Langley—Located in Virginia, it is a suburb of Washington, D.C. Because the headquarters of the CIA is located here, “Langley” is also a shorthand reference to the Agency.
Light Brigade—The nineteenth British light cavalry force. It mounted light, fast horses that were unarmored and equipped with lances and sabers. Optimized for maximum mobility and speed, they were intended for reconnaissance and skirmishing. They were also ideal for cutting down retreating infantry and artillery units.
M40A1 sniper rifle—A 7.62-caliber rifle, favored by the United States Marine Corps due to its high accuracy up to a range of one thousand yards.
Marinejegerkommandoen (MJK)—The Norwegian maritime special operations force. MJK is employed in many kinds of operations, such as unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare, special reconnaissance, recovery or protection of ships and oil installations, various counterterrorism missions, hostage rescue, and direct action.
MD 530 Little Bird helicopter—A light helicopter used for special operations by the United States army and elite law enforcement units.
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD)—Commonly referred to as the D.C. Police or Metropolitan Police, MPD is the municipal police force of Washington, D.C. Formed in 1861, it is one of the ten largest police forces in the United States.
Metro Transit Police Department—The policing agency of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Created in 1976, the Metro Transit Police Department is unique in American law enforcement, as it is the only U.S. police agency that has full local police authority in three different jurisdictions (Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.)
MI6—Great Britain’s overseas intelligence agency. Correctly titled the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 is the oldest and arguably most experienced intelligence service with a global reach and presence. Its tasking and tactics are comparable to the CIA’s.
MI6 Controller—A high-ranking MI6 officer with responsibility for running a strategic clandestine division within MI6.
National Clandestine Service—The CIA directorate for clandestine activities, including the recruitment and running of foreign spies.
NSA—National Security Agency. The United States’ intelligence agency with responsibility for collecting signals intelligence.
NYC—New York City.
NYPD—New York Police Department.
Overseas Station—An intelligence agency’s unit within a foreign country. An overseas agency can employ from one to upward of twenty intelligence officers. Stations can be either “declared” to their host countries or “undeclared,” depending on the station’s activities.
Politiets Sikkerhetstjeneste—The Norwegian Police Security Service.
Quantico—A town in Prince William County, Virginia, Quantico is the site of one of the largest U.S. Marine Corps bases in the world: MCB Quantico. The base is the site of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and HMX-1 (the presidential helicopter squadron). The United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s training academy, the FBI Academy, the FBI Laboratory, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service headquarters are on the base.
Remington 870 shotgun—A pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, LLC. It is commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.
Rigspolitiet—The state national police force of Denmark, with responsibility for policing all regions governed by Denmark, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)—The national police force of Canada.
Säkerhetspolisen—The security service of Sweden.
SCAR H 7.62 mm battle rifle—A modular rifle made by FN Herstal (FNH) for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Scotland Yard—The headquarters for Great Britain’s Metropolitan Police Service.
SEALs—The United States Navy’s Sea, Air, Land teams, commonly known as the Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy’s principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command and United States Special Operations Command.
SEAL Team 6—The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), or DEVGRU, is a U.S. Navy component of Joint Special Operations Command. It is often referred to as SEAL Team Six, the name of its predecessor organization, which was officially disbanded in 1987. DEVGRU is administratively supported by Naval Special Warfare Command and operationally commanded by the Joint Special Operations Command.
Secret Intelligence Service (SIS)—Commonly referred to as MI6 (see “MI6”).
SF—Special Forces. In the United States, the term “Special Forces” is specific to a special operations organization within the U.S. Army that carries that name and is colloquially known as the Green Berets. Elsewhere in the world, the term is more generally used to describe elite military commando units.
Special Activities Division—A division of the CIA’s National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations, such as tactical paramilitary operations and covert political action.
Special Air Service (SAS)—The inspiration for all special operations military units around the world, Great Britain’s SAS is the most experienced and arguably — alongside its maritime sister, the Special Boat Service — the best Special Forces unit in the world.
Special Branch—The term used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces. A Special Branch unit acquires and develops intelligence, usually of a political nature, and conducts investigations to protect the state from perceived threats of terrorism and other extremist activity.
Special Operations Group (SOG)—The department within the CIA’s Special Activities Division responsible for operations that include the collection of intelligence in hostile countries, and high-threat military or intelligence operations with which the U.S. government does not wish to be overtly associated.
Springfield Armory’s M1911A1 Professional handgun — A reliable, high-quality pistol used by the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, regional SWAT teams, and many other federal and local special operations units.
SSCI—Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. An organization created in 1976 after Congress had investigated CIA operations on U.S. soil and established that some had been illegal. The SSCI comprises fifteen senators who are drawn from both major political parties and whose remit includes oversight of U.S. intelligence activities and ensuring transparency between the intelligence community and Congress.
SureFire tactical light—Portable lights favored by law enforcement and military units, manufactured by American company SureFire LLC.
SWAT—“Special Weapons and Tactics” is a commonly used proper name for U.S. law enforcement units that use military-style light weapons and specialized tactics in high-risk operations that fall outside of the capabilities of regular, uniformed police.
United Nations Security Council (UNSC)—One of the six principal organs of the United Nations, the UNSC is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. The permanent members of the UNSC are the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and China.