Sentence:  But for the United States and its SEATO allies to attempt to shore up a less tough , less combat-tested government army in monsoon-shrouded , road-shy , guerrilla-th ' - wisp terrain <WSD>is</WSD> a risk not savored by Pentagon planners . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)