Military security implies the capability of a

nation-state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may inc ...

to defend itself, and/or deter

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 ...

aggression. Alternatively, military security implies the capability of a nation-state to enforce its policy choices by use of military force. The term "military security" is considered synonymous with "

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

" in much of its usage. One of the definitions of security given in the ''Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms'', may be considered a definition of "military security":"Security." ''in'' "Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms", 2001 (As amended through 31 July 2010) op.cited. Pg 477. Accessed 26 September 2010. This is traditionally, the earliest recognised form of

national security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

. The scope of military security has expanded from conventional forms of conflict between

s to

fourth-generation warfare Fourth-generation warfare (4GW) is conflict characterized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, combatants and civilians. The term was first used in 1980 by a team of United States analysts, including William S. Lind, to describe ...

between a state and non-state actors.

References

National security Political terminology {{politics-stub