main-force

[ meyn-fawrs, -fohrs ]

adjective

1. pertaining to regular military units with standard uniforms and equipment.

Example Sentences

If a war with Russia were to break out, much of the fighting would likely occur along this line, with main-force units from both sides engaged in head-on, high-intensity combat.

From Salon

Fifty years ago this winter, main-force United States Army units entered Vietnam.

From New York Times

There is no evidence that main-force Vietnamese units are still deployed in the country, but hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese, perhaps more than a million, are now there as traders, artisans, fishermen.

From Time Magazine Archive

Thanks to an infiltration rate still running at an all-time high of 1,000 men a month from the north, the Communists have actually managed to increase their strength, now have in South Viet Nam an estimated 65,000 main-force and regional troops, 80,000 to 100,000 guerrillas, and perhaps 40,000 fellow travelers in logistical and political cadres.

From Time Magazine Archive

The heaviest main-force fighting took place in the provinces of Thua Thien and Binh Dinh, several hundred miles northeast of Saigon, where government troops tried to block Communist efforts to push into rice-rich coastal regions.

From Time Magazine Archive