Military terminology Military terminology refers to the terms and language of military organizations and personnel as belonging to a discrete category , as distinguishable by their usage in military doctrine , as they serve to depoliticise , dehumanise , or otherwise abstract discussion about its operations from an actual description thereof . Common understanding . The operational pressure for uniform understanding has developed since the early 20th century with the importance of joint operations between different services ( army , navy , air force ) of the same country . International alliances and operations , including peacekeeping , have added additional complexity . For example , the NATO alliance now maintains a large dictionary of common terms for use by member countries . Development work is also taking place between NATO and Russia on common terminology for extended air defence , in English , French and Russian . Criticism . Some claim military terms serve to depoliticise , dehumanize , or otherwise abstract discussion about operations from an actual description thereof . Similar to " legal terminology " and related to " political terminology " , military terms are known for an oblique tendency to incorporate technical language . In many cases it reflects a need to be precise . It can also reflect a perceived need for operational security , giving away no more information than needed . It can also serve to disguise or distort meaning as with doublespeak . " Kinetic activity " as a buzzword for combat , in use since the inception of the War on Terror , has been criticized as a don ’ t - ask - don ’ t - tell policy for murder . Feminist Criticism . Contemporary feminist analysis of military terminology examines the use of highly gendered and sexualized language within militaristic institutions . Primary feminist critiques of such discourse focus on the masculinisation of military capability , the competitive nature of developing and acquiring superior arms - technology , and the use of sexual and phallic imagery when discussing nuclear weaponry . In Carol Cohn ’ s study of the language used by nuclear defense intellectuals , she investigates how and why sexual euphemisms are used so habitually . In her article , “ Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defense Intellectuals , ” Cohn describes how nuclear defense lectures and discussions were abundant with talk of “ vertical erector launchers , thrust - to - weight ratios , soft lay downs , deep penetration ” and phrases like “ more bang for your buck . ” She explains that while this language emphasizes a correlation between sexual dominance and militaristic power , it also works to make light of and distance oneself from the realities of war and destruction . As well , Cohn explains that while nuclear defense discourse implies that military capability is linked to a sense of masculinity , it also depicts lack of weaponry as feminine or ‘ virgin ’ and thus , further excludes femininity from the realm of militarism . In 2008 , Claire Duncanson and Catherine Eschle published the study , “ Gender and the Nuclear Weapons State : A Feminist Critique of the UK Government ’ s White Paper on Trident , ” which substantiates Cohn ’ s groundbreaking findings . Duncanson and Eschle describe the portrayals of gender within security discourse ; most notably , the ways in which masculinised language is used to devalue any affiliations with feminine qualities or characteristics . Coded military terminology not only disassociates the speaker from the realities of war , but even more so from the emotional responses attached to death and destruction : emotional responses which are often deemed feminine . Duncanson and Eschle explain that as defense discussions exclude femininity , the mode for security becomes guaranteed through technology and weapons , rather than through a basis of relationships . This is problematic for the future of disarmament ventures or the possibility of an international community that does not rely on deterrence as the primary system of security .