Action Adventure / Up From the Depths Terms and Abbreviations
TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
AEGIS: Advanced Electronic Guidance Information System, an integrated missile guidance system in use since 1987, integrates single ship and ship-to-ship networking, able to perform search, tracking, and missile guidance functions simultaneously with a track capacity of over 100 targets at more than 100 nautical miles. This interface makes the Aegis combat system capable of simultaneous operation against a multi-mission threat. In use by other countries as well as the US navy.
BDU: Battle Dress Utilities, still used by the US military. This style was first introduced in the woodland pattern and then a first generation desert pattern and is now being phased out within the US Army for the new ACU pattern
BUD/S: Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL, the beginning step to become a SEAL, takes 25weeks or approximately six months to complete not counting pre-BUD/S, INDOC or any time allotted for ‘rollbacks’ due to injuries or too small a class size.
CIC: Combat Information Center, the brains and fire control of most naval vessels.
CINCPAC: Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, pronounced as ‘sink’. Commonly used to refer to command in general not just one person, although the position of CINPAC, CINCEUR, CINCALT. COMSUBPAC, COMSUBALT, COMSUBEUR are held by admirals
CINCEUR: Commander in Chief, European Fleet or European theater of operations
CINCALT: Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet
CIWS: Close In Weapons System, looks like a white, round top garbage can on naval vessels, a radar guided 20mm gatling gun that fire depleted uranium shells designed as a last resort weapon to destroy incoming missiles and other hostile flying objects. Normally does not have an IFF or Identify Friend Foe option so friendly aircraft are sent out of the immediate airspace.
Claymore: M18A1 Claymore Antipersonnel mine contains 700 steel ball bearings fired in a 60-degree arc from a 1.5lb charge of high explosives. Small, man portable, can be fired remotely, with a small hand squeeze type device (a ‘clacker’), a tripwire or other means.
CO: abbreviation for Commanding Officer
COMSUBPAC: Commander Submarine Pacific Fleet
COMSUBALT: Commander Submarine Atlantic Fleet
COMSUBEUR: Commander Submarine European Fleet
EMCON: Emission Control, no unauthorized radio transmissions
EMP: Electro Magnetic Pulse caused by a nuclear explosion, normally occurring when a nuclear device is detonated at altitude but can still occur to some extent with any nuclear type detonation. Affects all unshielded electronic devices.
HK MK23: Heckler and Koch Mark 23. A handgun that won the Special Operations Offensive Handgun Weapon System, OHWS, chambered in .45. It can be fitted with a sound suppressor, a Laser Aiming Module (LAM) and a variety of optional sighting or illumination accessories.
HMMWV: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or ‘Hummer’. This vehicle replaced the M151 ‘Mutt’ Jeep. Can carry a squad of soldiers and be mounted with several different weapons systems, such as the M2 .50 Heavy Machine Gun, the MK19, Automatic Grenade Launcher, the TOW missile system, 20mm gatling guns, etc. Can be configured into an ambulance, air defense system, troop transport, command vehicle, hence the multipurpose in the name.
INDOC: basic indoctrination to naval special warfare, most candidates will quit at this point when they realize this field is not for them.
JCS: Joint Chiefs of Staff representing all branches of the US military
LAV 25: Light Armored Vehicle, what the US Army is now calling the Stryker. The Marines had them first. A sloped front, eight-wheeled amphibious vehicle usually mounted with a 25mm ‘chain’ gun in a small turret, hence the designation ‘LAV 25’. Essentially an armored personnel carrier.
LHA: Amphibious Assault Ship, commonly of the Tarawa class, has a wet well for amphibious operations and a small flight deck for helicopters and/or VSTOL aircraft.
LPD: Amphibious Transport Dock, has a wet well for smaller amphibious vessels to use as a point of embarkation, storage facilities for equipment and vehicles and a small flight deck for helicopters and/or VSTOL aircraft.
LPH: Landing Platform Helicopter, looks like a miniature aircraft carrier. Can be used as a floating hospital after all the aircraft have been launched, i.e. helicopters and/or AV8 Harrier VSTOL ‘jump jets’
MARPAT: Marine Pattern camouflage. Recently adopted by the USMC it contains a digital pattern style of camouflage or ‘digi-pat’.
MRE: Meals, Ready to Eat or as overheard, Meals Rejected by Ethiopians. The replacement for the traditional ‘C’ rations, comes in a brown envelope, which has a complete meal inside including flatware and seasonings. Some menu choices leave a lot to be desired. Has the recommended amount of calories and vitamins in each meal, rumor has it that they are supposed to be good for you
M4: aka M4 Special Operations Peculiar Modification, SOPMOD, a shortened version of the full size M16 with barrel lengths of 18”-22”, slide rails for scopes, passive laser systems and additional weapon systems like the M203 and in some special cases a shortened 12 gauge pump shotgun, usually a Remington 870
M9: current designation of the sidearm universally adopted by all branches of the US Military, a 9mm handgun made by Beretta aka the 92FS, and the 92SB as a choice for some officers, replaced old ‘slab sides’ the Colt 1911 in .45
M203: an under the barrel 40mm, pump action, breech loaded, single shot grenade launcher. Mounts under the M4 or the full size M16 as well as several other rifles. Increases firepower of the individual soldier and removed the position of a dedicated grenadier within a squad or platoon
M249: aka Minimi, or SAW for Squad Automatic Weapon, a Belgian (FN) manufactured LWMG or Light Weight Machine Gun. Currently adopted by US forces and several countries. Fires the 5.56mm round same as the M16/M4. Can be belt fed, drum fed or magazine fed. Can be adapted to use the M16/M4 magazine. Usually comes with a lightweight bipod attached to the forward gas piston. Allegedly to replace the older, heavier M60 LWMG.
MP5: German Heckler and Koch submachine gun, machine pistol version 5, comes in 9mm, has 168 variations with 7 different trigger groups, used globally by police and military.
NCA: The President of the United States, generally a term used by military forces
NOE: Nap of the Earth, flying an aircraft as low to ground as possible to mask its sound signature or to evade other hostile aircraft/missiles. Some aircraft have terrain following radars specially designed to allow this type of flight.
Nomex: a flame retardant material used in aviation flight suits and other items of clothing such as flight gloves
OD: Olive Drab, a color commonly found or referred to within a military environment, a shade of green.
PSG1: Heckler and Koch 7.62mm match grade semiautomatic rifle modeled after the HK MSG3.
RHIB: Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, pronounced as ‘RIB’, one size up from the IBS, can sometimes be referred to as an IBM, or Inflatable Boat, Medium
ROTC: Reserve Officer Training Corps, pronounced as ‘ROT-C’, usually offered at colleges and universities to students wanting to pursue a career or education opportunities within the military, most students become commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants or Lieutenant Junior Grade (JG) depending on what branch of service they elect to join.
SATCOM: Satellite Communication, normally a very secure encrypted form of communication
SEAHAWK: The naval designation and version of the US Army UH60 Blackhawk, comes in many various configuration just like the Army versions. US Coast Guard has adopted it as well and designate it the HH60 Jayhawk.
SEAL: SEa, Air, Land, Navy Special Forces, naval Special Forces first formed in 1962.
SDV: SEAL Delivery Vehicle, normally a ‘wet’ mini-submarine used as a taxi to insert/retrieve SEAL teams to their targets, can be used from surface ships as well
SIG Sauer: a relatively high quality 9mm handgun favored by most SEAL teams operators for its reliability and compact size.
SPECWAR: Special Warfare, commonly referred to as NAVSPECWAR or Naval Special Warfare, encompassing SEALS, SDVs, SWCC
SQT: SEAL Qualification Training comes after BUD/S, like a finishing school, takes approximately 18 months to complete.
SWCC: Special Warfare Combatant Crewman, the brown water navy, a taxi and support service for the SEALs, may use RHIBs or other smaller watercraft to support naval special operations in a maritime environment. The River Rats as they operate, usually along coastlines and up rivers
UDT: Underwater Demolition Team, the precursor to the SEALs. The last UDT team was decommissioned in the 1980s.
UM84: holster made by Bianchi replacing the old leather style, made with ‘ballistic’ nylon and several other features. A bit more comfortable to wear and can be extended to a tactical carry when wearing a field jacket and/or body armor
VSTOL/VTOL: Vertical Takeoff and/or Landing, very fixed wing aircraft are capable of this as it’s usually a helicopter that can take off and land vertically. The AV8 Harrier and the AV22 ‘Osprey’ tilt rotor are so far the most common aircraft of doing this.
XO: abbreviation for Executive Officer, the second in command beneath the CO or Commanding Officer.
ZODIAC: Generic name of an inflatable boat used by naval forces and other military units. Naval designation: IBS, Inflatable Boat, Small, also comes in other sizes like IBM, Inflatable Boat, Medium, a size no longer in use. Can sometimes be used as a term for a RHIB
Some of these definitions and terms came courtesy of the ‘Warfighter’s Encyclopedia’.
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Hi,
’Up From the Depths’ must be incredibly detailed. Excellent, as that will add realism and we war-story readers love our realism. Can’t really critique your style, as this is a list. However, I will say that it is well put together and will make a great addition to the book. Suggest putting it in the back as a glossary, but I’m sure that was your intention. BTW, the twist on MRE’s was a new one on me-loved it. Best of luck to you.
Dave
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Thank you. I found this to be very informative and possibly useful, even if I don’t get a chance to read your work… they are terms that may appear in other works or may be used by me in my writing. I hope I do come across your work though… with such a vocabulary needed, it sounds like an interesting read.
Good luck!
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