Exam 2 Flashcards
(96 cards)
infantry
foot soldiers who use assault rifles and other light weapons
counterinsurgency
an effort to combat guerrilla armies, often including programs to win the rural populations so that they stop sheltering guerrillas
landmines
concealed explosive devices often left behind by irregular armies that kill civilians after wars end
power projection
the ability to use military force in areas far from a country’s region or sphere of influence
electronic warfare
use of the electromagnetic spectrum (radar, infrared) in war
stealth technology
the use of special radar-absorbent materials and unusual shapes to scatter enemy radar
state-sponsored terrorism
the use of terrorist groups by states to achieve political aims
Weapons of mass destruction
nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, all distinguished from conventional weapons by their enormous potential lethality and their relative lack of discrimination in whom they kill
fissionable material
the elements uranium-235 and plutonium, whose atoms split apart and release energy via a chain reaction when an atomic bomb explodes
ballistic missiles
the major strategic delivery vehicle for nuclear weapons; it carries a warhead along a trajectory and lets it drop on the target
intercontinental ballistic missiles
the longest range ballistic missiles, can travel 5,000 miles
cruise missile
a small winged missile that can navigate across thousands of miles of previously mapped terrain to reach a particular target, it can carry a nuclear or conventional warhead
missile technology control regime
a set of agreements through which industrialized states try to limit the flow of missile-relevant technology to third world states
chemical weapons convention
1992 agreement that bans the production and possession of chemical weapons and includes strict sanctions against violators and non-participants
biological weapons convention
a 1972 agreement that prohibits the development, production, and possession of biological weapons but makes no provision for inspections
proliferation
the spread of weapons of mass destruction into the hands of more actors
NPT
1968 treaty that created a framework for controlling the spread of nuclear materials and expertise; created international atomic energy agency (UN) that is charged with inspecting the nuclear power industry in NPT member states to prevent secret military diversion s of nuclear powers
mutually assured destruction
the possession of second-strike nuclear capabilities, which ensures that neither of two adversaries could prevent the other from destroying it in an all-out war
strategic defense initiative
(SDI or Star Wars) a US effort to develop defenses that could shoot down incoming ballistic missiles
Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty
1972 treaty that prohibited the US and USSR from using a ballistic missile defense shield, which would have undermined mutually assured destruction and deterrence
comprehensive test ban treaty
CTBT: a 1996 treaty that bans all nuclear weapons testing
civil-military relations
the relations between a state’s civilian leaders and military leaders; usually military takes orders from civilian leaders but in poor countries can be military governments
military governments
states in which military forces control the government; they are the most common in third world countries where the military may be the only large modern institution
international norms
the expectations held by participants about normal relations among states (expected behaviors)