Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground

GLOSSARY

ACF: anti-coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

ACM: anti-coalition militia in Afghanistan.

ACOG: advanced combat optical gunsight. Provides precision sighting in any lighting.

AC-130 Spectre gunship: heavily armed U.S. Air Force aircraft converted from a C-130 cargo plane, used to protect a ground force and for mop-up operations. Turbo-propelled, it can circle for hours but is vulnerable because it is slow and flies at low altitude. Think of it as an airborne tank.

ACV: armored combat vehicle. Enclosed military vehicle with cannon that moves on caterpillar treads or four-wheel-drive wheels.

Afghan-Arab: Arab veteran of the Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

AH-64 Apache: the U.S. Army’s primary attack helicopter, with a twin engine, four blades, and high technology; it can perform multiple missions in any weather, day or night.

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 and maintain in the field. Also called Kalashnikov, after its designer.

Ali Babas: term coined by U.S. soldiers in Iraq to refer to looters, terrorists, and other opponents.

AMCIT: American citizen.

AMF: Afghan militia forces (tribal).

ANA: Afghan National Army.

AOB: advanced operating or operations base. In Special Operations, a small temporary base in another country used for command, control, and/or support training or tactical operations. Usually subordinate to a forward or main operations base.

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

A-team: a U.S. Army Special Forces twelve-man team that operates in a remote, often hostile area with little or no outside supervision. Also called ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha).

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

AVR: active vehicle restraint. Retractable barrier at entrances and exits that can withstand being crashed into. Also called a Delta barrier.

bailey bridge: bridge made of portable, interchangeable prefabricated steel panels for fast, easy assembly by military engineering units.

banca: a small wooden-hulled boat of the Pacific Ocean, especially the Philippines, usually a diesel-powered dugout canoe with bamboo outrigging.

barong tagalog: a loose, light, long-sleeved formal men’s dress shirt of the Philippines, often with an embroidered collar and facing, worn with the tails hanging out.

BDU: battle dress utility. Camouflage uniform formerly known as combat fatigues—green in the tropics, tan in the desert.

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

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

BIAP: Baghdad International Airport.

bravo: weapons.

B-team: command and control of Special Operations A-team. Also called ODB (Operational Detachment Bravo).

burka: a loose, all-enveloping garment with net holes for the eyes worn by some traditional Muslim women in public.

CAFGU: Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Units; Philippine paramilitary force.

Camel Pak: backpack canteen.

CAS: close air support.

CAT: civil affairs team. Responsible for developing relationships between the U.S. military and civil authority in the country in which it serves. A CAT provides humanitarian aid—building roads, sewers, and schools, arranging for medical clinics, and so on.

CENTCOM: Central Command.

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

CG: commanding general (U.S. Army).

CGSC: the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Charlie: engineer.

CH-47 Chinook: a U.S. Army cargo and troop transport helicopter.

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

CJTF-HOA: Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa.

CJTF-180: Combined Joint Task Force 180. U.S.-led alliance of thirty-three countries in Afghanistan responsible for security outside Kabul.

claymore mine: anti-personnel mine set just off the ground and designed to fire metal balls (shrapnel) in a preset direction. It offers protection from ambushes, assaults, and infiltration.

COLAR: Colombian army.

commo freeks: communications frequencies.

comms: communications.

con-op: concept of operation. Written plan for a military attack.

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

CSS: combat service support. Fire support and operational assistance to combat units.

DA: direct action—that is, combat.

delta: U.S. Army Special Forces medic.

Delta barrier: see AVR.

deshmal: a traditional Afghan kerchief.

DMZ: demilitarized zone.

DOD: Department of Defense.

ECE: equestrian-canine extravaganza (dog-and-pony show).

echo: communications.

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

18 Zulu: U.S. Special Forces team sergeant responsible for his group. Has the rank of “master sergeant.”

EUCOM: European Command.

exfil: exfiltration.

firebase: a secured site that is usually remote and isolated.

FMFM 6-5: Fleet-Marine Force Manual 6-5. Concentrates on squad-level operations. Also called “Grunt’s Bible.”

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.

foxtrot: intelligence.

freek: (radio) frequency.

ger: a Mongolian circular domed felt tent. Also called a yurt.

ghat: a shrub cultivated in Africa and the Middle East for its buds and leaves, which are chewed as a stimulant. Also spelled khat.

GMV: ground mobility vehicle.

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

GWOT: Global War on Terrorism.

hajis: military slang for Afghans and Iraqis that may be used as an endearment or a pejorative, depending on the context.

HALO: high altitude, low opening. Ability to jump from a high altitude and not open a parachute until reaching a low altitude.

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

HIG: Hezb-i-Islami Gulbuddin. Party of Islam faction led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

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

HVT: high-valve target.

ICDC: Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.

ICOM: integrated communications; intra-squad radio.

I MEF: First Marine Expeditionary Force.

indigs: indigenous troops in a given country.

intel: intelligence information.

IO: information operations. Includes dropping leaflets, making signs, broadcasting.

iron major: a major or other middle-level officer, often the workhorse of the U.S. military.

ISAF: International Security Assistance Force. NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, responsible for security in Kabul.

jambiya: double-edged, heavy ornamental dagger with a curved blade carried by Yemeni men on their belts.

jeepney: in the Philippines, a jeep converted into a bus.

jihad: Islamic holy war.

jingle truck: see Bedford “jingle” truck.

JMC: joint military command.

JSOTF: Joint Special Operations Task Force.

JSTAFF: Joint Staff at the Pentagon.

JTF: joint task force.

Kalashnikov: see AK-47.

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

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

LVT: low-value target.

MAGTF: Marine Air-Ground Task Force. Self-sufficient, it has ground combat, aviation, support, and command components.

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

MEB: Marine Expeditionary Brigade.

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

medivac: to transport the wounded or sick for medical care, usually by helicopter.

MEF: Marine Expeditionary Force.

MEU: Marine Expeditionary Unit.

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.

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

MOPP: mission-oriented protective posture. Flexible protection system against nuclear, biological, and chemical contamination.

MOUT: military operations in urban terrain.

MRE: meal ready to eat.

M-3 medical kit: three-fold carry kit.

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

M-203: 40mm grenade launcher used with M-16 series rifle.

M-249: “Minimi” compact 5.56mm machine gun used by the U.S. Army and Marines that is light enough to be carried by one man and can fire for long periods.

MVT: middle-value target.

NAVISTAR: Navigation Starting Point. Massive U.S. military fuel and maintenance facility at the Iraq-Kuwait border.

NCO: noncommissioned officer.

NGO: nongovernmental organization.

NOD: night optical device.

NORTHCOM: Northern Command.

ODA: Operational Detachment Alpha. See A-team.

ODB: Operational Detachment Bravo. See B-team.

OIF-I: Operation Iraqi Freedom-I. U.S. military invasion of Iraq in spring 2003, characterized by the use of conventional military force.

op: military operation.

OSS: Office of Strategic Services. U.S. intelligence agency from 1942 to 1945, forerunner of the CIA.

PACOM: Pacific Command.

Pak: Pakistani.

pakol: round, flat lamb’s-wool cap worn by tribal men of the Hindu Kush and in the Afghan-Pakistani border region.

Peltor: earphone that filters out gun sounds but not voices on the firing range.

PKM: general-purpose Russian 7.62mm machine gun.

POG: person other than a grunt—that is, an officer type at the regimental, division, and expeditionary force level. Sometimes spelled “pogue.”

POS: temporary support position in a combat zone.

Predator: small, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft operated by remote control that can be in the air up to twenty-four hours. It has been armed with laser-guided anti-tank missiles to assassinate targeted individuals.

PRT: provincial reconstruction team. Made up of different military units and government departments, it is responsible for nation-building-type activities.

psy-ops: psychological operations.

PUC: person under control; detainee in the War on Terrorism.

rack: U.S. Navy term for bunk.

RCT: regimental combat team.

REMF: rear-echelon motherfucker. A World War II acronym.

ROE: rules of engagement.

RPG: rocket-propelled grenade.

SASO: Marine acronym for stability and security operations—“winning hearts and minds” and “nation-building.”

SEAL: commando team of the U.S. Navy. (“SEAL” is an acronym for “sea, air, land.”)

SecDef: secretary of defense.

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.

shalwar kameez: pajama-like trousers (shalwar) gathered at the waist and ankles, and worn underneath a long loose tunic (kameez) by Pushtun men and women.

Sim Sit: simulated situation.

SLLS: Smell. Look. Listen. Silence.

SOCOM: Special Operations Command.

SOCPAC: Special Operations Command, Pacific.

SOF: Special Operations Forces.

SOP: standard operating procedure.

SOUTHCOM: Southern Command.

SPETSNAZ: Russian special forces.

SSE: sensitive site exploration. A slow and deliberate site search.

terp: interpreter.

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

trishaw: in Asia, a light vehicle with three wheels that is pedaled to transport passengers or goods.

TUFF bin: a polyurethane-insulated container used to transport and hold personal items.

UHF: ultra-high (radio) frequency.

UH-ID Huey: U.S. Army attack and transport helicopter used extensively during the Vietnam War.

UH-IN Huey: U.S. Army and Marine gunship helicopter.

UH-69 Black Hawk: the primary U.S. Army front-line utility helicopter, used for air assault, troop and cargo transport, electronic warfare, and medical evacuation. Successor to the UH-1 Huey.

USAID: United States Agency for International Development.

UW: unconventional warfare.

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

Zodiac: inflatable boat.

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.