{"id":70406,"date":"2013-08-21T09:34:07","date_gmt":"2013-08-21T08:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/insight\/the-importance-of-military-language\/"},"modified":"2013-08-21T09:34:07","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T08:34:07","slug":"the-importance-of-military-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/the-importance-of-military-language\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Enemies of Afghanistan’: The importance of military language"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018Enemies of Afghanistan\u2019 is the terminology now used by the US military in its announcements in Afghanistan, to describe assailants such as the Taliban[1]<\/a>. The phrase came into force on May 26, 2013, replacing the word \u2018insurgents\u2019, and highlighting the importance of language to military operations.
\nLike all dialects, military language is constantly changing. Slang words and phrases will, of course, develop by accident, but terms like \u2018Enemies of Afghanistan\u2019 are introduced to serve strategic purposes.
\nCol. Christopher Garver, a Military Spokesman in Kabul, explained that the new wording matches the announcements made by the Afghan authorities. Aligning the language used by US and Afghan forces is a means of building stronger relations between them, while showing this solidarity to the rest of the world.
\n\u2018Enemies of Afghanistan\u2019 also leaves little room for misunderstanding \u2013 it implies that members of the Taliban are \u2018traitors\u2019, according to Loren Thompson, a Military Analyst for the Lexington Institute. The term \u2018insurgents\u2019 is laden with ambiguity, and avoids placing outright blame on the aggressors, whereas \u2018Enemies\u2019 is considerably clearer, and represents a more hard-line stance, aimed at reflecting the animosity felt by Afghan civilians towards the Taliban.
\nThe manipulation of language by military establishments undoubtedly has an influence on how they are perceived both at home and in the countries where they fight. Military language can motivate, inspire, and drum up sympathy \u2013 just look back to the famous Lord Kitchener poster of the First World War.
\nIt can also be used to have a more direct impact on operations. In 2010, the Ministry of Defence embedded extra journalists in its units and briefed the local media in advance of Operation Moshtarak \u2013 at the time the largest joint operation in Afghanistan[2]<\/a>. The aim was to invite the Taliban to surrender, and to prepare the Afghan civilian population for the Operation. This simple strategy helped ensure the Operation\u2019s success, while securing positive publicity in the aftermath.
\nLike any organisation in the public eye, the military\u2019s communications are vital to its reputation, and the success of its operations. But as lives are at stake, getting the language right when it matters is even more important.<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n
\n
\n[1]<\/a> http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/world\/2013\/08\/12\/afghanistan-war-casualites\/2642471\/<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\n[2]<\/a> http:\/\/www.brandrepublic.com\/news\/984568\/ministry-defence-pr-offensive-operation-moshtarak\/<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018Enemies of Afghanistan\u2019 is the terminology now used by the US military in its announcements in Afghanistan, to describe assailants such as the Taliban[1]. The phrase came into force on May 26, 2013, replacing the word \u2018insurgents\u2019, and highlighting the importance of language to military operations. Like all dialects, military language is constantly changing. Slang […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[453],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archived-content-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n'Enemies of Afghanistan': The importance of military language - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.strattoncraig.com\/us\/insight\/the-importance-of-military-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'Enemies of Afghanistan': The importance of military language - Stratton Craig - Global Copywriting & Content Marketing Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Enemies of Afghanistan\u2019 is the terminology now used by the US military in its announcements in Afghanistan, to describe assailants such as the Taliban[1]. The phrase came into force on May 26, 2013, replacing the word \u2018insurgents\u2019, and highlighting the importance of language to military operations. Like all dialects, military language is constantly changing. 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