Within an hour, the keel will be emplaced and the George H. W. Bush will begin its existence as the most modern of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers. It is comforting to reflect that when the USS George H. W. Bush joins George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the battle line of our fleet, its entire military capability will be vested in the young Navy flyers of a later generation, who will have as their inspiration the example of the skill, commitment, and courage of that carrier’s eponym, George Herbert Walker Bush.
Abbreviations and Acronyms
AA — antiaircraft
AAA — antiaircraft artillery
ACDA — Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
AdCom — administrative command
ADIZ — air defense identification zone
AE — ammunition ship
AEC — Atomic Energy Commission
AF — store ship
AFS — combat store ship
AG — miscellaneous support ship
AIM — air intercept missile
AirLant — commander, Naval Air Force, Atlantic
AirPac — commander, Naval Air Force, Pacific
ALNAV — all Navy message
ANA — Association of Naval Aviation
ANRP — Airborne Nuclear Reactor Program
AO — oiler
AOE — fast combat support ship
AP — armor-piercing
APC — armored personnel carrier
ARB — aircraft rearming boat
ARG — Amphibious Ready Group
ARM — antiradiation missile
ARVN — Army of the Republic of [South] Vietnam
ASW — antisubmarine warfare
ATAR — antitank aircraft rocket
AvGas — aviation gasoline
BB — battleship
BDA — bomb-damage assessment
BM — boatswain’s mate
BN — bombardier/navigator
BuPers — Bureau of Naval Personnel
BuShips — Bureau of Ships
C6F — Commander, Sixth Fleet
C7F — Commander, Seventh Fleet
CA — heavy (8-inch) gun cruiser
CAP — combat air patrol
CarDiv — carrier division
CAS — close air support
CCDG — Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group
CentCom — Central Command
CEO — chief executive officer
CGN — nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser
CIA — Central Intelligence Agency
CIC — Combat Information Center
CinC — Commander in Chief
CinCEur — Commander in Chief, European Command
CinCLant — Commander in Chief, Atlantic Command
CinCLantFlt — Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet
CinCPac — Commander in Chief, Pacific Command
CinCPacFlt — Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet
CincUSNavEur — Commander in Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe
CLG — guided missile light cruiser
CNO — Chief of Naval Operations
CNP — Chief of Naval Personnel
CO — commanding officer
COD — carrier on-board delivery
ComNavAirPac — Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific Fleet
CONUS — continental United States
CPO — chief petty officer
CPX — command post exercise
CRT — cathode ray tube
CTF — commander, task force
CTG — commander, task group
CTU — commander, task unit
CV — multipurpose aircraft carrier
CVA — attack aircraft carrier
CVAN — attack aircraft carrier, nuclear powered
CVE — escort aircraft carrier
CVL — light aircraft carrier
CVN — aircraft carrier, nuclear powered
CVS — support (ASW) aircraft carrier
CVT — aircraft carrier, training
CVW — carrier air wing
DCNO — Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
DD — destroyer
DDG — guided-missile destroyer
DE — escort ship
DefCon — defense readiness condition
DLGN — guided-missile frigate, nuclear powered
DMZ — Demilitarized Zone
DoD — Department of Defense
DPG — Defense Planning Guidance
EuCom — European Command
FAC — forward air controller
FAFIK — Fifth Air Force in Korea
FAGU — fleet air gunnery unit
FASRon — fleet aircraft service squadron
FAX — fighter attack plane, experimental
FEAF — Far East Air Force
FEBA — forward edge of the battle area
FFAR — forward-firing aircraft rocket
FY — fiscal year
GCA — ground-controlled approach
GDA — gun-damage assessment
GI — enlisted person or veteran
GP — general purpose
GQ — general quarters
GS — general service
HC — high-capacity
HM — helicopter mine countermeasures squadron
hp — horsepower
HVAR — high-velocity aircraft rocket
ICBM — intercontinental ballistic missile
ID — identification
ISE — independent steaming exercises
JCS — Joint Chiefs of Staff
j.g. — junior grade
JOC — Joint Operations Center
JP — jet fuel
JS — Joint Staff
JSF — joint strike fighter
JSOP — Joint Strategic Objective Plan
KOG — kindly old gentleman (Admiral Rickover’s nickname)
LABS — low-altitude bombing system
LCS(L) — landing craft, support (large)
LDO — limited duty officer
LOC — line(s) of communication
LPD — amphibious transport, dock
LPH — amphibious assault ship
LSD — landing ship, dock
LSO — landing signal officer
LST — landing ship, tank