Today, the advent of "real time" war coverage – in which the world can watch the conflict unfold – is with us to stay. Understanding that supportive public opinion is necessary to sustain a war (especially if it is not going well), presidents and generals have had to develop a unique lexicon that tends to make the horror of war seem palatable to the average spectator.

Media as an Ally
The ability to keep the public "on side" begins before the first shots are ever fired. As there has been no declaration of war with Iraq, the U.S. is simply "engaging in military operations to oust a cruel and repressive dictator." Who could argue with that? My Aunt Martha had an "operation" and everything turned out fine. As a former Congressional aide and speechwriter, I’m surprised that with all of the military and technological superiority the U.S. possesses, Operation Iraqi Freedom isn’t being described as a "minor procedure."

Familiar Terms from Wars Gone By
Wars have developed their own peculiar lexicon of terms designed to make the true horrors of war more palatable for public consumption. Between the Vietnam and Gulf Wars, the media made certain military and political euphemisms household terms.

• Carpet Bombing: Dropping an overwhelming number of bombs on a target area in the hopes that one might destroy the intended target
• Ordnance: Generally used to describe highly destructive munitions such as bombs dropped from aircraft or explosive artillery shells
• Battlefield Operations: Military maneuvers leading to direct combat
• Domino Effect: Causing a regional regime to fall in the hopes that it leads others to fall or embrace democracy
• Liberation: Ridding the Iraqi people of Saddam Hussein (formerly used exclusively about driving out a foreign occupier such as the Nazis from France)
• Friendly Fire: Probably the most caustic of all euphemisms meaning being shot or killed by one’s own side
• SCUD: Medium range missile capable of traveling over 300 km and employing explosive; incendiary; chemical or biological payloads

Pre-War Spin
Much of the "spin" the White House and Pentagon have developed can be easily decoded:

• Coalition of the Willing: A small list of minor countries dependent on U.S. aid
• Coalition Troops: U.S. Military with some British Units in support
• Old Europe: Former allies who no longer agree with the U.S. according to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
• Pre-Emptive Strike: Justifying the use of force against a foreign government despite no overt act of war (oddly, this could be used to justify the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor)
• MOAB: U.S. term for "Mother of All Bombs"; Saddam’s term for what the U.S. forces would face in the first Gulf War, "Mother of All Battles" (both sides understand the power of spin and memorable phrases)
• Axis of Evil: Canadian-born White House speechwriter’s term for those countries President Bush felt were serious threats to U.S. national security, i.e. Iraq; Iran; and North Korea
• 1441: The latest of a litany of United Nations resolutions designed to contain Saddam’s ability to wage war. Arguably provided the Bush Administration with the technical, legal authority to use force to disarm Iraq (though it gives no explicit or implicit authority to force a regime change)
• Regime Change: Deposing an unfriendly regime (Sadaam Hussein's) in the hopes of installing a more friendly government to U.S. interests (possibly Amid Chabali of the exiled Iraqi National Conference)

There are more terms, but this will give most observers a working lexicon to understand most U.S.-led coalition press conferences.

Operational Codes
You don’t need a secret decoder ring to decipher military operational codes either:

• Psychological Operations (PSYOPS): Leaflets, radio broadcasts and loudspeaker announcements designed to make the enemy surrender
• Smart Bombs: Precision guided (laser or satellite guided) ordnance designed to hit its target without causing collateral damage
• Collateral Damage: What happens when smart bombs aren’t so smart – it kills people
• Displaced Persons, Refugees and Evacuees (DPREs): People who are dispossessed from their homes and livelihoods because of the horror and destruction of war
• Shock and Awe: The overwhelming use of bombs, tank, artillery and small arms fire designed to convince the enemy that engaging U.S. led forces would be futile (as if the U.S. forces are Star Trek’s Borg); also designed to persuade civilians and government leaders that resistance would be futile and needlessly wasteful of Iraqi lives and infrastructure
• Target of Opportunity: A military or government target that is unexpectedly located for bombing or use of other military force (can be "hard target" like a building or "soft target" like person, vehicle, SCUD launcher or other mobile target)
• Embedded Reporter: The latest U.S. military media control device that allows journalist to travel with military units limiting their ability to report the war from anything more than the limited range of their camera lens (in lieu of giving "meaningful" press briefings on the total conduct of the war as in the first Gulf War)

Michael O'Hurley-Pitts, Ph.D. is a military and international relations analyst as well as a former Airborne Ranger who was decorated for "exceptional heroism in combat."