Abbreviations (military)

A

ASU Active Service Unit

B

BARCAP "Barrier Combat Air Patrol", in fleet terms, a mission flown between the battle group and the direction from which it is most likely that enemy attack will come. In general terms, fighter cover between a strike force and an area of expected threat, also known as a "MiG screen".

C

CAP Combat air patrol: A combat air patrol is an aircraft patrol provided over an objective area, over the force protected, over the critical area of a combat zone, or over an air defense area, for the purpose of intercepting and destroying hostile aircraft before they reach their target. Combat air patrols apply to both overland and overwater operations, protecting aircraft, fixed and mobile sites on land, and ships at sea.

CBRN Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear

COMMS Communications

CONUS The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada, plus the District of Columbia. The term excludes the states of Alaska and Hawaii, and all off-shore U.S. territories and possessions, such as Puerto Rico.

CQB Close Quarters Battle

F

FOB Forward Operations Base

H

HAVCAP: High Asset Value Combat Air Patrol, flown to protect a high-value asset such as an AWACS or a tanker during its specific time on station.

HDS Holographic Diffraction Sight

K

KISS Keep It Simple Stupid

L

LP/OP Listening Post/Observation Post

M

MOE Method Of Entry

N

NBC Nuclear Biological Chemical (old designation, see CBRN)

ND Negligent Discharge

NSP Normal Safety Precautions

NVESD night vision and electronic sensor directorate

NVG night vision goggles

NWAIB Nuclear Weapon Accident Investigation Board

NWB normal wideband

O

OCONUS Outside of Contiguous United States

OP Observation Post

OPFOR An opposing force (abbreviated OPFOR, used in the United States and Australia) or enemy force (used in Canada) is a military unit tasked with representing an enemy, usually for training purposes in war game scenarios. The related concept of aggressor squadron is used by some air forces.

P

PPPPPP (the 6P principle) Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

Q

QRF Quick Reaction Force

R

RV Rendezvous

S

SOP Standing Operating Procedure: Standing Operating Procedure: A set of instructions covering those features of operations which lend themselves to a definite or standardized procedure without loss of effectiveness. In military terminology SOPs describe a procedure or set of procedures to perform a given operation or evolution or in reaction to a given event. There is a popular misconception that SOPs are standardized. However, the very nature of an SOP is that it is not standardized across a large military element (such as a corps or division) but rather describes the unique operating procedure of a smaller unit (such as a battalion or company) within that larger element. "Standing" operating procedures take effect until further notice, at which time the issuing authority amend or dissolve them. Therefore, the military more correctly uses the term "standing operating procedure" in lieu of "standard operating procedure."
SOP Standard Operating Procedure: An SOP is a written document or instruction detailing all steps and activities of a process or procedure. These should be carried out without any deviation or modification to guarantee the expected outcome. Any modification or deviation from a given SOP should be thoroughly investigated and outcomes of the investigation documented according to the internal deviation procedure.

T

TOC Tactical Operations Center

TOC [In the context of a book/publication] Table Of Contents

U

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle