A GLOSSARY OF MILITARY TERMS

In a bid to curb the spread of such content, we're running a feature on different terminologies that're moreand-more used in reports on the situation — a glossary of military terms, if you will.

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Asymmetric warfare — A conflict in which the sides are unequal in terms of military strength and capability.

This could involve a large military power’s army versus that of a smaller one, or when a conventional military force faces an insurgency that uses unconventional methods and equipment, such as terrorist attacks or improvised explosive devices, to exploit their more powerful opponent’s weaknesses.

Attritional warfare — A military strategy that aims to wear down an enemy force by systematically destroying its troops, weaponry and other equipment using firepower. It is often portrayed as the opposite of maneuver warfare.

Autonomous weapons - The definition of an autonomous weapon is highly contested. Many consider it to be any weapon capable of unleashing lethal force without direct human command.

This can range from thinking machines capable of deciding when and how to fight, to a missile that can select among several targets in a defined area after being fired. Countries have not agreed on when a weapon becomes fully autonomous.

Ballistic missile — A missile propelled by a rocket for only the first stage of their flight, before it descends unpowered towards its target.

Their trajectory has a characteristic arch shape that contrasts with the straight-line flight of a cruise missile. Ranges vary. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM), the class with the farthest reach, have a range of more than 5,500km, according to armscontrol treaties.

Biological weapons - These munitions involve the use of living organisms, or the toxins such organisms produce, to do harm. Examples include the weaponization of infectious pathogens, such as anthrax or smallpox.

Even small amounts can be very dangerous. For instance, models suggest a kilogram of anthrax, dropped on a city, could kill 100,000 people.