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Holding targets at risk is fundamentally different from destroying targets. Hypersonic anti-ship weapons allow China to hold US carriers off the coast of Taiwa
by boc 4y ago
Holding targets at risk is fundamentally different from destroying targets.
Hypersonic anti-ship weapons allow China to hold US carriers off the coast of Taiwan "at risk", but it doesn't mean they have to destroy them to be effective.
I know you're trying to dunk on this press release, but it's actually a specific phrase that has real meaning in the defense world.
- PradeetPatel 4y agoExactly. Words, when used precisely, can carry be used to infer a significant amount of intentions behind the text. In this case, holding targets at risk implies a strategy of deterrence, a desire for peace and the de-escalatition of conflicts, as opposed to initiating the first strike with the intention of destruction.
- bertjk 4y agoI understand deterrence. I am commenting on the doublespeak. "Holding a target at risk" here exactly means wielding a credible way to destroy said target. I would argue that replacing the phrase: > ...weapon designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances with: > ...weapon designed to destroy high-value targets in contested environments from standoff distances leaves the meaning of the quote and overall press release completely unchanged.