English for military purposes: useful phrases

August 11th, 2006
by Cleve

Via this month’s Harper’s magazine (print only), some examples from the online English language learning phrasebook “Military English Learning” from the website of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Daily:

The principles of war can never be changed.
A powerful navy must have smaller ships.
Special Forces can penetrate into an enemy’s rear to gather information.
This places the enemy on the horns of a dilemma.

“Look, there is so much ammunition.”
“Oh, so many weapons. Great!”

“These are tanks, aren’t they?”
“Yes. But this one is an armored vehicle.”

Mass-destruction weapons bring more difficulties to the first aid.

Counterterrorism is a topical subject.
Every country should fight terrorists.
Do you know the most terrorist event?
It was the September 11 attack in New York.
Thousands of people died unnatural deaths.
The World Trade Center can never be mended.
Bin Laden immediately became the most famous person of the world.
Has he been dead or still alive?
No one knows, I’m afraid, except himself.

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