Dictionary definition of “boots on the ground”

boots on the ground

n.pl. personnel deployed under military command. Subjects: English, United States, Military, Jargon

Editorial Note: Boot dates to before World War II as indicating a military recruit or a green enlisted man.

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Citations: 1980 John K. Coole Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Mass.) (Apr. 11) “US rapid strike force: How to get there first with the most” p. 7: Many American strategists now argue that even light, token US land forces—“getting US combat boots on the ground,” as General Warner puts it—would signal to an enemy that the US is physically guarding the area and can only be dislodged at the risk of war. 1996 Dennis J. Reimer @ Washington, D.C. (Congressional Testimony) (Mar. 13) “FY 97 Defense Authorization”: Our cooperation with “boots on the ground” helps assure their future military and political cooperation while increasing United States influence worldwide. 2004 Judith Scherr Berkeley Daily Planet (California) (Nov. 30) “Berkeley Author Investigates Iraq War Profiteers”: “In the first Gulf War one in 100 ‘boots on the ground,’ as they call it, was a private contractor.” When the U.S. invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003, one in 10 was a private contractor. “Today, as we speak and the U.S. is launching a war in Falluja, one in four ‘boots on the ground’ is a private contractor.”

Posted 3 Dec 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend