The Meanings of 'Attritable' and 'Expendable'.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Editor's Notes

* Think of a typical family car or SUV and put an average price on it. How about a nice round number for the purposes of this article--$25,000.

A typical American family doesn't have that kind of cash sitting around. Most have to finance the purchase.

Then there are those Americans who can tool around in high-end sports cars--the kind you see pulling up to casinos in James Bond movies. The absolute lowest priced Lamborghini currently available runs about $211,000, according to Motor-Trend.

Spending that much on such a vehicle for the average American taxpayer is the stuff of fantasies.

Compare that to the price of a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The last time the government published an average price for the U.S. military's workhorse non-combat vehicle was 2015. It totaled $365,000 back then, and it would be higher now adjusting for inflation.

The public's perception of the cost of military platforms may be increasingly relevant as the Pentagon continues on the path of swapping out manned for unmanned aircraft, ships, submarines and ground vehicles.

Military leaders and thinkers have been tossing the terms "low cost" and "attritable" around to describe some of the platforms, as new warfighting concepts take hold such as swarming drones, loyal wingman and manned-unmanned teaming.

The Mosaic Warfare concept in air warfare, for example, calls for multiple robotic jet fighters to accompany a piloted jet that serves as a quarterback. The robo-jets are stripped down aircraft that might serve only one function such as sensing or shooting, or even be a decoy meant to be targeted.

They would present multiple dilemmas for the enemy, who would have five targets to defeat instead of one. Those four other jets are often described in PowerPoints presentations as "attritable," but what exactly does this word mean?

What does "low cost" mean to a public that has to make monthly payments on a $25,000 car?

The first immediately observable thing about "attritable" is as one types it, Microsoft Word's spellcheck gives it a red underline, meaning it doesn't even recognize it. Going to Google, a search reveals few references to the word outside of these war-fighting concepts.

This pegs "attritable" as pure military jargon.

Participants at defense conferences who see the word used in presentations no doubt understand it, but do members of Congress and the general public?

The root word, "attrition." Sure. Easily understood.

As an adjective, "attrit-able" is...