Noun

enemy combatant

1. Any person in an armed conflict who could be properly detained under the laws and customs of war. Also called EC. (JP 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms).

Usage notes

The term ‘enemy combatant’ has historically referred to any member of the armed forces of a state with which another state is at war. In the present 'war on terrorism', however, the enemy combatants come from many nations, wear no uniforms, and some use unconventional weapons. Enemy combatants in the current conflict are not defined by simple, readily apparent criteria such as citizenship or military uniform, and the power to name a citizen as an 'enemy combatant' is therefore extraordinarily broad.