[bertjk]

I understand deterrence. I am commenting on the doublespeak. "Holding a target at risk" here exactly means wielding a credible way to destroy said target.

I would argue that replacing the phrase:

> ...weapon designed to hold high-value targets at risk in contested environments from standoff distances

with:

> ...weapon designed to destroy high-value targets in contested environments from standoff distances

leaves the meaning of the quote and overall press release completely unchanged.