Outsourced

Glossary

240-Golf or 240G

a medium, belt-fed machine gun

4th Generation Warfare

conflict involving stateless ideologically-based actors using unconventional warfare techniques such as terrorism; the classic example is the global War on Terror

5.11s

reinforced tactical shirt and pants made by Royal Robbins, originally for mountain climbers, that feature many cargo pockets; the pants, an Under Armour T-shirt and a photographer’s vest is the preferred uniform of most contract soldiers in Iraq

Abraxas

a private intelligence corporation that, among other services, creates and maintains non-official cover alias identities for case officers

adhan

call to prayer (Arabic)

the Agency

slang for the CIA

AK

AK-47; Soviet-designed assault rife

AK-102

Russian-built short assault rifle; shorty AK

Allahu akbar

Allah is great (Arabic)

Anbar

province in western Iraq

Babylon

Iraq

backstop

to provide backup evidence for a cover identity

bingo

fuel state of an aircraft at which return-to-base must be initiated

black

secret, off-the-books; as in black ops, black units; opposite of white or unclassified

Black Hawk

UH-60 utility helicopter widely used for a variety of missions by US military

black site

a secret CIA prison outside US legal jurisdiction; see also rendition

Bushmen

nickname for members of Force Zulu

CAS

Close Air Support

case officer

CIA personnel responsible for recruiting and handling agents

chalk

designation for the troops making up an aircraft load for a specific mission

Christians In Action

slang for the CIA

Christmas tree

an airplane flying on a secret mission without lights flashes its red and green lights on and off for quick identification

Claymore

directional antipersonnel mine

click

one kilometer

collective

one of the primary helicopter controls that governs the pitch of the main rotors

Combat Talon

MC-130 special operations aircraft used by the CIA and military Special Forces for helicopter air-to-air refueling on deep penetration missions over hostile territory

comm

communications

Cougar

state-of-the-art blast-resistant troop transport

crawl, walk, run

mission rehearsal, usually using a sand table; a small terrain mock-up

cyclic

one of the primary helicopter controls that governs direction; similar in appearance to a large joystick

Delta Force

popular name for the Army’s elite counter terrorism unit (SFO-D)

Dragunov

Soviet-designed semiautomatic sniper rifle

ECM

Electronic Counter Measures

egress

exit, escape; opposite of ingress

EOD

Explosive Ordnance Disposal-bomb experts

flash-bang

grenade that emits a bright flash of light intended to temporarily blind and distract

FLIR

Forward Looking Infrared

Force Zulu

a deep-cover espionage and covert action unit that combines elements of espionage along with commando tactics; part of the Pentagon’s Strategic Support Branch (SSB); the real-life designation of the unit is highly classified and changes frequently; also referred to as Task Force Zulu

frag-o

fragmented operations order; an on-the-fly order that answers the basic questions about the operation-who, what, where, when and how and sometimes why

ghillie suit

sniper’s camouflage outfit

green badger

private contractor working for the CIA

Green Zone

government district of downtown Baghdad protected from the rest of the city by eight miles of blast walls, razor wire, and armed guards

grid

GPS coordinates

haji

military slang for terrorist/insurgent; a Muslim who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca

halal

permitted (Arabic)

haram

forbidden (Arabic)

HE

High Explosive

helo

helicopter

hootch

sleeping quarters

HVT

High Value Target

IED

Improvised Explosive Device

ingress

entrance, approach; opposite of egress

insh’allah

Allah willing (Arabic)

inside the bubble

inside the Green Zone

inside the wire

inside the camp

IR

infrared

joker

fuel state above “bingo” at which event termination must begin

JSOC

Joint Special Operations Command, a branch of SOCOM specializing in counterterrorism that commands all Special Mission (SMU) or black units, including Delta Force, DEVGRU (former SEAL Team 6), the various incarnations of Task Force(s) 11, 20, 121, 5-25, 6-26, 145, etc.

KIA

Killed in Action

Langley

slang for the CIA because of its headquarters in Langley, Virginia

legend

cover identity

LIGHTNING SIX

Stella/Camille Black’s call sign

Little Bird

AH-6 helicopter; a light, high-performance assault helicopter often used by Special Forces

LZ

Landing Zone

M4

short assault rifle

mag

magazine; a container with multiple rounds of ammunition to be fed into a gun

masha’allah

Allah’s will (Arabic)

MC-130

Combat Talon, a C-130 variant operated by the Air Force and rented by the CIA and Special Forces for air-to-air refueling as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of Special Forces troops

merc

mercenary

MI6

British foreign intelligence service; also known as SIS

Mi-8

Soviet-designed, Russian-built helicopter, NATO codenamed Hip

MRE

Meals, Ready-to-Eat-combat rations

muj

slang for mujahedin/terrorists

mut’a

temporary marriage (Arabic)

Night Stalker

Army Special Operations helicopter regiment specializing in nighttime and adverse conditions in support of Army Special Operations

NOC

Non-official cover; the most secretive type of CIA case officer operating without the protection of an official cover

NVG

Night Vision Goggles

OBL

Osama bin Laden; CIA usage is UBL

OGA

Other Government Agency-military slang for the CIA

on deck

on the ground; on site

operative

a clandestine agent, spy

operator

a highly trained, Special Forces counterterrorism soldier

opsec

operational security

overheads

satellite images

overwatch

security; a position responsible for providing operational security and keeping track of the key players; also called tertiary position or guardian angel

Pave Hawk

medium-sized utility helicopter; Special Forces variant of a Black Hawk

Pave Low

large-sized utility helicopter; Special Forces variant of a Super Jolly Green Giant

quasi-personal

something that is issued to a cover operative as an accessory to an alias to make it seem more realistic

plastic tie

plastic electricians’ ties used as handcuffs

PT

physical training; exercises

rack

slang for bed

read into

to have official knowledge of a secret project

recon

reconnaissance

rendition

the CIA system of kidnapping suspected terrorists anywhere outside the US and taking them on secret flights for interrogation and torture in either a select Third World country or a secret CIA prison (“black site”) outside US legal jurisdiction

ROE

Rules of Engagement

RPG

rocket propelled grenade

SABER TOOTH

Hunter Stone’s call sign

Semper Fi

short for “Semper Fidelis” (Always Faithful), the motto of the Marine Corps

SERE training

Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training

sigint

signals intelligence-electronic intercepts

SIS

Secret Intelligence Service; British foreign intelligence, also known as MI6

sitrep

situation report

SMEAC

Situation, Mission, Execution, Admin & logistic, Command & signal

SOCOM

Special Operations Command, oversees Special Operations commands of all branches of the military

SOCOM pistol

Heckler & Koch Mark.23 offensive pistol developed for US Special Operations forces; many operators prefer the slightly smaller and less awkward civilian version, the USP Tactical

SOP

Standard Operating Procedure

souk

market, bazaar (Arabic)

spec ops

Special Operations

SSB

Strategic Support Branch, the Pentagon’s new spy organization responsible for black units of Special Forces operators specially trained to collect human intelligence and run covert actions; the agency responsible for Force Zulu

tango

slang for terrorist

tier-one operator

the military’s most highly trained combatants; DEVGRU SEALs, Delta Force and Recon Marines

TIN MAN

Manuel “Iggy” Ignatius’ call sign (Black Management’s Chief of Operations)

USP Tactical

Heckler & Koch offensive sidearm, smaller version of the SOCOM USP

webbing

a lacing system on vests, belts and body armor that allows attachment of pockets and pouches for ammunition, grenades, first aid kit, radio, canteen, etc.

wet job

assassination, hit

wingman

pilot who flies beside and behind the lead aircraft, providing support and protection

XM8

experimental Heckler & Koch assault rifle, designed to replace the M4 and M16

zip-tie

flex-cuff; plastic restraints similar to electricians’ ties

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