Fortress

GLOSSARY

ACU — Army Combat Uniform

ANA — Afghan National Army

Bergen — Full size British Army combat rucksack

Bradley — US-made armoured fighting vehicle

Desert rose — British Army slang for a crude urinal comprising a large tin with the top removed and the bottom perforated.

DSF — Director of Special Forces in the UK

Hesco barrier — A collapsible wire-mesh container and heavy-duty fabric liner, which can be filled with sand or rubble and used as a barrier against explosions or small-arms.

ISAF — International Security Assistance Force, a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established in 2001 by the UN Security Council. Its main purpose is to train Afghan National Security forces and assist in rebuilding key government institutions. It is also engaged in the war with insurgent groups.

ISO container — A shipping and storage container. ISO stands for International Standards Organization.

MPV — Multi-purpose vehicle

MTP — Multi-Terrain Pattern; a camouflage pattern printed on equipment issued to British forces.

NVs — Night-vision goggles

OBL — Osama Bin Laden

One-star — Brigadier general in the US Army

PE — Plastic explosive

POTUS — President of the United States of America

PSNI — Police Service of Northern Ireland

RPG — Rocket-propelled grenade

RTU — Returned to unit

SCO19 — Metropolitan Police Service Specialist Firearms Command

Shura — Arabic word for ‘consultation’; used to describe a tribal gathering.

SO6 — Metropolitan Police Service Diplomatic Protection Group

UNHCR — United Nations refugee agency

WO2 — Warrant Officer class 2