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shock and awe

shock and awe


noun 
Definition:
 
quick paralyzing assault: a very rapid, selective strike against an enemy's military command-and-control networks, political hierarchy, and economic assets, designed to paralyze the nation's counteroffensive options and to render the decision-making structure psychologically inoperative

[Late 20th century. Possibly from a 1996 National Defense University study titled "Shock and Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance" by Harlan K. Ullman, James P. Wade, et al.]
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