United States Department of Defense
1
3.9
- proper noun
- Formal
:
Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos
- In 2006, the United States Department of Defense released a directive boosting military involvement in post-conflict reconstruction efforts.
Examples
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But that might just be what is happening with the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the subject of what President Obama hailed as "one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history" in his State of the Union speech last week.
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In June 2005, the United States Department of Defense announced that a unit of defense contractor Halliburton would build a new 1 billion US dollar detention facility and security perimeter around the GTMO base.
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In the wake of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the United States Department of Defense dispatched military units to participate in humanitarian efforts.
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The United States Department of Defense issued Directive 8570 in 2004 to mandate baseline certifications for all Information Assurance "IA" positions.
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In response to a growing security threat, the United States Department of Defense increased its funding for military research.
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The United States Department of Defense plays a crucial role in coordinating disaster relief efforts during crises.
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Annual reports from the United States Department of Defense outline the strategies for maintaining national security.
Synonyms
831
3.7
The part of the United States government that runs the military and protects the country
242
3.6
A large five-sided building in Arlington where US military leaders work
96
3.4
A part of the United States government that protects the country and manages the military
66
3.5
A United States government office that protects national security and manages the armed forces
51
5.2
A US government department that protects the country and runs the armed forces
The United States military leaders and officials who make defense decisions
Surface Forms
Morphology
united + state + department + of + Defense
The name is compositionally built from familiar parts: 'United States' (the nation) + 'Department' (an organizational unit) + 'of Defense' (responsible for defence/military matters), so a learner who knows those words can infer it is the U.S. government body that handles national defence. This government-organization naming pattern is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning directly derivable and immediately understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
United States Department of Defense came when the U.S. joined its main military services after World War II so they could work together. The words show its job: United means brought together, States refers to the country, Department is a government office, and Defense means 'to protect the country', so the name means the government office that protects the nation.