Little Bird
AH-6 helicopter; a light, high-performance assault helicopter often used by Special Forces
LZ
Landing Zone
M4
short assault rifle
mag
magazine; a container with multiple rounds of ammunition to be fed into a gun
masha’allah
Allah’s will (Arabic)
MC-130
Combat Talon, a C-130 variant operated by the Air Force and rented by the CIA and Special Forces for air-to-air refueling as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of Special Forces troops
merc
mercenary
MI6
British foreign intelligence service; also known as SIS
Mi-8
Soviet-designed, Russian-built helicopter, NATO codenamed Hip
MRE
Meals, Ready-to-Eat-combat rations
muj
slang for mujahedin/terrorists
mut’a
temporary marriage (Arabic)
Night Stalker
Army Special Operations helicopter regiment specializing in nighttime and adverse conditions in support of Army Special Operations
NOC
Non-official cover; the most secretive type of CIA case officer operating without the protection of an official cover
NVG
Night Vision Goggles
OBL
Osama bin Laden; CIA usage is UBL
OGA
Other Government Agency-military slang for the CIA
on deck
on the ground; on site
operative
a clandestine agent, spy
operator
a highly trained, Special Forces counterterrorism soldier
opsec
operational security
overheads
satellite images
overwatch
security; a position responsible for providing operational security and keeping track of the key players; also called tertiary position or guardian angel
Pave Hawk
medium-sized utility helicopter; Special Forces variant of a Black Hawk
Pave Low
large-sized utility helicopter; Special Forces variant of a Super Jolly Green Giant
quasi-personal
something that is issued to a cover operative as an accessory to an alias to make it seem more realistic
plastic tie
plastic electricians’ ties used as handcuffs
PT
physical training; exercises
rack
slang for bed
read into
to have official knowledge of a secret project
recon
reconnaissance
rendition
the CIA system of kidnapping suspected terrorists anywhere outside the US and taking them on secret flights for interrogation and torture in either a select Third World country or a secret CIA prison (“black site”) outside US legal jurisdiction
ROE
Rules of Engagement
RPG
rocket propelled grenade
SABER TOOTH
Hunter Stone’s call sign
Semper Fi
short for “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful), the motto of the Marine Corps
SERE training
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training
sigint
signals intelligence-electronic intercepts
SIS
Secret Intelligence Service; British foreign intelligence, also known as MI6
sitrep
situation report
SMEAC
Situation, Mission, Execution, Admin & logistic, Command & signal
SOCOM
Special Operations Command, oversees Special Operations commands of all branches of the military
SOCOM pistol
Heckler & Koch Mark.23 offensive pistol developed for US Special Operations forces; many operators prefer the slightly smaller and less awkward civilian version, the USP Tactical
SOP
Standard Operating Procedure
souk
market, bazaar (Arabic)
spec ops
Special Operations
SSB
Strategic Support Branch, the Pentagon’s new spy organization responsible for black units of Special Forces operators specially trained to collect human intelligence and run covert actions; the agency responsible for Force Zulu
tango
slang for terrorist
tier-one operator
the military’s most highly trained combatants; DEVGRU SEALs, Delta Force and Recon Marines
TIN MAN
Manuel “Iggy” Ignatius’ call sign (Black Management’s Chief of Operations)
USP Tactical
Heckler & Koch offensive sidearm, smaller version of the SOCOM USP
webbing
a lacing system on vests, belts and body armor that allows attachment of pockets and pouches for ammunition, grenades, first aid kit, radio, canteen, etc.
wet job
assassination, hit
wingman
pilot who flies beside and behind the lead aircraft, providing support and protection
XM8
experimental Heckler & Koch assault rifle, designed to replace the M4 and M16
zip-tie
flex-cuff; plastic restraints similar to electricians’ ties
Through selfless commitment and compassion for all people, Blackwater works to make a difference in the world and provide hope to those who still live in desperate times.
– Blackwater USA, LLC
The Facts Behind the Fiction
The Outsourcing of War and Espionage in the 21st Century
During the Cold War, the battle lines were clear: soldiers were soldiers and spies were spies-and they all took home paychecks from one government or another. On the American side, the spies who gathered human intelligence were civilian employees of the CIA, lurking in the shadows of history, secretly breaking foreign laws to quietly manipulate international affairs to the American advantage. At the same time, the Pentagon controlled all soldiers who did the obvious things soldiers (and marines) do: they fought wars for their country. In only a few short years, the global War on Terror changed all of this: soldiers are now spies; spies are now soldiers and tens of thousands of both soldiers and spies work for private corporations, accountable only to their shareholders. Wars, both conventional and covert, have been outsourced.
In the aftermath of 9/11, a frightened nation dumped cash into the CIA, but Congress did not expand the number of full time positions allotted to the Agency to keep pace with the funding increases, so the CIA turned to the private sector to swell its ranks. Companies were eager to pick up the new business and to meet the demand for intelligence professionals with requisite training and security clearances; after tapping into the pool of CIA retirees, they then turned to existing CIA personnel and used higher pay to lure away experienced mid-career officers into their ranks. These former CIA employees are frequently leased back to the CIA to perform their old jobs, with a higher salary for the individual and a large profit for the company. Recruitment within the Agency became so common that former CIA Director Goss intervened to stop companies from recruiting within the Agency’s own cafeteria; new CIA contracts usually carry a clause prohibiting this practice. As a direct result of outsourcing, the Agency now faces a critical personnel shortage and it can no longer function without contracted personnel. The number of contractors working for the CIA now outnumbers the Agency’s own workforce.