Humint/Sigint: Human and Signals (electronic) intelligence. Information collected by interrogating people or eavesdropping on electronic communications.
IBA: Standard issue body armor. Each letter pronounced. Stands for the trade name, “Interceptor Body Armor.”
Weighs about 35 pounds. Double-lapped Kevlar strips give moderate shrapnel protection across most of the upper torso and, with mission-specific attachments, the groin, neck, shoulder and upper arms as well.
In addition, four “ballistic inserts,” made up of special ceramics and a thin steel backing, cover the upper chest/back and lower sides of the rib cage. Providing protection against even armor piercing small arms rounds (usually).
IED: Improvised Explosive Devices. Unfortunately, infinite variety in size, composition, triggering mechanisms, delivery means and concealment methods. Fall broadly in 3 general categories:
Claymore-like (anti-personnel): At its simplest, just a small bomb designed to throw out lots of shrapnel in a specific direction. Sometimes combined with homemade napalm, poisonous gases and/or acids because some people think bombs are just not lethal enough.
Shaped charge (anti-vehicle): Sometimes just a single, large convex copper plate in a tube with an explosive propellant in the closed end. Other times, sophisticated multi-battery arrays of different slugs. Intended to do one thing: hurl superheated armor-penetrating projectiles at close range into passing vehicles. Often kills occupants without destroying the vehicle.
Blast (anti-everything): From a simple artillery shell in a trash bag on the side of the road to multi-ton truck bombs and everything in between. Usually employed against buildings, fortified positions (ex. checkpoints, heavily armored vehicles) or for pure terror purposes.
Tragically, there is no rule stating that an IED can’t combine elements of all the above.
IFV: Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Heavily armored and well-armed vehicle intended to not just deliver infantry to the fight, but fight alongside them. Almost always tracked.
Javelin: Expensive and heavy super-bazooka. Fire and forget, it has the options of direct or “top attack” modes. Max effective range: 2500 meters.
Kevlar /K-pod: Nicknames for the standard issue Kevlar helmet.
LZ: Landing Zone
M1 Abrams: 72 ton US main battle tank. Armor made out of laminated strips of steel, special ceramics and depleted uranium making it the most heavily armored tank in the world.
Behind that armor sits a massive, German-designed cannon coupled with an extremely accurate fire control computer allowing a decently trained crew to hit a moving target, while the tank itself is moving, at over a mile. Effective range from a stationary position is unknown, but from Gulf War experience, at least four miles.
Also, propelled by a modified F-16 jet turbine engine, making it the fastest moving tracked vehicle on the battlefield.
Basic Armament: 120mm smoothbore cannon (Effective range: 6000m+)
7.62mm coax MG
50 Cal MG (turret ring)
7.62mm MG (loader)
Bradley: M-2 Bradley. The Army’s heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle. More than a “battle taxi,” it’s intended to fight alongside the 6 man (9 in a pinch) infantry squad it transports. Crew of 3. Armor several times stronger than that of a M113, but a fraction of a true tank.
Basic Armament: 1x 25mm Bushmaster automatic cannon
1x 7.62mm coax M240B (400m effective range)
2x TOW Antitank guided missiles (2000m effective range)
M-4: An M-16 with a slightly shorter barrel and “collapsible” buttstock. The standard rifle of the infantry and most combat arms branches (Infantry, Armor, Artillery, Combat Engineers).
M113: The Army’s generic, turret-less APC. Lightly armored and lightly (if at all) armed. Is essentially a “battle taxi.” Quite adaptable, however, with dozens of modified variants. Most commonly used as: transport for front-line, but non-combat support personnel, mortar carrier, armored ambulance, mobile command center. Minimum crew of 2. Unlike most US equipment, it is cheap and easily maintained.
MBT: Main Battle Tank. Extremely heavily armored and armed tank. Does not carry infantry internally.
MOPP Suit: Mission Oriented Protective Posture. Standard issue, ruggedized set of protective clothing and equipment, including gas mask, that provides head to toe protection against chemical agents and radioactive dust.
NBC: Nuclear, biological, chemical warfare. The really nasty stuff.
NCO: Generic term for all sergeants, from E-5 to E-9’s. Stands for Non-Commissioned Officer. Each letter always sounded out for some reason. Never pronounced “Nico.” Never called “Noncoms” in the modern military.
NODs: Night vision goggles. Officially, Night Observation Devices. Pronounced “nahds.”
OPFOR: Opposing Force. Mainly called so in training.
OpOrder: Operations Order. General plan.
QRF: Quick Reaction Force.
Reaper drone: MQ-9 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. The latest, hunter-killer variety of the famous Predator surveillance drone. Can deliver 3,800 lbs of ordinance out to a range of 1,150 miles.
ROE: Rules of engagement. General guidelines for the use of force, usually accompanied by a list of situational specific do or don’t shoot. Always prefaced with the disclaimer, “Nothing in these Rules of Engagement limits your right to take appropriate action to defend yourself and your unit.”
SAW: M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Standard light machine gun, 5.56mm. Replaced the Vietnam-era M-60. Pronounced simply “saw.” Fires the exact same ammo as the M16, but belt-fed. Can fire from a standard magazine in a pinch, but that drastically ups the failure to feed rate (jamming).
S-X: The command staff of a unit. Starting at Battalion level and higher, each unit’s headquarters staff has 6 “S Shops.” Divisions and Corps designations start with G:
— S-1: Personnel and general administration. Roughly equivalent to civilian HR.
— S-2: intelligence/counter-intelligence.
— S-3: Operations & Training. The largest section. Responsible for turning the commander’s general directives into detailed plans and “managing” the battle.
— S-4: Supply & Maintenance
— S-5: Civil Affairs/Psychological Operations.
— S-6: Signal (communications/IT)
TC: Track (or vehicle) commander. Every military vehicle has a minimum crew of 2: driver and track/vehicle commander.
TOC: Tactical Operations Center. Fancy way to say command post.
TOW: Tube launched, Optically tracked, Wire guided missile. Most powerful ground-launched anti-tank missile in the arsenal. The modern varieties can be guided to their target via remote control out to a range of 4.5 km. Mounted on a tripod or vehicle. Delivers tandem shaped charge warheads (5.9 kg HE) that are able to penetrate at least 16 inches of solid steel.
WILCO: Radio speak for “Will comply.” Often used as a way to express displeasure or disagreement with an order without openly stating so.