List of Army Acronyms and Expressions

Sometimes, Chris forgets I am a civilian. I have realized that sharing a conversation with my soldier entails alot of acronyms on his side, and alot of "Googling" on my side.  (Note to the preparers of the "Guide for Future Soldiers and Their Families": glossaries are good...a pull-out civilian "cheat sheet" even better!)

The Fantasticalest people at Wikipedia have rescued me from many a "huh?" moment the past couple of months with their Awesometacular list of Army Acronyms and Expressions. I'm sure this isn't complete, I hope it's accurate. At any rate, for those of us that don't say "hooah" at the end of every other sentence, here's your very own Army to Civilian Pocket Translator:

Official acronyms and initialisms

• 5-Ton - Refers to any tactical truck with a cargo capacity of 5 tons.
• AAM - Army Achievement Medal.
• AAR - After Action Review (formerly: After Action Report)
• ABN - Airborne
• AC - Aircraft Commander
• ACU - Army Combat Uniform.
• AIT - Advanced Infantry Training; Advanced Individual Training (specialty training post-BCT).
• ALICE - All-purpose LIghtweight Carrying Equipment.
• AO - Area of Operations.
• APC - Armored Personnel Carrier.
• APFT - Army Physical Fitness Test
• ARCAM - Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal.
• ARCOM - ARmy COMmendation medal.
• ASAP - As Soon As Possible (pronounced AY-sap), but usually meaning "Do it right now."
• ASI - Additional Skill Identifier; such as F7 (Pathfinder)
  or W5 (Jumpmaster). Used at the end of an MOS code to designate skill
  trained personnel. Example: 11B4VW5= 11B (Infantryman) 4 (Skill level 4
  or SFC/E-7) V (an SQI or Skill Qualification Identifier of V equaling
  airborne ranger) W5 (Jumpmaster).
• ASOC - Air Support Operations Center
• ASW - Anti-Submarine Warfare
• AWOL - Absent WithOut Leave (ie. not at one's place of duty, and not authorized to be absent, for more than 24 hours)
• BAH - Basic Allowance for Housing (formerly BAQ)
• BAQ - Basic Allowance for Quarters
• BCD - Bad Conduct Discharge (slang for Bad Conduct Discharge = Big Chicken Dinner)
• BDU - Battle Dress Uniform
• BCT - Basic Combat Training (familiarly: Basic Training or Basic), Brigade Combat Team (see also HBCT, IBCT, SBCT)
• BEQ - Bachelor Enlisted' Quarters
• BOQ - Bachelor Officers' Quarters
• BX - Base eXchange: Air Force name for a PX (see below).
• CASEVAC - CASualty EVACuation
• CBR - Chemical-Biological-Radiological (See NBC)
• CIB - Combat Infantryman Badge
• CO - Commanding Officer (also: conscientious objector)
• COB - Close Of Business - the end of the day or duty shift.
  Meaning: by the end of the duty day. Usage: "Get that to me by COB
  today!!!"
• CONUS - CONtinental United States
• CQ - Charge of Quarters. A company-level position of
  responsibility for units who house troops in their areas. Given to a
  mid-level or junior NCO who is responsible for the company's barracks
  and area during off-duty hours when the company commander and/or First
  Sergeant are not present. Lasts from COB (usually 1700 hours) to First
  Formation (usually 0600 hours) the next day during the work week. On
  weekends the duty hours are adjusted accordingly.
• CWO - Chief Warrant Officer
• DA - Department of the Army
• DCM- Distinguished Conduct Medal
• DCU - Desert Camouflage Uniform (not official)
• DD or DoD - Department of Defense
• DFAC - Dining Facility (Mess Hall or Cafeteria)
• DPICM - Dual Purpose Improved Comventional Munitions (An Artillery Round)
• DX - Direct Exchange (of damaged equipment)
• ETS - Expiration of Term of Service (scheduled date of separation from active duty).
• FARP - Forward Area Refuel/Rearm Point/Position
• FEBA - Forward Edge of Battle Area
• FTX - Field Training Exercise.
• GMC - General Military Course
• GCM - Good Conduct Medal
• HBCT - Heavy Brigade Combat Team
• HE - High Explosive
• HEMTT - Heavy Extended Mobility Tactical Truck.
• HMMWV Humvee - High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle
• IAW - In Accordance With
• IBCT - Infantry Brigade Combat Team
• IED - Improvised Explosive Device
• IG - Inspector General
• IRR - Individual Ready Reserve
• KIA - Killed in Action
• LBV - Load Bearing Vest, for carrying ammunition, water, and other tactical loads while in the field, or during an assault
• MEDEVAC - MEDical EVACuation to an aid station or field hospital, usu. by air ambulance
• MIA - Missing in Action; missing in a battle situation, not known if alive or dead.
• MLRS - Multiple Launch Rocket System
• MM- Military Medal
• MOAB - officially, Massive Ordnance Air Blast (slang:
  Mother Of All Bombs-a dig at Saddam Hussein's characterization of his
  defeat in the First Gulf War as the "Mother Of All Battles").
• MOLLE - MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment
• MOS
  - Military Occupational Specialty—formal job classification, usually
  expressed as a number or number/letter combination— e.g., 11B
  Infantryman.
• MOPP
  - Mission-Oriented Protective Postures - Established procedures to deal
  with the effects of CBR/NBC weapons use. Chemical Protective Suits are
  called "MOPP suits".
• MP - Military Police.
• MRE - officially: Meals, Ready to Eat; (slang: Meals Rejected/Refused by Ethiopians or: Meals Rejected by the Enemy)
• NCO - Non-Commissioned Officer: an enlisted person with command responsibility; Corporal to Command Sergeant Major ; see also Specialist.
• NBC - Nuclear-Biological-Chemical weapons, equipment, environment, and procedures
• O/O - Order of Operations
• OCONUS - Outside CONtinental United States, includes Alaska and Hawaii
• OCS - Officer Candidate School
• OLC - Oak Leaf Cluster (signifying subsequent awards)
• OPORD - Operations order
• OSUT - One Station Unit Training; combination of BCT and AIT where the soldier remains in the same unit for both training portions
• PCS - Permanent Change of Station, reassignment to a different duty station
• PERSCOM - PERSonnel COMmand, short for United States Army Personnel Command. Now known as HRC, or the Human Resources Command
• PIR - Parachute Infantry Regiment.
• PLF - Parachute Landing Fall
• PMCS - Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services
• POV - Privately-Owned Vehicle, a soldier's personal automobile.
• POW - Prisoner of War
• PW - Prisoner of War
• PT - Physical Training. Used in the plural (PT's), it refers to the PT Uniform.
• PX - Post eXchange. A multipurpose store which usually includes a barber shop and a convenience store.
• REMF - Rear Echelon MotherF*cker - To Combat Arms soldiers, anyone other than them
• RPG - Rocket Propelled Grenade
• ROTC - Reserve Officer Training Corps, often pronounced ("ROT-SEE")
• SDO Staff Duty Officer - Same duty as CQ (see above) but done by a Senior NCO at Battalion level or above
• SBCT - Stryker Brigade Combat Team
• SOCOM-Special Operations COMmand. This is the military
  organization that oversees the activities of such elite units as the US
  Navy SEALs and US Army Delta Force among others.
• SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
• STRAC - STRategic Army Corps;
  STRAC units were those designated to be on high alert to move anywhere
  in 72 hours or less; as slang, means tight, together, by the book; when
  said with sarcasm by a combat unit about a REMF unit it refers to
  stupid troops running around in circles
• SITREP - SITuational REPort
• STX - Situational Training Exercise
• TC - Tank Commander
• TDY - Temporary Duty
• TF - Task Force
• USAREUR - US Army Europe (HQ: Heidelberg)
• UXO - UneXploded Ordnance
• XO - Executive Officer (officer second-in-command to the CO)
• V/R - Very Respectfully. The standard closure line on official mail/e-mail
• VBIED - Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device
• VDM- Visually Distinguishing Mark
• WO - Warning Order
• WP - White Phosphorous
• ZI - Zone of Interior, the United States. See also CONUS, which is more commonly used

source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

powered by performancing firefox