lily pad
n.— «Mr. Secretary, can you tell us, do you envision the force of Marines as the vanguard in the battle against terrorism in Afghanistan? Do you see them being used to seek out and destroy al Qaeda networks, or are they setting up a lily pad of sorts, for other units that will follow on?» —“DoD news briefing” M2 Presswire Nov. 27, 2001. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)