Military Definitions, Terms, and Acronyms

Definition of Terms & Acronyms

Military slang is compiled of an array of colloquial terminology used commonly by military personnel, including slang that is usually unique to the armed forces. It often takes on the form of abbreviations (acronyms) that incorporates various aspects of formal military missions, structure, terms and concepts. Military slang is often utilized to reinforce or convey the friendly and humorous rivalries developed with the service.

The military is a very distinct community that has a language that is unique and different from that of its civilian counterparts. It utilizes many other terms and acronyms that are sometimes foreign to many people. Here is some explanation of some of those terms that you may encounter throughout the website:

Definition of Terms

· Advanced Individual Training. (AIT or “A School”). The hands-on career training and field instruction that each service member receives before being qualified to do a specific military job. This specialized schooling varies by military branch.

· Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). The primary retailer that operates post exchanges on Army and Air Force installations.

· American Disabilities Act (ADA) (2010). Refers to the phrase, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This term is concerning an individual that has a physical or mental disability that substantially limits at least one, if not more, major life activities.

· Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). A multiple-choice test for prospective recruits to see if they are qualified to join and which military jobs they are qualified for before enlisting.

· Basic Housing Allowance (BAH). Monetary compensation service members receive to cover the cost of housing when government quarters are not provided.

· Blended Retirement System (BRS). The military’s newest retirement system, which extends benefits to the majority of service members. This system uses the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

· Commanding Officer (CO). The appointed officer in charge of a military unit, like a Lt. Colonel for a Battalion (Army) and squadron commander of a squadron (Air Force).

· CONUS/OCONUS: The continental United States, or CONUS, is the 48 connected states. OCONUS is outside the continental United States.

· Coping. Refers to coping is a mechanism that is developed to deal with stress at an individual level. As shown by Marini (2014), dyadic coping and family systems theory share the core assumption that individuals who are in close relationships have interrelated emotions, behaviors, and experiences; this phenomenon is often referred to as interdependence (p. 5). Interdependence can loosely be defined as the notion that family members exert a mutual influence on one another.

· Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Monetary compensation service members receive to offset the cost of living in more expensive areas of the U.S.

· Counter Insurgency (COIN). Refers to a term created during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) where the U.S. military engaged in comprehensive military efforts to defeat an insurgency organized to create subversion and violence or to nullify or challenge political control of Iraq (Department of the Army, 2009).

· Department of Defense (DoD). The primary department of the United States government that is responsible for all military operations.

· Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS). A primary database of military families to receive TRICARE and other military entitlements.

· Do-It-Yourself (DITY). A personally acquired move, which can save a service member more money moving by doing it themselves. This is often related to moving between the permanent change of stations.

· Executive Officer (XO). The second-in-command to a commanding officer.

· Forward Operating Base (FOB). A temporary, secured operational post that supports strategic goals and tactical objectives.

· Government Issue Bill (G.I. Bill). Refers to a legislative bill formally known as the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944, established during World War II and is a Department of Veterans Affairs education benefit designed to aid military members and eligible veterans to cover the costs of receiving education or training (Veterans Affairs, 2020).

· Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC). A carefully selected group of senior military leaders who advise the President, the Homeland Security Council, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council concerning military matters.

· Leave and Earning Statement (LES). A bimonthly financial statement that reports earnings, taxes withheld, leave balance, and allotments.

· Military Culture. This refers to the military way of life that creates its own unique culture. Military culture can be defined by its unique beliefs, language, knowledge, habits, customs, and capabilities that are acquired by military members and their families through membership in military organizations. Military culture shapes a shared set of learned values and beliefs that are reinforced through experiencing military service. People who have not directly experienced the military culture often misunderstand this culture through a lack of knowledge (Veterans Affairs, 2020b).

· Military Discharge. Refers to a military member’s obligation of service in the armed forces is either voluntarily or involuntarily fulfilled (i.e., retired, medical, dishonorable, etc.). There are different types and categories of military discharges that may affect future benefits and employment options. Generally, to receive VA benefits and services, the Veteran’s character of discharge or service must be under honorable conditions or be administratively separated or have a long enough service period to qualify (Militarybenefits.info, 2020).

· Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). Where service members take the ASVAB, in process, get a physical, choose their military job, and swear in to enter into military service.

· Military Occupational Specialty (MOS). This is a service member’s specific job and duties in the military, from infantry, artillery, aviation, engineering, intelligence, maintenance, etc.

· Military Veteran. Refers to the definition of a veteran. As shown by Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations, it defines a veteran as an individual who has served as an active member of the military in one of the branches of service and who was discharged or released under honorable conditions. This regulation explains that any individual who has completed a tour of service with any branch of the armed forces is classified as a veteran as long as they were not dishonorably discharged. National Guard and Reservists members who have received DD214 for being deployed can be considered Veterans by serving as an active-duty veteran. Non-deployed National Guard and Reservists do not qualify legally as a Veteran (Smith, 2019).

· Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO). A military officer who is not commissioned, such as sergeant (Army) and warrant officer (Navy).

· Operational Security (OPSEC). The secure process of protecting and identifying information about military operations.

· Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). This refers to a U.S. military operation in Afghanistan that began on October 7, 2001, and ended December 28, 2014 (CNN, 2020).

· Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). This refers to a U.S. military operation in Iraq that began March 20, 2003, and ended on December 18, 2011 (Ford & Vignare, 2015).

· Operation New Dawn (OND). Refers to a specific U.S. military operation in Iraq after September 1, 2010, and ended December 15, 2011 (Globalsecurity.org, 2020).

· Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA). Monetary compensation for service members for housing outside the U.S. when government quarters aren’t available.

· Permanent Change of Station (PCS). The action and relocation of an active-duty service member to a different duty location. Service members usually PCS every few years based on the needs of the military.

· Personally Procured Move (PPM). A move that a service member plans and conducts on their own, instead of the military providing help. PPM expenses are reimbursed by the military.

· Physical Training (PT). One of the main emphasis of military readiness, service members are expected to meet fitness standards throughout their enlistment.

· Point of Contact (POC). The primary person that is contacted about for a specific program or assignment.

· Post 9/11 Veterans. Refers to veterans serving in the U.S. armed forces on active duty after September 11, 2001. These veterans are eligible for education benefits as a result of the Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Holder, 2018).

· Post Exchange (PX). A shopping center at a military installation that sells merchandise and services to military personnel and authorized civilians.

· Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This refers to a mental health condition classified by the American Psychological Association (APA), which includes flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety about the event that caused the ailment (APA, 2020).

· Privately Owned Vehicle (POV). A service member’s personally owned vehicle that is not owned by the government.

· Reintegration Stress. This refers to military veterans who encounter numerous types of stressors during their reintegration process back into society. As shown by Marek et al. (2014), reintegration presents veterans and their families with unique stressors that impact all aspects of their physical, emotional, cognitive, and social health. The family dynamic must always adjust due to the absence of the Veteran from deployments and readjustments upon return, causing a constant state of stress for all (p. 444).

· Resilience. This refers to resilience as a process that individuals develop to overcome adversities, challenges, and transitions in their lives. Resiliency is the actively achieved outcome of the resilience process. Resiliency is measured by the degree to which individuals can perform their daily routines, while simultaneously, successfully performing their military duties and responsibilities (Military.com, 2020).

· Social Resilience. Refers to the prevalence of resilience in the social setting or surroundings. As shown by Pietrzak and Cook (2013), the prevalence of psychological resilience may be correlated with significant changes that occur during military service, trauma, stress, and reintegration related to the dislocation of social networks, retirement, and income reduction and issues of physical functioning. The more individuals experience stressors and trauma, the more enhanced coping skill develops and increases psychological resilience for future encounters. As shown by Marek et al. (2014), veterans respond and cope differently with reintegration stressors. These stressors affect emotional health. Veterans who have reported having lower mental health issues (PTSD, anxiety, stress, and depression) are more likely to experience reintegration issues.

· Social Stigma. This refers to military veterans who are confronted with social labels and stigmas that are placed on them as a result of media-driven encounters and events. Social stigma leads to disenfranchisement and disempowerment of groups, and in the case of the military, this social stigma stems from cultural beliefs and attitudes about mental health that influence negative feelings psychologically distressed service members to have about themselves. (Gibbons et al., 2014, p. 366)

· Temporary Duty Station (TDY). A temporary assignment location that is different from the service member’s permanent assigned duty station.

· Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Similar to a 401(k), the TSP is a government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan.

· Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). This refers to a brain condition, whereas the brain is exposed to a blunt force trauma. For this study, this refers to military veterans who may have suffered a TBI from a concussive blast from an IED or other explosive devices while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, or Operation New Dawn (DVBIC, 2020).

· TRICARE: The primary health care program. TRICARE provides health benefits to service members, retirees, and their families.

· Veteran Coping. This refers to an individual’s characteristics and individual effort to manage stressful events. As shown by Knezevic, Krupic, and Sucurovic (2016), in the transactional model of stress and coping, if an event exceeds a person’s coping capacity, it will be perceived as stressful, especially if his/her well-being is recognized as being at stake. People use a variety of coping strategies, which are often divided into engagement and disengagement coping. Many veterans encounter challenges while transitioning from their military, which can be caused by different events like severe combat trauma. There is a strong relationship between traumatic events, like PTSD, and coping strategies that would affect reintegration.

· Veteran Reintegration. This refers to a veteran’s ability to readjust or transition back into their previous environment, either before service or deployment. As shown by Elnitsky, Fisher, and Blevins (2017b), veterans may experience a variety of stress-related challenges when reintegrating from the military back to regular civilian life. Facilitating this reintegration, transition, resilience, readjustment, and coping, and community integration makes it a societal priority. Coping and resilience will ultimately affect this outcome variable of reintegration.

Acronyms

• 0K – Zero Killed (pronounced OK, as the expression that everything is okay)

• 1LT – First Lieutenant (U.S. Army) (USMC uses "1Lt" and USAF uses "1st Lt")

• 2LT – Second Lieutenant (U.S. Army) (USMC uses "2Lt" and USAF uses "2d Lt")

• 2IC – Second In Command

• 1SG – First Sergeant (E-8 Army)

• ‘’’777’’’ – (Pronounced triple 7) Refers to the M777 howitzer. A towed 155 mm artillery weapon. It succeeded the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army in 2005. The M777 is also used by the ground forces of Australia, Canada, India and Saudi Arabia. It made its combat debut in the War in Afghanistan.

A

• A – Analog

• A1C – Airman First Class (USAF E-3)

• A2C2 – Army Airspace Command And Control

• A-3 – (Operations Directorate (COMAFFOR))

• A-5 – (Plans Directorate (COMAFFOR))

• AA – Anti-Aircraft

• AA – Armed Forces America

• AA – Assembly Area

• AA – Assessment Agent

• AA – Avenue Of Approach

• AAA – Army Audit Agency

• AAA – Antiaircraft Artillery

• AAA – Arrival And Assembly Area

• AAA – Assign Alternate Area

• AAAD – Airborne Anti-Armor Defense

• AAAS – Amphibious Aviation Assault Ship

• AABB – American Association of Blood Banks

• AABWS – Amphibious Assault Bulk Water System

• AAC – Activity Address Code

• AACG – Arrival Airfield Control Group

• AADC – Area Air Defense Commander

• AADP – Area Air Defense Plan

• AA&E – Arms, Ammunition, And Explosives

• AAEC – Aeromedical Evacuation Control Team

• AAFC – Australian Air Force Cadets (Australia)

• AAFES – Army and Air Force Exchange Service

• AAFIF – Automated Air Facility Information File

• AAFS – Amphibious Assault Fuel System

• AAFSF – Amphibious Assault Fuel Supply Facility

• AAGS – Army Air-Ground System

• AAI – Air-To-Air Interface

• AAM – Air-To-Air Missile

• AAMDC – US Army Air And Missile Defense Command

• AAOE – Arrival And Assembly Operations Element

• AAOG – Arrival And Assembly Operations Group

• AAP – Allied Administrative Publication

• AAP – Assign Alternate Parent

• AAR – After Action Report

• AAR – After Action Review

• AAS – Army Apprentice School (Australia)

• AAST – Aeromedical Evacuation Administrative Support Team

• AAT – Automatic Analog Test

• AAT – Aviation Advisory Team

• AAU – Analog Applique Unit

• AAV – Amphibious Assault Vehicle

• AAW – Antiair Warfare

• AB – Airbase

• AB – Airman Basic (USAF E-1)

• ABCA – American, British, Canadian, Australian Armies Program

• ABCS – Army Battle Command System

• ABD – Airbase Defense

• ABU – Airman Battle Uniform (U.S. Air Force)

• ABV – Assault Breacher Vehicle (U.S. Army)

• ABFC – Advanced Base Functional Component

• ACU – Army Combat Uniform (U.S. Army)

• ADOS – Active Duty, Operational Support

• ADSW – Active Duty, Special Work

• AE – Armed Forces Europe

• AEW&C – Airborne Early Warning And Control

• AFI – Awaiting Further Instruction/Air Force Instruction (requirement guide)

• AFMC – Armed Forces Medical College

• AFOQT – Air Force Officer Qualifying Test

• AFOSI – United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations

• AFSC – Air Force Specialty Code

• AHA – Ammunition Holding Area

• AIM – Airborne Intercept Missile (U.S. Military)

• AIPD – Army Institute For Professional Development

• AIS – Automated Information System

• AIT – Advanced Individual Training (U.S. Army)

• Amn – Airman (USAF E-2)

• ALCON – All Concerned (U.S. Military)

• AMU – Aircraft Maintenance Unit

• AMXG – Aircraft Maintenance Group

• AMXS – Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

• ANG – Air National Guard (USAF)

• AOC – Air Operations Center

• AOL – Absent Over Leave (U.S. Navy)

• AO – Area Of Operations

• A&P – Administrative And Personnel

• AP – Armed Forces Pacific

• AP – Armor-Piercing

• APC – Armored Personnel Carrier

• APFSDS – Armor-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot

• APFT – Army Physical Fitness Test (U.S. Army)

• APFU – Army Physical Fitness Uniform (U.S. Army)

• APO – Army Post Office; See Also FPO

• APPN – Appropriation Number (U.S. Military)

• APRT – Army Physical Readiness Test (U.S. Army)

• ARCENT/TUSA – US Army Forces Central Command (CENTCOM)/Hq Third US Army (TUSA)

• ARPANET – Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (e.g., 1969 to 1989; antecedent of the information superhighway; now DARPA)

• ARM – Anti-Radar Missile

• ARM – Anti-Radiation Missile

• ARMS – Automated Recruit Management System (U.S. Military)

• ARMS – Aviation Resource Management System (USAF)

• ARNG – Army National Guard (U.S. Army)

• ARS – Air Refueling Store

• ART – Alarm Response Team (USAF)

• ARVN – Army Of The Republic Of (South) Viet Nam (U.S. Military)

• ASAP – Army Substance Abuse Program (U.S. Military)

• ASAP – As Soon As Possible

• ASEAN – Association Of South East Asian Nations

• ASM – Air-to-Surface Missile

• ASCM – Anti-Ship Cruise Missile

• ASROC – Anti-Submarine ROCket

• ASV – Anti-Surface Vessel (airborne radar)

• ASVAB – Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

• ASW – Anti-Submarine Warfare

• ATC – Air Training Corps

• ATC – Air Traffic Control

• ATO – Air Tasking Order

• ATO – Antiterrorism Officer

• ATRRS – Army Training Requirements And Resources System

• AWACS – Airborne Warning and Control System

• AWOL – Absent Without Leave

B

• BAH – Basic Allowance for Housing

• BAMCIS – Begin planning Arrange Recon Make the plan Complete the plan Issue the order Supervise (U.S. Marine Corps)

• BAR – Browning Automatic Rifle

• BAU – Behavioral Analysis Unit

• BCD – Battlefield Coordination Detachment

• BCD – Bad Conduct Discharge (aka Big Chicken Dinner)

• BCG – Birth Control Glasses (U.S. Military Slang)

• BCT – Basic Combat Training (U.S. Army)

• BCT – Brigade Combat Team

• BDA – Battle Damage Assessment

• BDE – Brigade (U.S. Army)

• BDF – Barbados Defence Force (Barbados)

• BDU – Battle Dress Uniform (U.S. Military)

• Be – Beriev (Russian)

• BEA – Budget Execution Authority (U.S. Navy)

• BFT – Blue Force Tracker (U.S. Military)

• BG – Bodyguard

• BGHR – By God He's Right (U.S Military)

• BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front (U.S. Military)

• BMNT – Begin Morning Nautical Twilight (U.S Army)

• BMOW - Boatswain's Mate Of The Watch (U.S. Coast Guard)

• BN – Battalion (U.S. Army)

• BRAC – Base Realignment And Closure

• BRAT (American) – Born Raised And Transferred (American usage, refers to dependent children of military personnel) Usually Pronounced "Military Brat" (Or "Air Force BRAT", or Army "Brat", Navy "Brat" etc.).

• BRAT (British) – British RegimentAttachedTraveler (British military usage, may have been the original usage, which was later adapted to the American military: Means "child that travels with a soldier"), or "Born, Raised and Trapped". Usually pronounced "Military Brat" or "Base Brat".

• BUB – Battle Update Brief

• BVR – Beyond Visual Range (USAF)

• BX – Base Exchange (USAF)

• BZ – spoken "Bravo Zulu", meaning "congratulations, job well done"

C

• C1 – Command

• C2 – Command And Control

• C3 – Command Control And Communication

• C4IR – Command Control Communication Computers Intelligence And Recognition

• CAC – Common Access Card (U.S. DoD, pron. "cac")

• CAG – Commander, Air Group (U.S. Navy, pron. "cag")

• CAG – Civil Affairs Group. Term used for military members assigned to assist civilian governments with restoring infrastructure (All U.S. branches, pron. "cag")

• CAGE – Commercial and Government Entity

• CALL – Center for Army Lessons Learned

• CAPT – Captain (U.S. Navy, USCG O-6)

• CPT – Captain (USMC, U.S. Army, USAF O-3)

• CAS – Close Air Support

• CASEX – Coordinated Anti-Submarine EXercise

• CASEVAC – Casualty Evacuation

• CAT – Combat Application Tourniquets

• CBRN – Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear

• CBU – Cluster Bomb Unit

• CCIP – Continually Calculated Impact Point (USAF/USMC Aviation)

• CCIR – Commanders Critical Information Requirements

• CCP – Casualty Collection Point

• CCRP – Continually Calculated Release Point (USAF/USMC Aviation)

• CDIAC – Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center

• CDRUSPACOM – Commander United States Pacific Command

• CENTCOM – Central Command (U.S. Military)

• CHU – Containerized Housing Unit

• Chief – Chief Warrant Officer

• CIA – Central Intelligence Agency

• CIB – Combat Infantry Badge

• CIC – Command Intelligence Center (U.S. Navy)

• CINCLANT – Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Forces (U.S. Navy before 2002)

• CINCLANTFLT – Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Fleet (U.S. Navy before 2002)

• CINCPAC – Commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces (U.S. Navy before 2002)

• CIWS – Close-In Weapon System

• CJOTUS – Chief Justice of the United States

• CMSgt – Chief Master Sergeant (USAF E-9; highest AF enlisted rank)

• CMSAF – Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force (USAF E-9 – Senior Enlisted Member)

• CO – Commanding Officer

• COA – Course of Action

• COB – Chief Of the Boat (Chief Petty Officer in charge of the Boat usually a Master Chief (USN Submariner Terminology))

• COCOM – Combatant Commander

• CODELS – Congressional Delegations

• Col – Colonel

• COMINT – Communications Intelligence

• COMPACFLT – Commander, Pacific Fleet (U.S. Navy)

• COMSEC – Communication Security

• CONUS – Continental United States (U.S. military, pron. "cone-us")

• CONUSA – Continental United States Army (numbered Armies of U.S. military)

• CORDS – (U.S. military, Vietnam era)

• COP – Combat Out Post

• CoS – Chief of Staff

• COT – Commissioned Officer Training

• CPL – Corporal (U.S. Army and Marine Corps E-4)

• CPO – Chief Petty Officer (USCG/USN E-7)

• CPT – Captain (U.S. Army O-3)

• CP – Check Point (Usually Numbered i.e. "CP1")

• CPX – Command Post Exercise

• CQB – Close Quarters Battle

• CRC – CONUS Replacement Center (a military processing center at Fort Benning, Georgia, US)

• CSM – Command Sergeant Major (U.S. Army E-9 highest Army enlisted rank))

• CSAR – Combat Search And Rescue

• CT – Counter-terrorism Team

• CTR – Close Target Reconnaissance

• CUB – Commander Update Brief

• CVN – Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier (NOTE: the V comes from the expression "heavier than air flying machine")

• CWO – Chief Warrant Officer

• CZN – Nuclear-powered Airship Carrier (NOTE: the Z comes from the use of the word Zeppelin although non-Zeppelin airships would also be transported on a CZN)

D

• DA – Defence Attaché

• DAC – Department of the Army Civilian

• DAGO – Department of the Army General Officer

• DAGR – Defense Advanced GPS Receiver

• DARPA – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (U.S. Military)

• DASA – Division Artillery Security Area

• DC3 – Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center

• DCAA – Defense Contract Audit Agency

• DCMA – Defense Contract Management Agency

• DEROS – Date Estimated Return From Overseas

• DEVGRU – the United States naval special warfare DEVelopment GRoUp

• DFAC – Dining Facility (U.S. Military)

• DFAS – Defense Finance and Accounting Service (U.S. Military)

• DIA – Defense Intelligence Agency

• DINFAC – Dining Facility (U.S. Military)

• DISA – Defense Information Systems Agency

• DLA – Defense Logistics Agency

• DLB – Dead Letter Box

• DMDC – Defense Manpower Data Center

• DME – Depot Maintenance Enterprise (U.S. Military)

• DMEA – Defense Microelectronics Activity

• DMS – Defense Message System (U.S. Military)

• DMZ – Demilitarized Zone

• DOA – Dead on Arrival

• DoDAAC – Department of Defense Activity Address Code (U.S. Military)

• DoDAF – Department of Defense Architectural Framework (U.S. Military)

• DoDIC – Department of Defense Identification Code (U.S. Military)

• DOEHRS – Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System (U.S. Military)

• DOP – Drop-Off Point

• DPMs – Disruptive Pattern Material

• DRT – Dead Right There; wounded in such a way as to indicate immediate and/or unavoidable death; often used as a sarcastic form of the civilian acronym DOA (Dead On Arrival)

• DTO – Daily Tasking Order

• DTRA – Defense Threat Reduction agency

• DZ – Drop Zone

E

• E&E – Escape and Evade

• EA – Electronic Attack

• ECP – Entry Control Point

• EDCSA – Effective Date of Change of Strength Accountability (obsolete for U. S. Army)

• EHRS – Electronic Health Records (Software)

• EI – Engineering and Installation

• EIS – Engineering and Installation Squadron, Environmental Impact Statement

• EIB – Expert Infantry Badge

• EI SIT – Engineering and Installation Site Implementation Team

• EKIA – Enemy Killed in Action

• ELINT – Electronic Intelligence

• EMI – Extra Military Instruction

• ENS – Ensign (U.S. Navy junior officer rank, O-1)

• EOD – Explosive Ordnance Disposal

• EOS – End of Service

• EP – Electronic Protection

• EPR − Enlisted Performance Report

• EPW – Enemy Prisoner of War

• ERV – Emergency Rendezvous

• ESSENCE – Electronic Surveillance System for Early Notification of Community-based Epidemics (U.S. Military)

• ETA – Estimated time of arrival

• ETS – Estimated Termination of Service

• EUCOM – European Command (U.S. Military)

• EW – Electronic Warfare (comprises EA, EP)

• Exfil – Exfiltration (Opposite of infiltration; exiting undetected)

F

• FA – Field Artillery

• FAK – First Aid Kit

• FAR – Federal Acquisition Regulation

• FBCB2 – Force XXI Battlefield Command Brigade and Below

• FBI – Federal Bureau of Investigation

• FEBA – Forward Edge of the Battle Area

• FFE – Fire for effect

• FIDO – FIre Direction Officer

• FIST – Fire Support Team

• FISTer – Member of a Fire Support Team

• FIST-V – Fire Support Team Vehicle

• FISINT – Foreign Instrumentation Signals Intelligence

• FitRep – Fitness Report

• FLOT – Forward Line of Troops

• FLOTUS – First Lady of the United States (U.S. – see POTUS)

• FM – Field Marshal; more commonly "Field Manual"

• FMC – Fully Mission Capable

• FMTV – Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (U.S. Army)

• FO – Forward Observer

• FOB – Forward Operating Base

• FOD – Foreign Object Damage (U.S.)

• FOD – Foreign Object Debris (U.S.)

• FOI - Field of Imaging

• FPO – Fleet Post Office; See also APO

• FRACU – Flame-Resistant Army Combat Uniform (U.S. Army)

• FSA – Force Structure Allowance

• FSTE – Foreign Service Tour Extension

• FTUS – Full Time Unit Specialist

• FYSA – For Your Situational Awareness

• FYI – For Your Information

G

• G1 – General Staff Level office for Personnel and Manpower (Division and Above)

• G2 – General Staff Level office for Military Intelligence (Division and Above)

• G3 – General Staff Level office for Operations and Plans (Division and Above)

• G4 – General Staff Level office for Logistics (Division and Above)

• G5 – General Staff Level office for Military/Civil Affairs (Division and Above)

• G6 – General Staff Level office for Signal and Communication (Division and Above)

• G7 – General Staff Level office for Training and Exercises (Division and Above)

• G8 – General Staff Level office for Force Development and Analysis (Division and Above)

• G9 – General Staff Level office for Civil Operations (Division and Above)

• GBU – Guided Bomb Unit

• GEN – General

• GI – Government Issue

• GIG – Global Information Grid

• GM – Gone Mersault

• GO – General Officer

• GOCO – Government owned, contractor operated

• GPMG – General Purpose Machine Gun

• GPS – Global Positioning System

• GS – General Schedule

H

• HALO – High Altitude Low Opening (Airborne)

• HAHO – High Altitude High Opening

• HAAMS – High Altitude Airdrop Missions

• HBL – Holiday Block Leave (U.S. Army)

• HE – High Explosive

• HEAT – High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead

• HEP – High Explosive, Plastic (U.S. usage for HESH)

• HESH – High-explosive squash head (British anti-tank and anti-fortification round)

• HIMARS – High Mobility Artillery Rocket System

• HMAS – Her Majesty's Australian Ship (Australia)

• HMCS – Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (Canada)

• HMMWV – High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (U.S. Military) (Pronounced Humvee)

• HMNZS – Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship (New Zealand)

• HMS – Hans Majestäts Skepp (His Majesty's ship, Sweden)

• HMS – Her Majesty's Ship (Royal Navies such as British Royal Navy) (His Majesty's Ship if King)

• Hr.Ms – His/Her Dutch Majesty's Ship (Dutch Royal Navy ship)

• HOMSEC – Homeland Security

• HRAP – Hometown Recruiter Assistance Program

• HQ – Headquarters

• HHB – Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (artillery units)

• HHC – Headquarters and Headquarters Company

• HHT – Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (cavalry units)

• HUMINT – Human Intelligence (intelligence gathering)

• HVI – High Value Individual

• HVT – High Value Target

• HYT – High Year Tenure

I

• IAF – Indian Air Force

• IAF – Israeli Air Force

• IAVA – Information Assurance Vulnerability Alert (U.S. Military)

• ICBM – Intercontinental ballistic missile

• ICE – Individual Carrying Equipment, eg All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment

• ID – IDentification

• IED – Improvised explosive device

• IFAK – Individual First aid kit

• IFF – Identification Friend or Foe

• IFF – Introduction to Fighter Fundamentals (USAF)

• IG – Inspector General (U.S. Military)

• IFV – Infantry Fighting Vehicle

• IN – Infantry

• INSCOM – United States Army Intelligence and Security Command

• Il – Ilyushin, Russian aircraft company

• Interpol – International Criminal Police Organization

• ISO – Inter School Course

• ISR – Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

J

• JA – Judge Advocate [General]

• JAG – Judge Advocate General

• JDAM – Joint Direct Attack Munition

• JSF – Joint Strike Fighter program

• JATO – Jet-assisted Take Off

• JETDS – Joint Electronics Type Designation System

• JNN – Joint Network Node (U.S. Army)

• JSAM – Joint Service Achievement Medal

• JSTARS – Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System

• JSOC – Joint Special Operations Command

• JTF – Joint Task Force

• JEEP – "Just Enough Essential Parts"

K

• KATUSA – Korean Augmentation Troops to the United States Army (also known by lower ranking U.S. soldiers as "Koreans Aggravating The U.S. Army")

• KIA – Killed In Action

• KFOR -- Kosovo Force

• KO – Contracting Officer, Navy

• KP – Kitchen Police or Kitchen Patrol

L

• LAAD – Low Altitude Air Defense

• LAAT – Low Altitude Assault Transport

• LAV – Light Armored Vehicle

• LCDR – Lieutenant Commander (U.S. Navy)

• LCPL – Lance Corporal (U.S. Marines)

• LES – Leave and Earnings Statement

• LIC – Low Intensity Conflict

• LP – Listening Post

• LP/OP – Listening Post Observation Post

• LPC – Leather Personnel Carrier (boot)

• LMTV – Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (U.S. Army)

• LPO – Leading Petty Officer (U.S. Navy)

• LT – Lieutenant

• LTC or Lt Col – Lieutenant Colonel

• LTG or Lt Gen – Lieutenant General

• LTJG – Lieutenant, Junior Grade (U.S. Navy)

• LUP – Lying-Up Point

• LZ – Landing Zone

M

• MACV/SOG – Military Assistance Command Vietnam / Studies and Observation Group

• MAJ – Major

• MARCORSYSCOM – MARine CORps SYStems COMmand (U.S. Military)

• MARCENT Marine Corps Central Command

• MARFORRES – MARine FORces REServe (U.S. Marine Corps)

• MARSOC – Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

• MAV – Micro Air Vehicle

• MAW – Maximum Allowable Weight

• MBT – Main battle tank

• MC 326/2 – ″NATO Medical Support Principles and Policies″, approved by Military Committee, second revision.

• MCCS – Marine Corps Community Services (also known by the humorous backronym "Marine Corps Crime Syndicate")

• MCEN – Marine Corps Enterprise Network (U.S. Military)

• MCEITS – Marine Corps Enterprise Information Technology Service (U.S. Military)

• MCPO – Master Chief Petty Officer (USCG/USN E-9)

• MCPOCG – Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard (U.S. Coast Guard E-9 – Senior Enlisted Member)

• MedEvac – Medical evacuation

• MFA – Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• MG – Machine gun

• MG – Major general

• MI – Military Intelligence

• Mi – Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Russian)

• MIA – Missing in action

• MICV – Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle (an Infantry fighting vehicle)

• MiG – Mikoyan-Gurevich (Russian)

• MILCON – Military Construction

• MK – Mark

• MK – Machinery Technician (U.S. Coast Guard)

• MLRS – Multiple Launch Rocket System

• MOA – Military Operating Area (USAF Airspace)

• MOAB – Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, also known as "Mother Of All Bombs".

• MOAC – Mother of All Coffee (Green Bean Coffee)

• MOB – Main Operating Base

• MOBCOM – MOBile COMmand

• MOPP – Mission Oriented Protective Posture

• MOS – Military Occupation Specialty

• MOUT – Military Operations in Urban Terrain

• MPDS – Military Planning Data Allowance

• MRAP – Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected

• MRE – Meal, Ready-to-Eat (U.S. Military)

• MRX – Mission Rehearsal Exercise

• MSG – Master Sergeant (US Army E-8)

• MSgt – Master Sergeant (USAF E-7)

• MTOE – Modified Table Of Organizational Equipment

• MTS+ – Movement Tracking System Plus

• MTV – Medium Tactical Vehicle (U.S. Army)

• MSDC+ – Marine Science Diving Club (Diving Club Of Hasanudin University)

• MSR – Main Supply Route

• MSR – Major Supply Route

• MWR – Morale Welfare Recreation

N

• NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement

• NAS – Naval Air Station

• NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

• NCIS – Naval Criminal Investigative Service (U.S. Navy)

• NAVAIR – Naval Air Systems Command

• NAVCENT – Naval Forces Central Command (U.S. Navy)

• NAVOCEANO – Naval Oceanographic Office

• NBACC – National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center

• NCI – National Cancer Institute

• NCO – Non-Commissioned Officer

• NCOIC – Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge

• NCOES – Non-Commissioned Officer Education System

• ND – Negligent Discharge

• NDP – Night Defensive Position

• NEFF – New Equipment Fielding Facility

• NIBC National Interagency Biodefense Campus

• NICBR – National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research

• NLT – No Later Than

• NMC – Not Mission Capable

• NME – Non-Mission Essential

• NMCI – Naval Marine Corps Intranet (U.S. Navy)

• NNMSA – Non-Nuclear Munitions Storage Area

• NOC -Non-Official Cover

• NORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command

• NPDES – National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System

• NS – Network Services

• NSA – National Security Agency

• NSW – Naval Special Warfare

• NSWDG – Naval Special Warfare Development Group

• NUB – Non-Useful Body / Nuclear Unqualified Bitch (U.S. Nuclear Navy)

O

• OBE – Overcome/Overrun by Events

• OCONUS – Outside Continental United States

• OCP – Operational Camouflage Pattern (U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force)

• OCS – Officer Candidate School

• ODA – Operational Detachment-Alpha (the standard 12-man team composed of U.S. Army Special Forces operators)

• ODU – Operational Dress Uniform (U.S. Coast Guard)

• OIC – Officer in Charge

• OIG – Office of Inspector General

• OM – On the Move (Normally just spelled out Oscar Mike)

• O&M, MC – Operations & Maintenance, Marine Corps (U.S. Navy)

• O&M, N – Operations & Maintenance, Navy (U.S. Navy)

• OODA – Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act

• OP – Observation Post

• OPR – Officer Performance Report

• OPT – Operational Planning Team

• ORM – Operational Risk Management

• OSP – On Site Procurement

• OSP – Orbital Services Program

• OPORD – Operations Order

• OPSEC – Operations Security

• OTS – Officer Training School

• OTV – Outer Tactical Vest

P

• PACOM – Pacific Command

• PACAF – Pacific Air Forces

• PAQ – PALACE Acquire

• PCS – Permanent Change of Station

• PDS – Permanent Duty Station (U.S. Military)

• PDT – Pre-Deployment Training

• PE – Plastic Explosive

• PFC – Private First Class (U.S. Military)

• PFT – Physical Fitness Test

• PII – Personally Identifiable Information or Personal Identity Information

• PL – Platoon Leader (U.S. Army)

• PLL - Prescribed Load List (U.S. Army)

• PLT – Platoon (U.S. Army)

• PMC – Partially Mission Capable

• PME – Professional Military Education

• PMS – Planned Maintenance Schedule (U.S. Navy)

• PNG – Passive Night Goggles

• PO – Post Office

• PO1 – Petty Officer 1st Class (USCG/USN E-6)

• PO2 – Petty Officer 2nd Class (USCG/USN E-5)

• PO3 – Petty Officer 3rd Class (USCG/USN E-4)

• POL – Petroleum Oil & Lubricants (U.S. Air Force)

• POC – Point Of Contact

• POTUS – President of the United States

• POW – Prisoner Of War

• POV – Privately Owned Vehicle

• PPG – PT Parade Games

• PRP – Personnel Reliability Program

• PRP – Pretty Retarded Program

• PRT – Provincial Reconstruction Team

• PRT – Physical Readiness Training (U.S. Army)

• PT – Physical Training

• PTB – Powers That Be

• PV2 – Private 2nd class (U.S. Army E-2)

• PVT – Private (U.S. Army and Marine Corps E-1)

• PX – Post Exchange (U.S. Army)

R

• RavMonE – Known as the Trojan that opens a backdoor on computers running Microsoft Windows however nicknamed for a new enlisted soldier that is deployed to a unit during combat operations.

• RAAF – Royal Australian Air Force

• RAF – Royal Air Force (UK)

• RAN – Royal Australian Navy

• RATELO – Radiotelephone Operator

• RATO – Rocket Assisted Take Off

• RCSC – Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (Canada)

• RFL – Response Force Leader

• RMC – Royal Military College of Canada

• RN – Royal Navy (UK)

• ROE – Rules Of Engagement

• ROWPU – Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit

• RNZAF – Royal New Zealand Air Force

• ROZ – Restricted Operating Zone

• RPG – Rocket-propelled grenade

• RPM – Rounds per minute (Rate of fire)

• RSS – Regional Security System (Caribbean)

• RTB – Return To Base

• RV – rendezvous

• RTO – Radio Telephone Operator

S

• SA – Seaman Apprentice (USCG/USN E-2)

• SA – Situation Awareness

• SAAS – Standard Army Ammunition System (U.S. Army)

• SAM – Surface-to-Air Missile

• SAR – Search and Rescue (U.S. Coast Guard)

• SARS – Search and Rescue Swimmer

• SARSS – Standard Army Retail Supply System (U.S. Army)

• SAS – Special Air Service (British special forces)

• SBS – Special Boat Service (British special forces)

• SCIF – Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility

• SCO – Squadron Commander (Squadron as used in the U.S. Army Regimental System)

• SCOTUS – Supreme Court of the United States

• SCPO – Senior Chief Petty Officer (USCG/USN E-8)

• SD – "Status Destroyed" or "Salty Dog". (Equipment that is written off as unrepairable and unsalvageable.)

• SDD – Solution Delivery Division (Military Health)

• SEAC – Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

• SEAL – Sea, Air and Land (U.S. Navy SEALs)

• SERE – Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape

• SFC – Sergeant First Class (U.S. Army E-7)

• SFOD-A – United States Army Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha – U.S. Special Forces team (see ODA)

• SFOD-B – Special Forces Operational Detachment Bravo – U.S. Special Forces support group

• SFOD-C – Special Forces Operational Detachment Charlie – U.S. Special Forces command group

• SFOD-D – Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta (U.S. Army counter-terrorism unit)

• SGM – Sergeant Major (U.S. Army E-9 – Sometimes referred to as Staff Sergeant Major)

• SGT – Sergeant (U.S. Army E-5) (U.S. Marines uses Sgt)

• SITREP – Situation Report

• SJA – Staff Judge Advocate

• SLAM – Standoff Land Attack Missile

• SLBM – Submarine-launched ballistic missile

• SLOTUS – Second Lady of the United States

• SMA – Sergeant Major of the Army (U.S. Army E-9 – Senior Enlisted Member)

• SMEAC – Situation Mission Execution Admin/logistics Command/signal (U.S. Marine Corps basic knowledge)

• SMSgt – Senior Master Sergeant (USAF E-8)

• SN – Seaman (USCG/USN E-3)

• SOCCENT – Special Operations Command CENTCOM

• SOCOM – United States Special Operations Command

• SOFA – Status of Forces Agreement

• SOP – Standard Operating Procedures

• SPC – Specialist (U.S. Army E-4)

• SR – Seaman Recruit (USCG/USN E-1)

• SrA – Senior Airman (USAF E-4)

• SRBM – United States Army Special Forces

• SRR – Special Reconnaissance Regiment (British special Forces)

• SSBN – Nuclear-Powered Ballistic missile submarine

• SSG – Staff Sergeant (U.S. Army E-6)

• SSGN – Nuclear-Powered Cruise missile submarine

• SSgt – Staff Sergeant (U.S. Air Force E-5) (U.S. Marines E-6)

• SSN – Nuclear-powered attack submarine

• STOVL – Short Takeoff, Vertical Landing

T

• TACP – Tactical Air Control Party (USAF)

• TAD – Temporary Additional Duty (U.S. Military)

• TAO – Tactical Action Officer (U.S. Military)

• TBD – To Be Determined

• TC3 – Tactical Combat Casualty Care

• TCCC – Tactical Combat Casualty Care

• TDPFO – Temporary Duty Pending Further Orders (U.S. Military)

• TDY – Temporary Duty (U.S. Military)

• TEL – Transporter Erector Launcher

• TF – Task Force

• TFOA – Things Falling Off Aircraft

• TG6 – Task Group 6 (group designation for NZ SAS – NZ Army)

• TOC – Tactical Operations Center

• TIC – Troops In Contact

• TSgt – Technical Sergeant (USAF E-6)

• TRADOC- U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command

U

• UA – Unauthorized Absence

• UAS – Unmanned Aerial System

• UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

• UCP – Universal Camouflage Pattern (U.S. Army)

• UCAV – Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle

• ULLS – Unit Level Logisitics System (U.S. Army)

• UMA – Unit Mobilization Assistor

• UN – United Nations

• US – Unserviceable

• USS – United States Ship

• USSS – United States Secret Service

• USAF – United States Air Force

• USAFA – the United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado

• USAFE – United States Air Forces in Europe

• USAMRICD – United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense

• USAMRIID – United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease

• USAMRMC – United States Army Medical Research and Materiél Command

• USAMRAA – United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity

• USA PATRIOT Act – Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act

• USAREC – US Army REcruiting Command

• USAREUR – U.S. Army European Command

• USCG – United States Coast Guard

• USCGC – United States Coast Guard Cutter

• USMA – the United States Military Academy (U.S. Army) at West Point, New York

• USMC – United States Marine Corps

• USN – United States Navy

• USNA – the United States Naval Academy (U.S. Navy) at Annapolis, Maryland

• USO – United Service Organizations (U.S. Military)

• USR – Unit Status Report

• UUV – Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

• UXB – Unexploded Bomb (bomb disposal; British)

• UXO – Unexploded Ordnance

V

• VBIED – Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device

• VDM – Visual Distinguishing Mark

• VFD – Volunteer Fire Department

• VFR – Volunteer Fire and Rescue (or in Aviation Visual Flight Rules)

• VPOTUS – Vice President of the United States

W

• WIA – Wounded In Action

• WO1 – Warrant Officer 1

• WSA – Weapons Storage Area

• WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction

• WILCO – Will Comply

• WCS – Worst Case Scenario

• WORM – War operating ready material

X

• XO – Executive Officer

Humorous and Entertaining Acronyms

· Air Force Instruction (AFI). It also stands for Another F**king Inconvenience.

· Ate The F**k Up (not squared away) (ATFU).

· Bad Conduct Discharge (BCD). Usually spoken as Big Chicken Dinner.

· Birth Control Glasses (BCGs). Large, black plastic-framed glasses issued to service members in need of corrective lenses. Generally considered exceptionally unattractive.

· Bum F**k Egypt, or Big F**king Empty (BFE). A derogatory term for any place that is very remote and undesirable to inhabit.

· Big F**king Hammer (BFH). Acronym referring to a problematic, mechanical job.

· Blinding Flash of the Obvious (BFO).

· Big F**king Wrench (BFW). This refers to the wrench used to tighten the grounding nut on generators.

· Big Lump on Board (BLOB). Primarily used on aircraft to describe any passengers that are without a clear function

· Bend Over, Here It Comes Again (BOHICA). (U.S. Military Slang)

· Big Ugly Fat F**ker (BUFF). Specifically refers to the B-52 Stratofortress. The Stratofortress is famous for its large size and was capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of munitions.

· Bravo Zulu (BZ). Shorthand for “great job!”

· Cluster F**k (always pronounced phonetically "Charlie Foxtrot") (CF).

· Clear as a F**king Bell (CFB).

· Collection, Holding, and Transfer (CHT). An acronym that is Pronounced “chit,” and refers to the sewage on a Navy ship.

· Containerized Housing Unit (CHU). These are climate-controlled trailers that can house up to eight service members. They can be connected to form larger units, may contain a bathroom, and are unarmored.

· Containerized Kitchen (CK). A vehicle or container used to prepare food in the field.

· Continue Mission (CM).

· Command Master Chief (CMC). In the Navy or Coast Guard.

· Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC).

· Computerized Dumb Ass Tanker (CDAT). (M1 Abrams Crewmen)

· Chief of the Boat (COB). The senior chief petty officer onboard a ship.

· Combat Outpost (COP). A small base in a remote location, which can contain between 40 and 150 service members and is usually placed in hostile areas.

· Close Station, March Order, or Collect your S**t and Move Out (CSMO). Both are intended to get servicemembers to close their stations and move out due to a mission ending.

· Dumb Ass Radio/Radar Troop (DART).

· Dumb Ass Tanker (DAT). An Army acronym.

· Does it Look Like I Give a F**k (DILLIGAF)?

· Day of no scheduled activity. (DONSA).

· End Exercise. Used by the U.S. Army (ENDEX).

· Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD).

· Feet, Ass, and Nuts (FAN). A common acronym that best describes the foul smell of a barracks.

· F**k It, Got My Orders (FIGMO).

· F**k It, S**t Happens, Drive On (FISHDO).

· Forward Air Navigator (FAN).

· Forget/F**k it, Drive On (FIDO).

· F**k I’m Good, Just Ask Me (FIGJAM). A term that was initially coined by the Australians in the Vietnam war, borrowed by American forces.

· Foxtrot Oscar (i.e. F**k Off) (US/UK Forces) (FO).

· Fighting in Someone’s House (FISH). Acronym describing urban warfare.

· F**king Magic (FM). Describes the phenomenon of when a dysfunctional electronic device just miraculously starts to work again.

· F**king New Guy (FNG). A pervasive acronym for new members of a group. Not to be meant as derogatory.

· Forward Operating Base (FOB). A base that is much larger than a COP. It is strategically located between COPs and super bases. They tend to be found in safer locations than COPs and offer more luxuries such as varied meals and hot water.

· F**k the Army (FTA). Usually written on the latrine walls to “look forward to” or “celebrate” leaving the service. If asked about the meaning of the acronym, the proper response would be “Fun, Travel, and Adventure” or “Finest, Training, Available.”

· Failure to Adapt (FTA). One of the main reasons why basic trainees fail out of training. This is their reason for failure.

· Fleet Training Group (U.S. Navy) or F**k The Guard (U.S. Coast Guard)(FTG).

· F**k the Navy (FTN). An acronym coined to describe the distaste for Navy and found as graffiti in hard to find places as a type of game. This game resulted in upsetting officers, that constituted a victory for its assailants.

· F**ked up Beyond All Recognition (FUBAR). Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition or F**ked Up Beyond All Repair

· F**k You Buddy, I’m Shipping (FUBIS). Used by service members during the Vietnam war when they didn’t have much time before shipping.

· F**k You, New Guy, U Suck (FUNGUS). This acronym was traditionally coined in the Navy for new shipmates.

· Garbage In Garbage Out (GIGO).

· Guy in Back (GIB). An acronym that is coined to describe an aviator riding in the backseat of an aircraft.

· General Officer Bright Idea (GOBI).

· Get The F**k Out (GTFO).

· High Altitude, No Opening (HANO). This refers to a parachute jump where the parachute fails to deploy. This is usually a fatal situation.

· Head in Clouds/Concrete (HIC). A coined acronym for identifying and describing officers who insist on making ineffective courses of action.

· Head Motherf**ker In Charge (HMFIC) – colloquialism for the highest-ranking person present; more commonly used by NCO's than by officers (United States Armed Forces).

· Head-Up Ass or Heard, Understood, Acknowledged (HUA).

· Instant Boatswain’s Mate (IBM). An acronym coined for a sailor who has failed out of specialty school and is an undesignated servicemember.

· Inflatable Boat, Small (IBS). An acronym for small boats used by the Navy SEALs that require stealth landings.

· Improvised Explosive Device (IED). An acronym for a global method of attack in the Middle East. IEDs are hidden in extremely varied ways to surprise attack friendly forces.

· Indirect Fire (IDF). An acronym that identifies any munitions that are delivered with a high-arching trajectory like mortars, rockets, or artillery. Usually used to describe enemy fire.

· I F**king Refuse (IFR). An acronym that displays a definite lack of compliance. Generally considered impolite.

· If You Ain’t Ammo, You Ain’t S**t (IYAAYAS).

· Just Another F**king Observer (JAFO).

· Japanese National (JN). Used to refer to any Japanese citizen.

· Junior Officer (JO). Usually reserved for insufferable junior officers.

· Keep Buggering On (KBO).

· Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS). USAF

· Long Binh Jail (LBJ). An acronym coined in Vietnam for a U.S. stockade built in Long Binh.

· Large Heavy Object (LHO).

· Little Group Of Paratroopers (LGOP).

· Local National (LN). Army term for friendly locals.

· Landing Zone (LZ).

· Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not Expected/Essential (MARINE). An acronym coined by the Navy in a derogatory connotation of Marine personnel.

· Master Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy (MCPON). – (Pronounced “mick-pawn.”)

· Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD).

· Meal Ready to Eat (MRE). A high-calorie meal that is packaged in a wrapper and is usually despised by the military ranks. The meal consists of about 3,600 calories.

· Miles and Miles of F**king Desert (unofficial report in Gulf War) (MMFD).

· Never Again Volunteer Yourself (NAVY).

· National Emergency Airborne Command Post (NEACP). An acronym that is pronounced “kneecap.” The Boeing E-4 is designed to serve as a mobile command post for the President’s staff in the case of a nuclear attack.

· NonFunctioning Gear (NFG). A label used on broken equipment in the Navy and Air Force. It can also mean No F**king Good.

· Naval Flight Officer (NFO). The weapons officer of the aircraft who is responsible for discharging weapons during flights.

· Oh S**t Moment (U.S. Marine Corps) (OSM).

· Out There Flapping (Airborne) (OTF).

· Pretty Freakin’ Awesome (PFA). An acronym adopted from the band Willy Pete in the song “PFA.”

· Pure F**king Magic (PFM). When Airmen and Marines have to explain something to someone that might not understand.

· Parachute Landing Fall (PLF).

· Park the Mother and Call the Shop (PMCS). A humorous term that was coined from the original meaning of Preventative, Maintenance, Checks, and Services.

· Preventative Maintenance Scheduled (PMS). Alternatively can mean Pure Meaningless S**t.

· Person Other than Grunt (POG). Carries a derogatory connotation.

· Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants (POL). An acronym coined to refer to different types of fuel like gas, diesel, and other types of petroleum.

· Problem Occurs Between Chair And Keyboard (POBCAK).

· Person Other than Grunt (POG). (All non-combat arms job fields i.e. any MOS or CMF other than infantry, cavalry, armor, and artillery; among infantrymen, refers to anyone other than infantry or Special Forces)

· Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance (PPPPPPP).

· Recruit Chief Petty Officer (RCPO). Pronounced “are-pock.” Not inherently derogatory, but is used dismissively for fun and humor.

· Rear Echelon Mother F**ker (REMF).

· Retired on Active Duty (ROAD). Generally, it refers to any service member who is lazy and ineffective, typically those weeks or months away from leaving the military.

· Return to Base (RTB).

· Read the F**king Manual (RFTM). An acronym coined to express an aggravated response to someone who is asking a precise, complex technical question.

· Right Out of My Ass Data (ROMA Data). Unverifiable created data (different from SWAG).

· RatS**t (RS). (Australia – related to U.S. – Unserviceable).

· Situational Awareness (SA).

· Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF).

· Secretary of the Army (SECARMY).

· Survivable Enduring Command Center (SECC).

· Security Clearance (Management System) (SECCLEAR).

· Secretary of Defense (SECDEF).

· Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV).

· Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE).

· S**t Out of Luck (SOL). (U.S. Army)

· S**t Out of Luck and Jolly Well F**ked (SOLJWF). (U.S. Marines)

· Situation Normal All F**ked up/Fouled Up (SNAFU).

· Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

· S**t On a Shingle and Same Old S**t (SOS). It was initially derived from the Morse code signal for distress. S**t on a shingle refers to ground beef on toast and gravy, while the latter definition being self-explanatory.

· Same S**t Different Day (SSDD).

· Same S**t Different Day Bigger Shovel (SSDDBS).

· Start Point (SP). A U.S. Army term.

· Stupid Tankers Under Mortar Protection (STUMP). Typically used by an infantryman in a derogatory manner towards personnel in armored units.

· Small Unit Coward (SUC). A created MOS for individuals who are deemed cowardly or unfit for duty.

· Scientific/Swinging Wild Ass Guess (SWAG).

· Situation Unchanged, Still F**ked Up (SUSFU).

· Scientific Wild Ass Guess (SWAG).

· Sealed With A Kiss (SWAK).

· Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO). Also used by the Pentagon as a designation for aircraft integral to the U.S. nuclear warfare program.

· Things Are Really F**ked Up, or Things Are Royally F**ked Up (TARFU).

· The Hooah Syndrome (THS). A term coined in the Army for when a leader holds everyone to extremely high technical standards.

· Tactical Operations Center Roach (TOCRoach). The TOC is a well-protected location and is where command and operational staff work. Tocroach, subsequently, is a derogatory term.

· Top Secret (TS).

· Tits Up (Dead, Inoperable), a.k.a. "tango uniform" (TU).

· Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children (USMC). Derogatory appropriation of the acronym signifying the United States Marine Corps.

· Wild-Ass Guess (WAG).

· We Eat This S**t Up (WETSU). Commonly used by those performing grueling labor.

· Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (WTF). Military alphabet code for What The F**k.

· What the F**k, over? (WTFO). A question implying sharp disbelief. A typical response is, “What the F**k, out.”

· eXecutive Officer (XO).

· You Gotta F**kin’ Be Kidding Me (YGFBKM)

· You Gotta Be S**tting Me (YGBSM)

I hope you enjoy!

References:

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (2010). Title II Regulation, 28 C.F.R., Part 35. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov

American Psychological Association (APA). (2020). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/ptsd

Cable News Network (CNN) (2020). Operation Enduring Freedom Fast Facts. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/operation-enduring-freedom-fast-facts/index.html

Department of the Army (2009). Tactics in Counterinsurgency. FM 3-23.2 Retrieved from https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/fm3_24x2.pdf

Elnitsky, C., Fisher, M., & Blevins, C. (2017b). Military service member and veteran reintegration: A conceptual analysis, unified definition, and key domains. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(1), 369. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00369

Ford, K. & Vignare, K. (2015). The evolving military learner population: A review of the literature. Online Learning, 19(1), 7-30. Retrieved from ERIC database. (EJ1061492).

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