Expeditionary Forces

Expeditionary Forces

 

part of the armed forces of one country or of a coalition of states transferred to the territory of another country in order to conduct combat operations. The composition of the expeditionary forces depends on the scale and objectives of the operation, the importance of the theater of operations, and the anticipated strength of the resistance. Expeditionary forces are most often used by imperialist states for the conduct of operations during colonial wars and for military intervention—for example, the suppression by the European powers of the I Ho T’uan Uprising (Boxer Rebellion) of 1899–1901 in China and the USA’s aggression against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1950–53 and in Vietnam since 1964.