Left Behind: In 30 years SEALs have seldom left behind a dead comrade, never a wounded one. Never been taken prisoner.
Let’s Get the Hell out of Dodge: SEAL talk for leaving a place, bugging out, hauling ass.
Liaison: Close-connection, cooperating person from one unit or service to another. Military liaison.
Light Sticks: Chemical units that make light after twisting to release chemicals that phosphoresce.
Loot & Shoot: SEAL talk for getting into action on a mission.
LT: Short for lieutenant in SEAL talk.
LZ: Landing Zone.
M1-8: Russian Chopper.
M1A1 M-14: Match rifle upgraded for SEAL snipers.
M-3 Submachine Gun: WWII grease gun,45-caliber. Cheap. Introduced in 1942.
M-16: Automatic U.S. rifle. 5.56 round. Magazine 20 or 30, rate of fire 700 to 950 rds/min. Can attach M203 40mm grenade launcher under barrel.
M-18 Claymore: Antipersonnel mine. A slab of C-4 with 200 small ball bearings. Set off electrically or by trip wire. Can be positioned and aimed. Sprays out a cloud of balls. Kill zone 50 meters.
M60 Machine Gun: Can use 100-round ammo box snapped onto the gun’s receiver. Not used much now by SEALs.
M-60E3: Lightweight handheld machine gun. Not used now by the SEALs.
M61A1: The usual 20mm cannon used on many American fighter planes.
M61(j): Machine Pistol. Yugoslav make.
M662: A red flare for signaling.
M-86: Pursuit Deterrent Munitions. Various types of mines, grenades, trip-wire explosives, and other devices in antipersonnel use.
M-203: A 40mm grenade launcher fitted under an M-16 or the M-4A1 Commando. Can fire a variety of grenade types up to 200 yards.
MagSafe: Lethal ammunition that fragments in human body and does not exit. Favored by some police units to cut down on second kill from regular ammunition exiting a body.
Make a Peek: A quick look, usually out of the water, to check your position or tactical situation.
Mark 23 Mod O: Special operations offensive handgun system. Double-action, 12-round magazine. Ambidextrous safety and mag-release catches. Knight screw-on suppressor. Snap-on laser for sighting. .45-caliber. Weighs 4 pounds loaded. 9.5 inches long; with silencer, 16.5 inches long.
Mark II Knife: Navy-issue combat knife.
Mark VIII SDV: Swimmer Delivery Vehicle. A bus, SEAL talk. 21 feet long, beam and draft 4 feet, 6 knots for 6 hours.
Master-at-Arms: Military police commander on board a ship.
MAVRIC Lance: A nuclear alert for stolen nukes or radioactive goods.
MC-13 °Combat Talon: A specially equipped Hercules for covert missions in enemy or unfriendly territory.
McMillan M87R: Bolt-action sniper rifle. .50-caliber. 53 inches long. Bipod, fixed 5- or 10-round magazine. Bulbous muzzle brake on end of barrel. Deadly up to a mile. All types .50-caliber ammo.
MGS: Modified Grooming Standards. So SEALs don’t all look like military, to enable them to do undercover work in mufti.
MH-53J: Chopper, updated CH053 from Nam days. 200 mph, called the Pave Low III.
MH-60K Black Hawk: Navy chopper. Forward infrared system for low-level night flight. Radar for terra follow/avoidance. Crew of 3, takes 12 troops. Top speed 225 mph. Ceiling 4,000 feet. Range radius 230 miles. Arms: two 12.7mm machine guns.
MI-15: British domestic intelligence agency.
MI-16: British foreign intelligence and espionage.
MIDEASTFOR: Middle East Force.
MiG: Russian-built fighter, many versions, used in many nations around the world.
Mike Boat: Liberty boat off a large ship.
Mike-Mike: Short for mm, millimeter, as 9 mike-mike.
Milstar: Communications satellite for pickup and bouncing from SATCOM and other radio transmitters. Used by SEALs.
Minigun: In choppers. Can fire 2,000 rounds per minute. Gatling gun-type.
Mitrajez M80: Machine gun from Yugoslavia.
Mocha: Food energy bar SEALs carry in vest pockets.
Mossberg: Pump-action, pistol-grip, 5-round magazine. SEALs use it for close-in work.
Motorola Radio: Personal radio, short range, lip mike, earpiece, belt pack.
MRE: Meals Ready to Eat. Field rations used by most of U.S. Armed Forces and the SEALs as well. Long-lasting.
MSPF: Maritime Special Purpose Force.
Mugger: MUGR, Miniature Underwater Global locator device. Sends up antenna for pickup on positioning satellites. Works under water or above. Gives location within 10 feet.
Mujahideen: A soldier of Allah in Muslim nations.
NAVAIR: NAVy AIR command.
NAVSPECWARGRUP-ONE: Naval Special Warfare Group One based on Coronado, CA. SEALs are in this command.
NAVSPECWARGRUP-TWO: Naval Special Warfare Group Two based at Little Creek, VA.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A civilian operation not reporting to any Navy authority to make it more responsible and responsive. Replaces the old NIS, Naval Investigation Service, that did report to the closest admiral.
NEST: Nuclear Energy Search Team. Non-military unit that reports at once to any spill, problem, or Broken Arrow to determine the extent of the radiation problem.
NEWBIE: A new man, officer, or commander of an established military unit.
NKSF: North Korean Special Forces.
NLA: Iranian National Liberation Army. About 4,500 men in South Iraq, helped by Iraq for possible use against Iran.
Nomex: The type of material used for flight suits and hoods.
NPIC: National Photographic Interpretation Center in D.C.
NRO: National Reconnaissance Office. To run and coordinate satellite development and operations for the intelligence community.
NSA: National Security Agency.
NSC: National Security Council. Meets in Situation Room, support facility in the Executive Office Building in D.C. Main security group in the nation.
NSVHURAWN: Iranian Marines.
NUCFLASH: An alert for any nuclear problem.
NVG One Eye: Litton single-eyepiece Night-Vision Goggles. Prevents NVG blindness in both eyes if a flare goes off.
NVGs: Night-Vision Goggles. One eye or two. Give good night vision in the dark with a greenish view.
OAS: Obstacle Avoidance Sonar. Used on many low-flying attack aircraft.
OIC: Officer In Charge.
Oil Tanker: One is: 885 feet long, 140 foot beam, 121,000 tons, 13 cargo tanks that hold 35.8 million gallons of fuel, oil, or gas. 24 in the crew. This is a regular-sized tanker. Not a supertanker.
OOD: Officer Of the Deck.
Orion P-3: Navy’s long-range patrol and antisub aircraft. Some adapted to ELINT roles. Crew of 10. Max speed loaded 473 mph. Ceiling 28,300 feet. Arms: internal weapons bay and 10 external weapons stations for a mix of torpedoes, mines, rockets, and bombs.
Passive Sonar: Listening for engine noise of a ship or sub. It doesn’t give away the hunter’s presence as an active sonar would.