Ashow of force is amilitary operation intended to warn (such as awarning shot) or to intimidate an opponent by showcasing a capability or will to act if one is provoked. Shows of force may also be executed by police forces and other armed, non-military groups.

Shows of force have historically been undertaken mostly by a military actor unwilling to engage in all-out hostilities, but fearing to 'lose face' (to appear weak). By performing a carefully calculated provocation, the opponent is to be shown that violent confrontation remains an option, and there will be no backing off on the principle that the show of force is to defend.^[1]

Shows of force may be actual military operations, but in times of official peace, they may also be limited tomilitary exercises.^[2]

Shows of force also work on a smaller scale: military forces on a tactical level using mock attacks to deter potential opponents, especially when a real attack on suspected (but unconfirmed) enemies might harm civilians. As an example, most air "attacks" duringOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom have been simple shows of force with jet aircraft droppingflares only while making loud, low-level passes. A 2009 12-month report for Afghanistan noted 18,019 strike sorties by US military aircraft, with weapons use for only 3,330 of the missions.^[3]

• Operation Paul Bunyan, carried out on August 21, 1976 by American and UNC troops into theKorean Demilitarized Zone in reaction to the unprovoked killing of twoUnited States Army officers byKorean People's Army soldiers in theKorean axe murder incident.
• Operation Poomalai, on 4 June 1987, theIndian Air Force mounted a mercy mission to airdrop humanitarian relief supplies over the besieged town ofJaffna inSri Lanka during theSri Lankan Civil War. The mission was undertaken as a symbolic act of support for theTamil Tigers two days after a previous unarmed effort which was mounted in the form of a small naval flotilla and was thwarted by theSri Lankan Navy.
• Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, was the effect of a series of missile tests conducted by thePeople's Republic of China in the waters surroundingTaiwan including theTaiwan Strait from 21 July 1995 to 23 March 1996. The first set of missiles fired in mid to late 1995 were allegedly intended to send a strong signal to theRepublic of China government underLee Teng-hui, who had been seen as moving ROC foreign policy away from theOne-China policy. The second set of missiles were fired in early 1996, allegedly intending to intimidate the Taiwanese electorate in the run-up to the1996 presidential election.
• Operation Restore Democracy inGambia to remove the former presidentYahya Jammeh. Nigerian jets flew overBanjul andECOWAS forces surrounded Gambia's borders to deter resistance from the smaller Gambian army.

• Demoralization (warfare)
• Deterrence theory
• Gunboat diplomacy
• Peace through strength
• Shock and awe

• Military tactics
• Power (international relations)

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