【5月27日】看軍聞學英語

■刀客

原文:

Top Pentagon officials applauded President Donald Trump's call to 'shoot down and destroy' harassing Iranian gunboats but said decisions to open fire would still be left to the judgment calls of ship commanders.

'I would have to be the captain of the ship in order to make that determination' on whether to respond with lethal force, said Air Force Gen. John Hyten, vice commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 'It depends on the situation and what the captain sees.'

At a Pentagon briefing, both Gen. Hyten and Deputy Secretary of Defense David Norquist indicated that they viewed Trump's tough talk as an enhanced warning to Iran to avoid encounters with Navy ships that could quickly escalate into open conflict.

中譯:

川普總統下令「擊沉並摧毀」具騷擾行徑的伊朗砲艇,美國國防部高級官員對此舉表示讚賞。惟聲明開火的決定,仍會留給艦艇指揮官判斷。

參謀首長聯席會議副主席空軍上將海頓表示:「如果我是該艦長的話,就會依是否要以致命武力應處來做出決定,這端視情勢及艦長所見情況而定」。

在國防部的簡報中,海頓上將及副部長諾奎斯特均指出,他們視川普強悍的談話為對伊朗的加強警告,目的是要讓伊朗避免與美國海軍艦艇遭遇,因為此舉可能會急遽升級為公開衝突。

-關鍵軍語-

※lethal force:

Deadly force, use of force that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death to another person.

※encounter:

A military engagement which happens by chance.

例句:

Iran acknowledges Islamic Revolutionary Guard has encountered with US military during Persian Gulf drill.

伊朗承認伊斯蘭革命衛隊在美軍於波斯灣演訓期間,曾與之遭遇。