American expert is ready for action (6)
I believe the answer is:
usable
'ready for action' is the definition.
Both the answer and definition are adjectives. Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?
'american expert' is the wordplay.
'american' becomes 'us' (abbreviation for United States).
'expert' becomes 'able' (I've seen this before).
'us'+'able'='USABLE'
'is' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for usable that I've seen before include "fit to wear" , "Of potential utility" , "Serviceable" , "at one's disposal" , "Fit for purpose" .)