1MC — General announcing circuit, shipwide public address system
ADC — Acoustic Device, Countermeasure
ADCAP — Advanced Capability
ASAP — As soon as possible
ASDS — Advanced SEAL Delivery System
ASW — Antisubmarine Warfare
ATT — Antitorpedo Torpedo
Bisht — A loose cloak worn on special occasions
BMC — Battle Management Center
BMP — A Russian armored personnel carrier. In Russian it stands for “Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty” and is translated into English as “Infantry Combat Vehicle.”
CAG — Carrier Air Group
CAP — Combat Air Patrol
CENTCOM — Central Command
CIA — Central Intelligence Agency
CJCS — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
CNN — Cable News Network
CNO — Chief of Naval Operations
CO — Commanding Officer
COB — Chief of the Boat
CPA — Closest Point of Approach
CRRC — Combat Rubber Raiding Craft, phonetically spoken as SIRK
CSG — Carrier Strike Group
CT — Cryptologic Technician
CVN — Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier
DShK — A Russian 12.7mm machine gun. In Russian it stands for “Degtyaryova-Shpagina Krupnokaliberny” and is translated into English as “Degtyaryov-Shpagin Large-Calibre.”
GBU — Guided Bomb Unit
GPS — Global Positioning System
Growler — Electronic warfare variant of the F/A-18F Super Hornet
Hadiths — Written reports of statements or actions of Muhammad, or of his tacit approval of something said or done in his presence
Halal — A term designating any object or an action as permissible according to Islamic law
Hijab — A term used to describe both the traditional head covering worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general
HUMINT — Human Intelligence
IAEA — International Atomic Energy Agency
IAF — Israeli Air Force
IED — Improvised Explosive Device
IR-40 — Iranian 40 megawatt (thermal) heavy water reactor
IRGC — Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, aka Pasdaran
JO — Junior Officer
Ka-bar — U.S. military fighting/utility knife
Klick — Slang for kilometer
KL — Iranian copy of the Russian AK-47 assault rifle
KPH — Kilometers per hour
MBITR — Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio
MEK — People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran. In Farsi, it stands for “Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.”
MG-24 — A Russian submarine deployed acoustic countermeasure. The Russian designation means “drifting compact device active sonar interference.”
MG-519 Arfa — Mine-hunting/collision avoidance sonar on Russian submarines
MGK-400 Rubikon — Sonar suite on Russian Project 877 Kilo-class submarines
NAVSEA — Naval Sea Systems Command
NAVSPECWARCOM — Naval Special Warfare Command
NGA — National Geospatial Agency
NIC — National Intelligence Counsel
NIE — National Intelligence Estimate
NIO — National Intelligence Officer
NOFORN — Not Releasable to Foreign Nationals
NSA — National Security Agency
OIC — Officer in Charge
ONI — Office of Naval Intelligence
OOD — Officer of the Deck
PKM — Russian 7.62mm light machine gun. In Russian, it stands for “Pulemyot Kalashnikova. Modernizirovanny” and is translated into English as “Kalashnikov’s Machinegun Modernized.”
PNG — Persona Non Grata
POTUS — President of the United States
Pu-239 — Plutonium 239
RIB — Rigid Inflatable Boat
Rivet Joint — RC-135 signals intelligence aircraft
RPG — Rocket Propelled Grenade (slang). In Russian, it stands for “Ruchnoy Protivotankovy Granatomyot” and is translated into English as “handheld antitank grenade-launcher.”
S8G — Submarine, 8th generation reactor, produced by General Electric. Reactor plant fitted in Ohio-class ballistic missile and cruise missile submarines.
SAM — Surface-to-Air Missile
SATCOM — Satellite Communications
SAVAK — National Intelligence and Security Organization. In Farsi, it stands for “Sazeman-e Ettela’at va Amniyat-e Keshvar.”
SCAR — Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle
SDV — Swimmer Delivery Vehicle
SEAL — Sea, Air, Land, U.S. Navy Special Forces
SECDEF — Secretary of Defense Sierra — A U.S. Navy designation indicating that a contact was detected and being tracked by a sonar system.
SIGINT — Signals Intelligence
SM-3 — Standard Missile 3, U.S. Navy ballistic missile defense system
SOCOM — Special Operations Command
SOF — Special Operations Forces
SSBN — Nuclear Powered Ballistic Missile Submarine
SSGN — Nuclear Powered Cruise Missile Submarine
Thobe — Arabic for garment. Generally a long tunic worn by men.
TWCC — Tomahawk Weapons Control Center
UAV — Unmanned Air Vehicle
U-235 — Uranium 235
U-238 — Uranium 238
VEVAK — Ministry of Intelligence and National Security. In Farsi, “Vezarat-e Ettela’at va Amniyat-e Keshvar.”
VFA — Naval Strike Fighter Squadron
VIP — Very Important Person
VTC — Video Teleconference
WINPAC — Weapons Intelligence, Nonproliferation and Arms Control Center in CIA
WMD — Weapons of Mass Destruction
XO — Executive Officer
Zodiac — aka Z-bird, type of combat rubber raiding craft
Zulu — Military designation that indicates a time is in reference to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Universal Time.