C4: Plastic explosive
CAR-15: Compact model of the M-16 rifle
CAS: Close Air Support
CATF: Commander, Amphibious Task Force
CDC: Combat Direction Center aboard a ship
CG: Commanding General
Chickenshit: An adjective that describes a person or a situation as being particularly draconian, overly strict, unfair, or malicious
CHP: California Highway Patrol
CLU: Command Launch Unit for the Javelin AT missile
CNO: Chief of Naval Operations
CO: Commanding Officer Cover: Hat, headgear CP: Command Post CPU: Computer Processing Unit CPX: Command Post Exercise CRRC: Combat Rubber Raiding Craft CRT: Cathode-Ray Tube CS: Tear gas
CSAR: Combat Search and Rescue
CVBG: Carrier Battle Group
Dashika: Slang name for the Soviet DShK 12.7-millimeter heavy machine gun
DDG: Guided-Missile Destroyer
DEA: Drug Enforcement Agency
Det Cord: Detonating cord
DJMS: Defense Joint Military Pay System
DPV: Desert Patrol Vehicle
Draeger Mk V: Underwater air supply equipment
DZ: Drop Zone
E&E: Escape and Evasion
Enfilade Fire: Gunfire that sweeps along an enemy formation
EPW: Enemy Prisoner of War
ER: Emergency Room (hospital)
ERP: En route Rally Point; a rally point that a patrol leader chooses while moving to or from an objective
ESP: Extrasensory Perception
ETS: End of Term of Service
FLIR: Forward-Looking Infrared Radar
Four-Shop: Logistics Section of the staff
French Leave: See AWOL
FRH: Flameless Ration Heater
Front-Leaning Rest: The position assumed to begin push-ups; it is customary to place malfeasants or clumsy personnel in the front-leaning rest for punishment, since it is anything but a "rest"
FTX: Field Training Exercise
G-3: The training and operations staff section of a unit commanded by a general officer
GHQ: General Headquarters
GI: Government Issue
GPS: Global Positioning System
Gunny: Marine Corps for the rank of Gunnery Sergeant E-7
HAHO: High-Altitude High-Opening parachute jump
HALO: High-Altitude Low-Opening parachute jump Hamas: Palestinian terrorist organization that has been voted into office in Palestine; their charter calls for the destruction of Israel.
HE: High Explosive
Head: Navy and Marine Corps term for toilet; called a latrine in the Army
HEAT: High-Explosive Anti-Tank
Heel-and-toe: See watch-and-watch
Hell Week: The fifth week of BUD/S that is more than five days of continuous activity and training with little or no sleep
Hezbollah: A militant Islamic terrorist organization located in Lebanon; it was organized in response to the Israeli occupation and is still active
H&K MP-5: Heckler & Koch MP-5 submachine gun
Hors de combat: Out of the battle (expression in French)
HSB: High-Speed Boat
IFV: Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Immediate Action: A quick, sometimes temporary fix to a mechanical problem
IR: Infrared
IRP: Initial Rally Point; a place within friendly lines where a patrol assembles prior to moving out on the mission
Island: The superstructure of an aircraft carrier or assault ship
JCOS: Joint Chiefs of Staff
JSOC: Joint Special Operation Command
K-Bar: A brand of knives manufactured for military and camping purposes
KD Range: Known-Distance Firing Range
Keffiyeh: Arab headdress (what Yasser Arafat wore)
KGB: Russian organization of security, espionage, and intelligence left over from the old Soviet Union
KIA: Killed In Action
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid--or more politely, Keep It Simple, Sweetheart
LBE: Load-Bearing Equipment
Light Sticks: Flexible plastic tubes that illuminate
Limpet Mine: An explosive mine attached to the hulls of vessels
Locked Heels: When a serviceman is getting a severe vocal reprimand, it is said he is having his "heels locked"--i. E., standing at attention while someone is bellowing in his face.
LSO: Landing Signal Officer
LSSC: Light SEAL Support Craft
LZ: Landing Zone
M-18 Claymore Mine: A mine fired electrically with a blasting cap
M-60 E3: A compact model of the M-60 machine gun
M-67: An antipersonnel grenade M-203: A single-shot 40-millimeter grenade launcher
MATC: A fast river support craft
MC: Medical Corps
MCPO: Master Chief Petty Officer
Medevac: Medical Evacuation
MI-5: United Kingdom Intelligence and Security Agency
Mk 138 Satchel Charge: Canvas container filled with explosive
MLR: Main line of Resistance
Mossad: Israeli Intelligence Agency (ha-Mossad le-Modiin ule-Tafkidim Meyuhadim--Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks)
MRE: Meal, Ready to Eat
MSSC: Medium SEAL Support Craft
Murphy's Law: An assumption that if something can go wrong, it most certainly will
N2: Intelligence Staff
N3: Operations Staff
NAS: Naval Air Station
NAVSPECWAR: Naval Special Warfare
NCO: Noncommissioned Officers--i. E., corporals and sergeants
NCP: Navy College Program
NFL: National Football League
NROTC: Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
NVB: Night-Vision Binoculars
NVG: Night-Vision Goggles
NVS: Night-Vision Sight
OA: Operational Area
OCONUS: Outside the Continental United States
OCS: Officer Candidate School OER: Officer's Efficiency Report OP: Observation Post
OPLAN: Operations Plan; this is the preliminary form of an OPORD
OPORD: Operations Order; this is the directive derived from the OPLAN of how an operation is to be carried out; it's pretty much etched in stone
ORP: Objective Rally Point--a location chosen before or after reaching the objective; here a patrol can send out recon on the objective, make final preparations, reestablish the chain of command, and perform other activities necessary either before or right after action
PBL: Patrol Boat, Light
PC: Patrol Coastal vessel
PDQ: Pretty Damn Quick
PIA: Pakistan International Airlines
PLF: Parachute Landing Fall
PM: Preventive Maintenance
PMC: Private Military Company; these are businesses that supply bodyguards, security personnel, and mercenary civilian fighting men to persons or organizations wanting to hire them
PO: Petty Officer (e. G., PO1C is Petty Officer First Class)
POV: Privately Owned Vehicle
PPPP: Piss-Poor Prior Planning
PT: Physical Training
Puhtee: An Afghan rolled stocking cap that can be worn in many ways
RHIP: Rank Has Its Privileges
RIB: Rigid Inflatable Boat
RIO: Radar Intercept Officer
RON: Remain OverNight; generally refers to patrols
RPG: Rocket-Propelled Grenade RPM: Revolutions Per Minute R and R: Rest and Relaxation, Rest and
Recuperation, and a few other things used by the troops to describe short liberties or furloughs to kick back and enjoy themselves
RRP: Reentry Rally Point; a site outside the range of friendly lines, to pause and prepare for reentry
RTO: Radio Telephone Operator
Run-flat tires: Solid-rubber inserts that allow a vehicle to run even when its tires have been punctured
SAS: Special Air Services--an extremely deadly and super-efficient special operations unit of the British Army
SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon--M249 5.56-millimeter magazine-or clip-fed machine gun
SCPO: Senior Chief Petty Officer
SCUBA: Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus