Operational Terminology

Term	Definition
Advance	Offensive operation designed to gain or re-establish with the enemy
Assault	Climax of an attack
Attack	Employment of firepower and manoeuvre to close and destroy or capture enemy
Block	Deny enemy access to a given area or to prevent advance in a given area
Breach	Create a lane through a minefield or clear a route through a barrier or fortification
Bypass	Manoeuvre around an obstacle, position or enemy force
Capture	To gain position or terrain
Clear	To clear terrain of enemy direct fire and keep clear until handed over to another unit/formation
Coerce	To persuade or restrain by force or the threat of force
Contain	Stop, hold or surround enemy forces
Counter	Attack Attack by part or all of a defending force regaining ground lost or cutting off or destroying enemy advance units
Deceive	Mislead the enemy by manipulation, distortion or falsification
Defeat	To diminish the effectiveness of the enemy
Defend	To defeat or deter a threat to provide circumstances for an offensive action
Degrade	Reduce by an appreciable amount
Delay	Operation in which a force under pressure trades space for time
Deliver	To set free
Demonstrate	Attack or show force on a front where a decision is not sought
Deny	To prevent access through direct or indirect action
Deploy	Move forces within areas of operation
Destabilise	Render unstable
Destroy	To kill or so damage an enemy force that it is rendered useless
Detain	Capture and hold a person temporarily including the right to search
Deter	Dissuade through action or the threat of action
Develop	To advance capability and competence
Disengage	Break of engagement in preparation for eventual withdrawal
Dislocate	To deny the ability to deny strength
Disrupt	To interrupt and cause disorder to an organisation and tempo
Empower	Promote confidence or authority in
Enable	Provide the means or authority to make possible
Envelop	Pass around or over the enemy’s principle defensive positions
Escort	Accompany and protect
Exploit	Take full advantage of success in battle and follow up initial gain
Extract	Recover reconnaissance, stay-behind or encircled forces
Feint	Distract the enemy through seeking contact but avoiding decisive engagement by the bulk of own forces
Find	Find, locate and identify assets
Fix	To deny the enemy his goals, to distract him and thus deprive him of freedom of action
Guard	To protect a force by fighting to gain time, while also observing and reporting information
Hand-Over	Pass responsibility for the conduct of combat
Harass	Fire designed to disturb the rest of enemy troops, to curtail movements and, by threat of losses lower morale
Hold	To maintain or retain possession of force, of a position or area
Identify	Determine by any act or means the friendly or hostile nature of a detected person, object or phenomenon
Infiltrate	Move as individuals or small groups over, through or around enemy positions without detection
Influence	To persuade – usually covertly
Inform	Tell
Intercept	Search for and listen to and/or record communications and/or electronic transmission
Interdict	Divert, disrupt, delay or destroy the enemy’s military potential before it can be used effectively against friendly forces
Isolate	To seal off and deny freedom of movement and/or isolation
Liaise	Maintain contact or intercommunications between elements of military forces
Link-up	Establishment of contact between 2 or more friendly units or formations
Maintain	Take supply and repair action to keep a force in condition to carry out a mission
Manipulate	Manage to advantage (person or situation)
Manoeuvre	Employ forces on the battlefield (using) movement in combination with fire or fire potential to achieve a position of advantage in respect to the enemy
Mask	Fire to obscure enemy observation
Mentor	Develop capacity through example and/or advice through planning and preparation, execution and lessons captured/AAR phases
Neutralise	To render ineffective or unusable
Occupy	Move into and proper organisation of an area to be used as a battle position
Organise	Give orderly structure to
Overthrow	Remove forcibly from power
Passage of lines	Move forward or rearward through another force’s combat positions
Permit	Give permission or consent
Persuade	Convince
Prevent	Monitor/ID causes of conflict and act to prevent occurrence, escalation or resumption of hostiles
Protect	Keep safe
Pursue	Catch or cut off a hostile force attempting to escape, with the aim of destroying it
Reassure	Restore confidence of dispel fear
Reconstitute	Expand the force structures and the infra-structure beyond existing levels
Reduce	Make smaller/less
Rehabilitate	Process during which units recondition equipment and are rested, furnished special facilities, filled up with replacements issued replacements supplies and equipment, given training
Reinforce	Supplement in place forces
Relieve	Replace all or part of a unit in an area
Re-supply	Maintain required levels of supply
Retire	To move away from the enemy when out of contact
Screen	Observe, identify and report
Secure	To gain possession of by direct or indirect means and to seek to retain
Seize	To gain possession of through direct or indirect action
Stabilise	Make stable
Strike	Inflict damage on, seize or destroy an objective
Support	Encourage and help
Suppress	Fire to inhibit the enemy’s ability to acquire and attack friendly targets
Sustain	Maintain the necessary levels of combat power
Target	To make the object of an operation
Undermine	Weaken covertly
Withdraw	Disengage from the enemy when in contact with the enemy