Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts

GLOSSARY

ADCAP: advanced capability.

Aegis system: U.S. Navy total weapons system that has multi-function radar capable of automatically detecting and tracking more than one hundred targets and launching guided missiles simultaneously at one hundred nautical miles.

AK-47: lightweight and compact Russian assault rifle that fires 7.62mm cartridges. One of the first assault rifles (1947), it is reliable and easy to use in the field. Also called Kalashnikov, after its designer.

Alaska barrier: twelve-foot-high reinforced concrete barrier.

ANZAC: Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

AOR: area of responsibility. Geographical area for which a military unit has authority.

AT: anti-tank weapon.

A-team: a U.S. Army Special Forces team that operates in a remote, often hostile area with little or no supervision.

A-10 Thunderbolt: a versatile U.S. Air Force ground attack aircraft nicknamed “Warthog” because it hovers low to the ground. Highly survivable, it is used to provide close air support.

AWACS: Airborne Warning and Control System.

baffles: 120-degree cone-shaped blind spot in the water off a boat created by propeller-made white water and where sonar technicians can hear only the noise of the propeller.

battlespace: battlefield and the airspace over it.

BDU: bomb demonstration unit, or practice bomb.

Beretta: 9mm lightweight semiautomatic pistol that has been the standard U.S. Army sidearm since 1983.

berthing: living quarters for enlisted men on a vessel.

BIAP: Baghdad International Airport.

big deck carrier: a warship with a large open deck on which conventional fixed-wing aircraft can be launched and landed.

blast barrier: specially formulated reinforced-concrete barrier.

blue on blue: friendly fire.

blue utilities: Navy blue shirt or jacket.

blue water: deep water.

BMC: bosun’s mate chief.

boom: projection (spar or outrigger) connecting the tail and main support structure of an airplane.

boomer: ballistic missile submarine.

bosun: deck crew chief.

Bravo: weapons specialist on a Special Forces A-team.

brevity code: code words.

B-2 Spirit: U.S. multi-role stealth bomber able to deliver conventional and nuclear weapons. Its unique design allows it to penetrate enemy airspace without being detected.

BUB: battle update brief.

BUFF: “Big Ugly Fat Fucker”—the B-52 Stratofortress, a heavy bomber first used in the Vietnam War.

CamelBak: small backpack filled with drinking water.

CAS: close air support.

CENTCOM: Central Command.

C-4: a very powerful plastic explosive that is easy to hide and difficult to detect.

chaff: material such as thin narrow metallic strips of various lengths and frequency responses launched into the air to reflect radar waves and confuse enemy radar-guided missiles so that they will lock on to it instead of real targets.

chai: Arabic word for tea.

Charlie: engineer on a Special Forces A-team.

CIC: combat information center. A bank of computer terminals.

CIWS: Close-In Weapons System. A fast-reaction gun system consisting of radars, computers, and multiple rapid-fire guns placed on a rotating gun mount on U.S. ships and submarines.

CJSOTF: Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. Task force made up of Special Operations forces of the United States and another country or other countries.

COB: chief of the boat. A senior enlisted man on a U.S. submarine who assists and advises the commanding officer and executive officer on order and discipline of the crew.

Cobra Gold: Pacific Command’s biggest annual military exercise, held in Thailand.

COE: consequences of execution.

Comrel: community relations exercise.

concertina wire: coiled barbed wire along the tops of fences and walls for deterrence.

C-130: a four-engine U.S. Air Force troop and cargo transport aircraft that can airdrop into a combat zone.

conning officer: naval officer who is responsible for navigation.

CSAR: combat search and rescue.

CSL: cooperative security location. An austere forward operating base.

CSO: combat systems officer.

DCU: desert camouflage uniform.

deconflict: the separation of friendly aircraft in an attack so that they do not interfere with or fire at one another.

defilade: protection from hostile observation and fire provided by a hill, ridge, bank, or other natural barrier.

degaussing: see magnetic silencing.

Delta barrier: retractable barrier at entrances and exits that can withstand being crashed into.

Delta Force: the elite U.S. Army outfit of Special Operations Command.

desertification: the process by which an area becomes a desert.

DMPI: desired mean point of impact.

DMZ: demilitarized zone.

DOD: Department of Defense.

Dragonov: Russian-made sniper rifle.

draw: a drainageway having a shallow bed.

EAB: emergency air breather. A sock-like mask with a filter and tube that snaps into one of the oxygen manifolds on a submarine.

18 Delta: U.S. Army Special Forces medic.

elevon: a control surface on an airplane that functions as an elevator and an aileron (the movable flap on the wing that controls the plane’s roll and banking).

ESM: electronic surveillance measure such as monitoring enemy radar.

EUCOM: European Command.

FAC: forward air controller. An officer at a forward ground or air position who controls aircraft in close air support of ground troops.

fairlead: a device such as a pulley, hook, or ring to guide a ship’s line, rope, or cable around something, keep something out of the way, or prevent vibration or chafing.

FBCB2: Force Battle Command for Brigade and Battalion. The computer system on a Stryker.

FCS: fire control system—killing or intercepting an incoming missile from a rogue state.

FOB: forward operating or operations base. In Special Operations, a base established in a friendly territory to extend command and control of communications, or to provide support for training and tactical operations.

Force Recon: Force Reconnaissance. Elite Marine unit.

forward operating or operations base: see FOB.

full bell: full speed.

GPS: global positioning system. Navigational system that uses satellite signals to fix the location of a radio receiver.

Green Zone: see IZ.

grunt: noncommissioned or enlisted combat infantryman.

GWOT: Global War on Terrorism.

Harpoon Launcher: ship-to-ship missile launched from a canister.

haversack: shoulder bag similar to a knapsack.

havildar: noncommissioned officer in the army of British India equivalent to a sergeant.

Hellfire missile: Helicopter-launched fire-and-forget. U.S. air-to-ground laser-guided missile used by helicopters against heavily armored vehicles from greater distances than were possible before.

HESCO baskets: large wire-mesh baskets that are filled with sandbags to create barriers.

high-and-tight: a buzz cut.

HIT: human intelligence team.

HUD: heads-up display—information a pilot sees on his computer screen.

Humvee: U.S. Army all-purpose four-wheel-drive vehicle.

IED: improvised explosive device, such as a roadside bomb.

IMT: individual movement tactics—that is, buddy teams advancing in tandem despite live fire so no one accidentally gets hit.

indigs: indigenous troops in a given country.

IP: Iraqi police.

IZ: International Zone in Baghdad, the nerve center of the U.S. military occupation. Also called Green Zone.

JCET: Joint Combined Exercise for Training.

JDAM: Joint Direct Attack Munition. A massive GPS-guided air-to-ground bomb.

jingle truck: a four-wheel-drive truck built for rugged terrain, usually adorned with colorful stickers and chimes, and garishly painted.

JPAC: Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, for locating MIAs, etc.

JSOTF: Joint Special Operations Task Force. It is composed of Special Operations units from more than one service to carry out a specific special operation or special operations in support of a campaign.

JTAC: joint terminal attack controller. Directs action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive air operations.

JUSMAG: Joint United States Military Assistance Group. Provides military training and security assistance to other countries.

Kalashnikov: see AK-47.

KC-10 Extender: tanker and cargo aircraft that provides increased mobility for U.S. forces in air-to-air refueling.

Kevlar: strong, lightweight fiber used for protective apparel, including helmets. It is flexible and comfortable.

KFR: Kim Family Regime (North Korea).

KISS: keep it simple, stupid.

k-loader: truck that carries cargo to and from the cargo ramp of a plane or dock.

kukri: short curved knife with a broad blade used by Gurkhas.

kurta: loose shirt falling above or below the knee that is worn in Nepal and neighboring countries by men and women.

LAW: 66mm light anti-tank weapon.

layer depth: depth at which submarines operate, several hundred feet below the surface layer, where cooler temperatures and greater water pressure optimize the movement of sound waves.

LCC: last place of cover and concealment.

leatherneck: marine, from the protective leather collar that was once part of the uniform.

LED: light-emitting diode. A semiconductor diode that emits light when current is conducted through it. It is used in electronic equipment to display readings.

LFE: large force exercise.

log officer: logistics officer.

magnetic silencing: a process of reducing a boat’s magnetic field by running electronic coils, permanent magnets, or electric currents through it so that it cannot be threatened by magnetic mines. Also called degaussing.

MA1: first class chief master-at-arms.

Makarov pistol: 9mm service sidearm of the Soviet Union during the Cold War that is compact and easy to use and maintain.

MARFORPAC: Marine Forces, Pacific.

MBITR: multi-band inter-team radio.

MEB: Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Consists of a reinforced infantry regiment, aircraft group, and service support. Larger than MEU.

MEDCAP: medical civic action program. Free medical care for local people in the area where it is set up.

MEF: Marine Expeditionary Force. Largest unit of marines sent overseas, about forty thousand.

MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit. Smaller configuration in which marines usually deploy.

M-4: light, compact 5.56mm assault rifle used by some U.S. Army and Special Operations units. It can be operated in close quarters.

mil: sight setting in a pilot’s display.

MOD: maximum operating depth of a submarine.

MOG: maximum on ground space (for aircraft).

M1A1: Abrams tank—the main U.S. Army battle tank. Provides mobile fire for armored divisions. Also used by the Marines.

MOUT: military operations in urban terrain.

MPS: maritime pre-positioning ship. Ship with a civilian crew that has pre-positioned equipment and a month’s supplies to support three MEBs.

MRE: meal ready to eat.

M-16: U.S. Army 5.56mm assault rifle, lightweight and easy to use.

MWR: Morale, Welfare, and Recreation.

NCO: noncommissioned officer.

NGO: nongovernmental organization.

NORTHCOM: Northern Command.

OEF: see Operation Enduring Freedom.

officer of the deck: naval officer given charge of a vessel by the commanding officer for an assigned period.

OGA: other government agency.

OIF: see Operation Iraqi Freedom.

OL: operating location.

Operation Enduring Freedom: U.S. military response, primarily in Afghanistan, to September 11, 2001, attacks.

Operation Iraqi Freedom–1: U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Operation Iraqi Freedom–2: U.S. military operations in Iraq since 2004.

OPSEC: operations security.

PACAF: Pacific Air Forces.

PACOM: Pacific Command.

pallet: a flat platform on an aircraft used to facilitate loading and unloading.

pelican hook: hinged hook, like a pelican’s bill, that opens and closes, and is used on a ship to grasp and release.

perisher: related to periscope use.

pillbox: a small, low concrete emplacement for machine guns and anti-tank weapons.

pirogue: a canoe made by hollowing out and shaping a large log.

PMI: primary marksmanship instructor.

pop: of an airplane, steep emergence from low altitude and roll out to the other side of a barrier to hit the enemy by surprise.

Predator: small, unmanned aerial vehicle, operated by remote control, that can be in the air up to twenty-four hours. It is sometimes armed with laser-guided anti-tank missiles to kill targeted individuals.

p-way: passageway on a vessel.

QMC: quartermaster chief.

QRF: quick reaction force.

quartermaster chief: a petty officer responsible for a ship’s helm and its navigating apparatus.

rack: U.S. Navy term for bunk.

RAMOD: of a submarine, to reach and maintain ordered depth.

Red Flag: principal large force exercise of the U.S. Air Force.

rhino: prison wagon retrofitted with heavy armor for use in Baghdad.

ROE: rules of engagement.

ROK: Republic of Korea (South Korea).

ropeyarns: running errands on a ship.

RPG: rocket-propelled grenade.

RTN: Royal Thai Navy.

SAC: Strategic Air Command. U.S. Air Force command responsible for U.S. bombers and the ballistic missile nuclear arsenal during the Cold War (1946–92).

Sahel: a belt of savannah and scrub south of the Sahara Desert.

SAM: Soviet-made surface-to-air missile. See SA-2.

SARNEG: search-and-rescue number encryption grid. It enables a downed pilot to send his GPS coordinates in code without giving away his location.

SA-2: the most widely used surface-to-air defense missile. It was developed by the Soviet Union in 1959.

savannah: a plain of coarse grasslands and scattered trees in a tropical or subtropical area of seasonal rainfall.

SAW: squad automatic weapon. A lightweight, portable machine gun.

screw: propeller on a submarine.

Seabee: member of a Navy construction battalion who builds land facilities in combat zones.

SEAL: commando team of the U.S. Navy. Acronym for “sea, air, land.”

SF: Special Forces. Highly trained branch of the U.S. Army that specializes in unconventional warfare. Popularly called Green Berets, though they don’t often refer to themselves as such.

shack: to bomb.

side boy: enlisted seaman who stands at the gangway as a sign of respect to a visitor entering or leaving a vessel.

SM: standard missile.

smart: equipped with its own electronic guidance system so it can fine-tune.

SOCOM: Special Operations Command.

SOF: Special Operations Forces.

Special Forces: see SF.

SSBN: sub-surface ballistic nuclear submarine.

SSN: sub-surface nuclear submarine.

Stryker: U.S. Army eight-wheeled light-armored vehicle with an MK-19 grenade launcher and a .50-caliber machine gun that can transport eleven soldiers at sixty miles an hour for 330 miles without refueling.

STS: Sonar Technician Submarines.

TAO: tactical actions officer.

TBS: The Basic School. The Marines’ officer school in Quantico, Virginia.

TCP: traffic control point.

TDA: target designation area.

tender: ship that services another vessel.

thermocline: layer in the ocean or other large body of water where the temperature decreases rapidly with depth.

thermoluminescent dosimetry: measurement of radiation levels in the body using a heated crystal that emits light.

TIC: troops in contact.

TM: Torpedoman.

TOC: tactical operations center. Command post where staff direct combat and support operations.

topi: originally from India, a lightweight, insulated, brimmed helmet made of pith of cork, worn as a sunhat.

triple-A: anti-aircraft artillery.

TTFACORB: targets, threats, friendlies, artillery, clearance, ordnance, restrictions, battle damage.

UAV: unmanned aerial vehicle.

Un-Rep: in the U.S. Navy, an underway replenishment—the Navy equivalent of air-to-air refueling.

USAID: United States Agency for International Development.

USARAK: U.S. Army, Alaska.

USFK: U.S. Forces, Korea.

USNS: U.S. Naval Ship. Designation for U.S. Navy ships with crews of both sailors and civilian merchant seamen.

VETCAP: veterinary civil action program. Free veterinary care for livestock and pets in the area where it is set up.

VLS: vertical launch system. A missile-firing system used aboard submarines and surface ships that enables them to carry more missiles than they would otherwise.

wadi: in arid regions of Southwest Asia, a streambed that is dry except during the rainy season.

Warthog: see A-10 Thunderbolt.

wattle: pole interwoven with thin branches or twigs and thatch, used in building huts.

weaps: weapons officer.

wet transmission checks: checks on the circuitry of torpedoes while they are in tubes pressurized with seawater.

WMD: weapons of mass destruction.

XO: executive officer, second-in-command.

zeriba: in Africa, an enclosure made of thornbushes for protection.

zero: to adjust a firearm so that it will be in range of a target.

ZULU time: military time, numbered in hours to twenty-four and expressed in four digits—for example, 2300 is 11 p.m. Equivalent to Greenwich mean time not adjusted to daylight saving.