retired Vietnamese career officer in the Vietnam People's Army and a politician. Principal wars: First Indochina War and Vietnam War ....
, the leader of the Viet Minh
Viet Minh

The Vi?t Minh was a national liberation movement which dated its foundation to May 19 1941 in South China. The Vi?t Minh initially formed to seek independence for Vietnam from France and later to oppose the Vietnam during World War II....
, told his French opposite number that "you can kill ten of my men for every one I kill of yours, and at that rate, I will still triumph." In fact, the LER was approximately 3:1 in favor of the French, and they did indeed withdraw in defeat.