The Problem of Common Terminology

Abstract

The use of precisely defined terms is critical in any profession. It is no less important in the military, and the U.S. Armed Forces are no exception. It is not a question of semantics, as some would say, because the terms should be used and understood properly. This does not mean that terms or their meanings should be defined dogmatically; there is always a need to create new terms or modify existing ones. However, great care should be shown in changing meanings. For example, not everything in military theory and practice is obsolete in the information age. Most terms used over many decades and even centuries are still valid. Some need to be modified because of changing practices, but that does not mean drastically altering the meanings of existing and well-defined terms. In some cases, the original meaning of the term is retained side by side with the new meaning.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA522776

Entities

People

  • Milan N. Vego

Organizations

  • National Defense University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Center Of Gravity
  • Combat Forces
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Deployment
  • Employment
  • Information Operations
  • Information Warfare
  • Military Operations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Network Centric Warfare
  • Security
  • Situational Awareness
  • Training
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Computational Linguistics
  • Systems Analysis and Design