Military grade
"Military grade" (alternatively "military-grade" or "mil-spec") is a buzzword commonly used in marketing and advertising for consumer goods. It is generally used to describe an item or product that satisfies a United States Military Standard, usually MIL-STD-810 for stress testing; however, it is often used as a marketing ploy to describe a product that satisfies any military standard regardless of what it is, does not satisfy any military standards at all, or simply uses materials that are also used in military technology ranging from Kevlar to aluminum. In marketing, "military grade" is meant to symbolize and evoke higher-than-usual levels of toughness, durability, efficiency, and quality, as well as the implication that the product was tested and "approved" by some (non-existent) overseeing body or is regularly used and trusted by militaries—even if none of those are true. Products frequently marketed as "military grade" include phone cases, flashlights, electronics, eyewear, and clothing. Use of the term in marketing has been criticized by actual military personnel and veterans, who note that items that are indeed military grade—as in actually issued by militaries to their personnel—are often procured for cost-effectiveness and may not always be of the highest quality and reliability. However, a product's use of the term should not be inferred as a signal it is unreliable, as some items labeled as such may in fact be using the term genuinely (e.g. are in fact used by the military, or are identical to military equivalents). Notable uses 

 In 2015, advertisements for the thirteenth generation Ford F-Series pickup truck notably described it as using "high strength, military-grade aluminum alloy", despite no such thing actually existing. The only real similarities between the aluminum used in the F-Series and some military vehicles are their composition and heat-treating. In 2023, a dispute arose between Leonardo Helicopters and Lockheed Martin relating to marketing terminology used in the British Ministry of Defence's New Medium Helicopter program. Lockheed had claimed other competitors in the program, including the AgustaWestland AW149 built by Leonardo, were not designed or suitable for military use (i.e. military grade), whereas their Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was. See also 

 Commercial off-the-shelf
 Militaria
 Military–industrial complex

References 

Buzzword
Military terminology
Marketing techniques
Advertising techniques