counterforce
Strike their weapons
Counterforce refers to military strategy or weapons aimed at an enemy's military capabilities rather than civilian populations.
A counterforce strike targets missile silos, military bases, and command centers: The Pentagon developed counterforce doctrine during the Cold War.
The term contrasts with countervalue, which targets cities and economic infrastructure.
More broadly, counterforce can mean any opposing power or influence: Democracy serves as a counterforce to authoritarianism.
Prevention via threatened consequences
- strategicDeliberately planned for advantage
- tacticalStrategically planned
- nuclearOf atomic energy
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
strike · missile · warhead · targeting · preemptive · doctrine · arsenal · deployment
Capacity to withstand force
- dissentDisagreement with authority
- protestPublic expression of disapproval
- challengeTest of ability
- pushbackResistance to something proposed
defiance · activism · lobbying · boycott · civil disobedience · obstruction · noncompliance · rebellion
Response to stimulus
- momentumProduct of mass, velocity
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
- dynamicsStudy of forces
- impulseSudden urge to act
collision · impact · pressure · tension · compression · torque · equilibrium · resultant
State of balance
- equipoiseEqual distribution of weight
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- offsetCompensate by opposing force
- compensationPayment for services rendered
neutralization · counterweight · counterpoise · check · stabilization · equalization · homeostasis · correction
Retaliatory military action
- reprisalPunitive action in return
- counterblowRetaliatory strike
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
- backlashStrong negative reaction
reciprocity · tit-for-tat · retribution · counteroffensive · response · counterpunch · recompense · requital
deterrence
Prevention via threatened consequences
precision · strike · missile · warhead · targeting · preemptive · doctrine · arsenal · deployment · offensive
resistance
Capacity to withstand force
pushback · defiance · activism · lobbying · boycott · civil disobedience · obstruction · noncompliance · rebellion · grassroots
reaction
Response to stimulus
impulse · collision · impact · pressure · tension · compression · torque · equilibrium · resultant · mechanical advantage
equilibrium
State of balance
- equipoiseEqual distribution of weight
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- offsetCompensate by opposing force
compensation · neutralization · counterweight · counterpoise · check · stabilization · equalization · homeostasis · correction · adjustment
counterstrike
Retaliatory military action
- reprisalPunitive action in return
- counterblowRetaliatory strike
- paybackRetaliation for wrongs
backlash · reciprocity · tit-for-tat · retribution · counteroffensive · response · counterpunch · recompense · requital
- counteractionscountermove, counterblow, counterstrike, counterpunch, retaliation
- forcesgravity, electromagnetism, thrust, drag, friction
- countercountertop, counterpart, counteroffer, counterclaim, counterpoint
- nuclear waratomic bomb, nuclear holocaust, nuclear arsenal, hydrogen bomb, ICBM
- opposing forcespush, pull, tug, thrust, repulsion
- oppositionopponent, adversary, rival, foe, enemy
counterforcemutual assured destruction
Reciprocal annihilation prevents war