LACROSSE — new generation of high-resolution radar imaging satellites; transmits intelligence data to Earth by data link
LSD — large-screen display; main processed radar data display of the Aegis naval battle group air defense system; also Landing Ship, Dock, an amphibious assault ship that carries large floating dock pieces to offload supply ships during beach assaults
M61A1 — standard 20-millimeter cannon of many American fighter aircraft
MAC — Military Airlift Command, the Air Force organization responsible for most American military transport duties
MAJCOM — Major Command, the main organizations directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the National Command Authority; divided into specified (single-service) or unified (joint-service) commands
Megafortress — (F) unclassified nickname of the EB-52 strategic “battleship” escort aircraft
MEU — Marine Expeditionary Unit, the smallest and most responsive of the U.S. Marine Corps’ air-ground task forces; usually made up of two thousand Marines and Navy personnel and usually deployed with Navy fleets
MFD — multi-function display, an instrument screen in a modern aircraft cockpit that displays different data and performs different functions, depending on the selected mode
Mk 82 — standard five-hundred-pound general-purpose high-explosive bomb
MNP — Moro National Party, the pro-Islamic political organization active in the southern Philippines
MOA — Military Operating Area, a piece of airspace set aside for high-performance fighter activity; the military is responsible for aircraft separation
Murene NTL-90 — French-made air-launched torpedo
MUTES — Multiple Target Emitter Site, a mobile electronic threat complex used in training missions by the Strategic Air Command; simulates many different types of enemy radar-guided air-defense weapons
MV-22A — Marine Corps amphibious assault version of the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft
Nansha Dao — Chinese name for the Spratly Islands National Security Advisor — coordinates activities of the National Security Council and reports directly to the President
National Security Council — principal advisory group to the President on defense matters; composed of the Vice President, Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Director of Central Intelligence
NAVSTAR — unclassified nickname of the Global Positioning System of navigation satellites
NCA — National Command Authority, composed of the President of the United States and the Secretary of Defense, who command all combat forces through the operational chain of command
New People’s Army — the Communist guerrilla forces of the National Democratic Front, a major antigovemment force in the Philippines
New Philippine Army — the name of the reorganized Philippine defense forces
NIRTSat — (F) Need It Right This Second satellites, a series of lightweight communications, intelligence, and reconnaissance satellites launched by small, quick-response space boosters such as ALARM.
NMCC — National Military Command Center, the main command-control-communications facility for senior Pentagon commanders
NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command, the joint multi-service U.S. and Canadian organization responsible for surveillance and air-defense operations of North America; located within Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado
NSA — National Security Agency, the agency responsible for interpreting and disseminating intelligence information
NSC — National Security Council
OPLAN — Operations Plan, generally referring to the pre-planned series of military responses drawn for various parts of the world
OSO — Offensive Systems Officer, the navigator-bombardier on a B-1 strategic bomber
PACAF — Pacific Air Forces, the major Air Force command responsible for all air operations from the U.S. West Coast to Africa
PACER SKY — (F) a satellite-based reconnaissance system that transmits real-time infrared, visual, and radar satellite data to a ground or airborne terminal to provide aircrews or commanders with up-to-the-minute information on enemy troop positions Palawan — the westernmost island province of the Philippines; very sparsely settled and remote
PCS — permanent change of station; generally any military assignment lasting more than 180 days
Phalanx CIWS — CIWS, or Close-In Weapon System; Phalanx is a radar-guided 30-millimeter Gatling gun used by many classes of naval vessels for last-ditch defense against antiship missiles
Powder River — a MOA (Military Operating Area) covering parts of Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota, part of the Strategic Training Range Complex of the Strategic Air Command; used as a fighter-intercept area and bombing range
PRC — People’s Republic of China
PRF — pulse repetition frequency, the rate at which a radar system transmits electronic signals; faster PRF rates usually denote very high-precision radar tracking, as for gun or missile control
PT — physical training
Puerto Princesa — the main city and capital of the island province of Palawan in the Philippines
RC-135X — a version of the Strategic Air Command’s series of strategic reconnaissance aircraft, specifically designed to locate, classify, and target enemy surface-to-air missile sites
RCS — radar cross-section, the apparent size of a target on a radar, referring to the ability of a radar to detect a target at a given range; mostly a function of the size and structural composition of the target
RED FLAG — a large-scale tactical air war game exercise held several times a year at Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada, involving hundreds of aircraft from all over the world
RHAWS — Radar Heading and Warning System, a display in many modern fighter aircraft that warns of the presence, direction, and type of enemy radars
RIO — Radar Intercept Officer, the “backseater” in an F-14 Tomcat carrier-based fighter responsible for locating enemy targets
RK-55 — standard twenty-kiloton tactical nuclear warhead designed in the Soviet Union and used extensively by many Soviet client countries
ROE — Rules of Engagement, the set of orders briefed to military personnel (usually fighter pilots) on when they may attack enemy forces; designed so that commanders may have strict control of a situation at all times, but also to provide maximum protection for crew members on the scene
RON — Remain Overnight; usually referring to an unplanned diversion
RPG — rocket-propelled grenade, usually an antitank weapon carried by infantry RTB — Return To Base
SA-2 — Soviet long-range surface-to-air missile system; older system, capable only against high-altitude targets
SA-11 — Soviet medium-range, high-performance surface-to-air missile system
SAC — Strategic Air Command, primary long-range air offensive military organization in the United States, responsible for land-based strategic bombers, long-range land-based nuclear missiles, aerial refueling tankers, and long-range strategic reconnaissance and communications aircraft