Ballistic Missile Defense Organization

7.1

A part of the U.S. Department of Defense that develops and coordinates systems to stop long-range missiles

proper noun

Formal

: Organización de Defensa de Misiles Balísticos

The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization was established to oversee national efforts in missile defense technology.

Examples

Congress approved additional funding for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in the 1990s.
Many scientific breakthroughs came from research sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization was established to protect the U.S. from missile threats.
Can the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization effectively counter new missile technologies?
Congress approved additional funding for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in the 1990s.
Many scientific breakthroughs came from research sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization was established to protect the U.S. from missile threats.

Surface Forms

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization main

Morphology

ballistic + missile + Defense + organization

The phrase is fully compositional: 'ballistic' modifies 'missile' to specify a type of weapon, 'defense' signals protection against them, and 'organization' denotes an agency. A B1 learner who knows these constituent meanings can readily infer it refers to an agency responsible for defending against ballistic missiles, a structure common across languages.

Etymology

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization comes from a plain job description: ballistic missiles are rockets that fly in a long curved path, and a defense organization is a group set up to protect against them. So the name was used for the government agency 'to make and manage systems' that protect the country from those missiles.