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List of government and military acronyms

List of initialisms, acronyms ("words made from parts of other words, pronounceable"), and other abbreviations used by the government and the military:

0–9

1LT - First Lieutenant (U.S. Army)
2LT - Second Lieutenant (U.S. Army)

A

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A - analog
A2C2 - Army airspace command and control
A-3 - (Operations Directorate (COMAFFOR))
A-5 - (Plans Directorate (COMAFFOR))
AA - Anti-Aircraft
AA - assessment agent
AA - avenue of approach
AAA - antiaircraft artillery
AAA - arrival and assembly area
AAA - assign alternate area
AAAS - amphibious aviation assault ship
AABB - American Association of Blood Banks
AABWS - amphibious assault bulk water system
AAC - activity address code
AAC - Army Air Corps (British)
AAC - Australian Army Cadets (Australia)
AACG - arrival airfield control group
AADC - area air defense commander
AADP - area air defense plan
AA&E - arms, ammunition, and explosives
AAEC - aeromedical evacuation control team
AAFC - Australian Air Force Cadets (Australia)
AAFES - Army and Air Force Exchange Service
AAFIF - automated air facility information file
AAFS - amphibious assault fuel system
AAFSF - amphibious assault fuel supply facility
AAGS - Army air-ground system
AAI - air-to-air interface
AAM - air-to-air missile
AAMDC - US Army Air and Missile Defense Command
AAOE - arrival and assembly operations element
AAOG - arrival and assembly operations group
AAP - Allied administrative publication
AAP - assign alternate parent
AAR - after action report
AAR - after action review
AAS - Army Apprentice School (Australia)
AAST - aeromedical evacuation administrative support team
AAT - automatic analog test
AAT - aviation advisory team
AAU - analog applique unit
AAV - amphibious assault vehicle
AAW - antiair warfare
AB - airbase
ABCA - American, British, Canadian, Australian Armies Program
ABCS - Army Battle Command System
ABD - airbase defense
ABFC - advanced base functional component
ADF - Australian Defence Force (Australia)
ADFA - Australian Defence Force Academy (Australia)
ADFC - Australian Defence Force Cadets (Australia)
ADOS - Active Duty Other Services
ADSW - Active Duty Special Work
AFI - Awaiting Further Instruction
AFO - Another Fucking Observer
AFOSI - Air Force Office of Special Investigations
AIM - Airborne Intercept Missile (U.S. military)
AIPD - Army Institute For Professional Development
AIRTC - Air Training Corps (former name for the Australian Air Force Cadets)
AIT - Advanced Individual Training (U.S. Army)
An - Antonov (Russian)
ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
AOL - Absent Over Leave (U.S. Navy)
A&P - administrative and personnel
AP - Armor-Piercing
APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
APFSDS - Armour-Piercing Fin-Stabilized Discarding Sabot
APO AE - Army Post Office Armies in Europe
APPN - Appropriation Number (U.S. Military)
APRT - Army Physical Readiness Test (U.S. Army)
ARA - Australian Regular Army (Australia)
ARes - Army Reserve (Australia)
ARM - Anti-Radar Missile
ARM - Anti-Radiation Missile
ARMS - Automated Recruit Management System (U.S. military)
ARVN - Army of the Republic of (South) Viet Nam (U.S. Military)
ASAP - Army Substance Abuse Program (U.S. military)
ASAP - As Soon As Possible (U.S. military)
ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations
ASM - Air to Surface Missile
ASM - Anti-Ship Missile
ASV - Anti-Surface Vessel (airborne radar)
ATO - Antiterrorism Officer
ATTRS - Army Training Requirements And Resources Development
AWOL - Absent Without Leave

B

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BCT - Basic Combat Training (U.S. Army)
BDF - Barbados Defence Force (Barbados)
Be - Beriev (Russian)
BEA - Budget Execution Authority (U.S. Navy)
BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again (US Military)

C

C1 - Command
C2 - Command And Control
C3 - Command Control And Communication
C4IR - Command Control Communication Computers Intelligence And Recognition
CAC - Common Access Card (DoD)
CAG - Commander, Air Group (U.S.)
CAGE - Commercial and Government Entity
CAS - Close Air Support
CAT - Combat Application Tourniquets
CCIR - Commanders Critical Information Requirements
CDIAC - Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
CENTCOM - Central Command (U.S. Military)
CF - Cluster Fuck
CIA - Central Intelligence Agency
CIC - Command Intelligence Center (U.S. Navy)
CINCLANT - Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Forces (U.S. Navy)
CINCLANTFLT - Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Fleet (U.S. Navy)
CINCPAC - Commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces (U.S. Navy)
CIWS - Close-In Weapon System
CO - Commanding Officer
CO - Company
CODELS - Congressional Delegations
CONUS - Continental United States (U.S. military)
CORDS - (U.S. military, Vietnam era)
COS - Chief of Staff
CPT - Captain
CPX - Command Post Exercise
CQB - Close Quarters Battle
CSM - Command Sergeant Major (U.S. Army E9)
CT - Counter-terrorism Team
CVN - Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier (NOTE: the V comes from the expression "heavier than air flying machine")
CZN - Nuclear-powered Airship Carrier (NOTE: the Z comes from the use of the word Zeppelin although non-Zeppelin airships would also be transported on a CZN)

D

DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (U.S. Military)
DFAS - Defense Finance and Accounting Service (U.S. Military)
DMS - Defense Message System (U.S. Military)
DMZ - Demilitarized Zone
DoDAF - Department of Defense Architectural Framework

E

EOD - Explosive Ordnance Disposal
ETA - Estimated time of arrival
EUCOM - European Command (U.S. Military)
Exfil - Exfiltration

F

FA - Field Artillery
FAR - Federal Acquistion Regulation
FBCB2 - Force XXI Battlefield Command Brigade and Below
FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation
FEBA - Forward Edge of the Battle Area
FLOT - Forward Line of Troops
FLOTUS - First Lady of the United States (U.S. – see POTUS)
FNG - Fucking New Guy
FOB - Forward Operating Base
FOD - Foreign Object Damage (U.S.)
FOD - Foreign Object Debris (U.S.)
FSA - Force Structure Allowance
FSTE - Foreign Service Tour Extension
FTUS - Full Time Unit Specialist
FUBAR - Fouled Up Beyond All Repair
FUBAR - Fucked Up Beyond All Repair

G

G1 - General Staff Level office for Personnel and Manpower
G2 - General Staff Level office for Military Intelligence
G3 - General Staff Level office for Operations and Plans
G4 - General Staff Level office for Logistics
G5 - General Staff Level office for Military/Civil Affairs
G6 - General Staff Level office for Signal and Communication
G7 - General Staff Level office for Training and Exercises
G8 - General Staff Level office for Force Development and Analysis
G9 - General Staff Level office for Civil Operations
GEN - General
GI - General Issue
GO - General Officer
GOCO - Government owned, contractor operated
GPMG - General Purpose Machine Gun
GPS - Global Positioning S ystem
GROM - Polish Special Operations Team (Polish Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego)
Gulag - The Chief Administration of Collective Labor Camps (Russian Главное Управление Лагерей, "Glavnoye Upravleniye Lagerey")

H

HEAT - High Explosive Anti-Tank warhead
HMAS - Her Majesty's Australian Ship (Australia)
HMCS - Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (Canada)
HMMWV - High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (U.S. Military)
HMNZS - Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship (New Zealand)
HMS - Hans Majestäts Skepp (His Majesty's ship, Sweden)
HMS - Her Majesty's Ship (UK)
HOMSEC - Homeland Security
HYT - High Year Tenure (USAF)

I

IAF - Indian Air Force
IAF - Israeli Air Force
ICBM - Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
IED - Improvised Explosive Device
IFF - Identification Friend or Foe
IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Il - Ilyushin
Interpol - International Criminal Police Organization
ISO - Inter School Course

J

JETDS - Joint Electronics Type Designation System

K

KIA - Killed In Action

L

LZ- Landing Zone

M

MARCORSYSCOM - MARine CORps SYStems COMmand (U.S. Military)
MBT - Main Battle Tank
MCEN - Marine Corps Enterprise Network (U.S. Military)
MCEITS - Marine Corps Enterprise Information Technology Service (U.S. Military)
MFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MG - Major General
Mi - Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Russian)
MIA - Missing In Action
MICV - Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle
MiG - Mikoyan-Gurevich (Russian)
MOAB - Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (U.S. military)
MOB - Main Operating Base
MPDS - Military Planning Data Allowance
MRAP - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected
MRE - Meal Ready to Eat (U.S. Military)
MRX - Mission Rehearsal Exercise
MTOE - Modified Table Of Organizational Equipment
MTS+ - Movement Tracking System Plus

N

NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement
NAS - Naval Air Station
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NCIS - Naval Criminal Investigative Service
NMC - Not Mission Capable
NMCI - Naval Marine Corps Internet (U.S. Navy)

O

OBE - Overcome by Events (DoD)
OCONUS - Outside Continental United States
OFO - Out Fucking Off
O&M, MC - Operations & Maintenance, Marine Corps (U.S. Navy)
O&M, N - Operations & Maintenance, Navy (U.S. Navy)
OODA - Observe, Orient, Decide, And Act
OPSEC - Operations Security
OTV - Outer Tactical Vest

P

PACOM - Pacific Command
PFT - Physical Fitness Test
PLT - Platoon (U.S. Army)
PME - Professional Military Education
PMS - Planned Maintenance Schedule (U.S. Navy)
PO - Post Office
POTUS - President of the United States
POG - Person Other than Grunt (All Branches save Air Force)
POW - Prisoner Of War
PT - Physical Training

R

RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force (Australia)
RAF - Royal Air Force (UK)
RAN - Royal Australian Navy (Australia)
RCSC - Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (Canada)
RFP - Request for Proposal (U.S.)
RMC - Royal Military College of Canada (Canada) in Kingston, Ontario
RN - Royal Navy (UK)
RNZAF - Royal New Zealand Air Force (New Zealand)
RPG - Rocket-Propelled Grenade
RPM - Rounds per minute
RSS - Regional Security System (Caribbean)
RV - Rendez-Vous

S

SAAS - Standard Army Ammunition System (U.S. Army)
SAM - Surface-to-air Missile
SARSS - Standard Army Retail Supply System (U.S. Army)
SEAL - Sea, Air and Land (US Navy SEALs)
SFC - Sergeant First Class (U.S. Army E7)
SGM - Sergeant Major (U.S. Army E9 - Sometimes referred to as Staff Sergeant Major)
SGT - Sergeant (U.S. Army E5))
SITREP - Situation Report
SMA - Sergeant Major of the Army (U.S. Army E9 - Senior Enlisted Member)
SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
SOCOM - United States Special Operations Command
SOL - Shit Out of Luck
SOP - Standard Operating Procedures
SOS - Shit On a Shingle
SSG - Staff Sergeant (US Army E6))

T

TAD - Temporary Additional Duty (U.S. Military)
TDY - Temporary Duty (U.S. Military)
TFOA - Things Falling Off Aircraft
TU - Tits Up (Dead)

U

UA - Unauthorized Absence
UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UCAV - Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
ULLS - Unit Level Logisitics System (U.S. Army)
UMA - Unit Mobilization Assistor
UN - United Nations
US - Unserviceable
USAF - United States Air Force
USAFE - United States Air Forces in Europe
USA PATRIOT Act - Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act
USAREC - US Army REcruiting Command
USAREUR - US Army European Command
USMC - United States Marine Corps
USN - United States Navy
USO - United Service Organizations (U.S. Military)
USR - Unit Status Report
UUV - Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
UXB - Unexploded Bomb (bomb disposal; British)