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The US Department of Defense uses the term “warfighter” to describe all military personnel, regardless of nationality, gender, or branch. It promotes cohesion and emphasizes the interconnectedness of allies. The term may not catch on outside the military due to its martial implications.
The United States Department of Defense (DOD) uses the term “warfighter” to describe anyone who serves in the military under the American flag. This term is intended to be as neutral and all-encompassing as possible and is often used in statements that should apply to all service members and all services. Members of the public are less likely to describe people as war fighters, even though the term is slowly catching on, especially in the world of video games.
In addition to being used to describe American service members, this term can also be used to refer to allies and persons of other nationalities who support United States military operations. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of allies and people of different nationalities on the battlefield, emphasizing the idea that all military personnel are combatants, regardless of their country of origin and training.
This term is also gender and branch neutral, meaning it can be used to describe people in any branch of the military and applies to both male and female service members. The DOD also emphasizes the idea that “warfighter” is a service-neutral term used to describe individuals in the field along with veterans, individuals awaiting deployment, and service members in training. This further strengthens the idea of cohesion.
The term combatant is far less awkward than “service member,” which is one of the reasons it appeals to the DOD. It also creates quite a martial aura, emphasizing the idea that a warrior is trained in combat and prepared to support other fighters along with the combat mission. It also promotes unit cohesion, giving the men and women of a unit a collective identity; unit cohesion is critical to cooperation, especially when people from multiple services or nations are involved.
It is questionable whether this term will catch on outside the DOD and the military. When used often enough and reinforced with examples of proper usage, the term can become more prevalent among the general public. However, the implications of being a “war fighter” could prevent it from spreading, as many members of the public would like to see the military’s focus shift to humanitarian operations and other more peaceful activities.
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