boots on the ground
Noun
Meaning
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see boots, on, ground.
(by extension) Personnel operating in an area of interest.
(military, metonymically) The ground forces actually fighting in a war or conflict, rather than troops not engaged or other military action such as air strikes.
The Pentagon may say we have enough, but that's not what I'm hearing from the boots on the ground.
The military policy of using ground forces.
Synonyms
Related terms
Examples
There comes a time when what is needed is not just rhetoric, but boots on the ground.
In "Three Cups of Tea" I was fairly critical of the military. And I mentioned that they're laptop warriors and there's no boots on the ground. But I can say now that they've gone through a tremendous learning curve.
Our National Guard, as I think everybody knows, has provided about 40 percent of the boots on the ground in Iraq and in the conflict against Islamofascism. They went into that battle, being called up for their national security service, short of equipment.