Kinetic military action is a

euphemism A euphemism () is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes ...

for

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

action involving active warfare, including lethal force. The phrase is used to contrast between conventional military force and "soft" force, including

diplomacy Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

, sanctions and

cyber warfare Cyberwarfare is the use of cyber attacks against an enemy state, causing comparable harm to actual warfare and/or disrupting vital computer systems. Some intended outcomes could be espionage, sabotage, propaganda, manipulation or economic wa ...

. United States Defense Secretary

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under Presi ...

used the words "kinetic" and "non-kinetic" often. "Kinetic military action" was used by White House aide Ben Rhodes on March 23, 2011 to describe U.S. military action in

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

: This use was noted by news media: "'Kinetic military action' is still hell" and "Kinetic Military Action No More". U.S.

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

used "kinetic operations" on a webpage about "

Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the International military intervention against IS, including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely-related campaign in Libya. Throu ...

". It contained an interactive graphic titled "AIRSTRIKES IN IRAQ AND SYRIA" and captioned "... operations related to

ISIL An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

since kinetic operations started on Aug. 8, 2014 ...". On February 11, 2015,

President Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

used "kinetic strike" in a letter to Congress. He wanted, among other things, Congress to "authorize the use of U.S. forces gainst_ISIL.html"_;"title="ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ISIL">ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ gainst_ISIL.html"_;"title="ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ISIL">ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ISILin_..._[ground">ISIL">gainst_ISIL.html"_;"title="ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ISIL">ISIL.html"_;"title="gainst_ISIL">gainst_ISILin_..._[groundmissions_to_enable_kinetic_strikes"._The_phrase_was_not_used_in_the_draft_resolution_proposed_to_Congress. On_December_2,_2015,_United_States_Secretary_of_State.html" ;"title="ISILin_..._[ground.html" ;"title="ISIL">gainst_ISIL.html" ;"title="ISIL.html" ;"title="gainst ISIL">gainst ISIL">ISIL.html" ;"title="gainst ISIL">gainst ISILin ... [ground">ISIL">gainst_ISIL.html" ;"title="ISIL.html" ;"title="gainst ISIL">gainst ISIL">ISIL.html" ;"title="gainst ISIL">gainst ISILin ... [groundmissions to enable kinetic strikes". The phrase was not used in the draft resolution proposed to Congress. On December 2, 2015, United States Secretary of State">Secretary of State John Kerry spoke after attending a series of NATO meetings in Brussels, “There are various ways in which countries can contribute; they don’t necessarily have to be troops, engaged in kinetic action. There are medical facilities, there are other assets that can be deployed, there is intelligence gathering.” Much earlier, "kinetic" had appeared as a retronymic euphemism for a military attack in ''Bush at War,'' a 2002 book by

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor. While a young reporter for ''The Washingto ...

References

{{Reflist, 2 Euphemisms Political communication

See also

References