Abbreviations/Acronyms (Living List)

[Jason Gaudet]

Please reply with your additions to this list. Let's avoid slang terms and try to stick with Commonwealth Ground Force abbreviations/acronyms....

2 IC – 2nd in Command
AA – Anti Aircraft
AAA – Anti Aircraft Artillery
ACAV - Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle
ADATS - Air Defense Anti-Tank System
AIRCOM – Air Command (Airforce)
AMV – Advanced Modular Vehicle
AR – Automatic Rifle
ARRC - Associate Royal Red Cross
ASAP - As Soon As Possible
ASC - Army Service Corps
ASG – Area Support Group
ASU – Area Support Unit
A&T – Administration and Training
ATAM - Air-To-Air Missile
ATGW – Army Tank Guided Weapon
Att – Attached
AVF - All-Volunteer Force
AVGP – Armoured Vehicle General Purpose
AWOL – Absent Without Leave
AWACS – Airborne Warning And Control Systems
BAOR – British Army of the Rhine
Bde – Brigade
BDU - Battle-Dress Uniform or Bomb Dummy Units
BFG – British Forces Germany
BFPO – British Forces Post Office
BG – Battle Group
BGHQ - BattleGroup Headquarters
BMH – British Military Hospital
Bn – Battalion
Bootneck - A Royal Marine Commando
BRCS - British Red Cross Society
BRSC - British Rear Support Command
Bty - Battery
CAD – Central Ammunition Depot
Cam – Camouflaged (Camo)
CANCOM – Canada Command
CANSOFCOM – Canadian Special Operations Forces Command
Cas - Casualty
Casevac - Casualty Evacuation
CBG – Canadian Brigade Groups
CCP – Casualty Collecting Point
CCS – Casualty Clearing Station
CEF – Canadian Expeditionary Force
CEFCOM – Canadian Expeditionary Force Command
CFCS – Canadian Forces Communications System
CFB – Canadian Forces Base
CFE – Canadian Forces Europe
CF H Svcs Gp - Canadian Forces Health Services Group
CFLAWC – Canadian Forces Land Advanced Warfare Centre
CFMS – Canadian Forces Medical Service
CGS – Chief of the General Staff
CinC – Commander in Chief
CITC – Canadian Infantry Training Centre
CME – Canadian Military Engineers
CMGB – Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
CMTC – Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre
CP – Command Post
CO – Commanding Officer
Col – Colonel
Comd – Command or Commander
Comms Z – Communications Zone
Compo – Composite Ration (also called comp rat)
COMSEN – Communications Centre
Coord – Co-ordinate
CoS – Chief of Staff
Coy – Company
CP – Command Post or Close Protection
Cpl – Corporal
CPO – Chief Petty Officer (Navy Rank) or Command Pay Office
CQMS – Company Quartermaster Sergeant
CSM – Company Sergeant Major
C Sups – Combat Supplies
CTC – Canadian Training Centre
CV – Combat Vehicles
CVD – Central Vehicle Depot
CVR (T) or (W) – Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) or (Wheeled)
CW – Chemical Warfare
DCM – Distinguished Conduct Medal
Def – Defence
Det – Detached
DEW Line – Distant Early Warning Line
DF – Defensive Fire
Dml – Demolition
DND – Department of National Defence
DS - Directing Staff (also called DiStaff)
DSO - Distinguished Service Order
DTG – Date Time Group
Ech – Echelon
EDP – Emergency Defence Plan
Emb – Embarkation
EMP - Electro Magnetic Pulse
En – Enemy
EOD – Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Eqpt – Equipment
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
EW – Electronic Warfare or Early Warning
Ex – Exercise
FAC – Forward Air Controller
FEBA – Forward Edge Battle Area
FLET – Forward Location Enemy Troops
FLOT – Forward Location Own Troops
FMC – Force Mobile Command
Fmm – Formation
FOB – Forward Operating Base
FOO – Forward Observation Officer
FOUO – For Official Use Only
FRT – Forward Repair Team
FUP – Forming Up Point (or Position)
GDP – General Defence Plan
GMC - General Military Course
GOC – General Officer Commanding
GPMG – General Purpose Machine Gun
GPS – Global Positioning System
Grunt – Slang Word For An Infantryman
HAA – Heavy Anti Air
HB – Hostile Battery
HE – High Explosive
HEAT – High Explosive Anti Tank
Hel – Helicopter
HEMTT – Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck
HLVW - Heavy Lift Vehicle, Wheeled
HM – Her/His Majesty
HMMWV – High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee)
HVM – Hyper Velocity Missile
II – Image Intensifier
Int Sum – Intelligence Summary
IO – Intelligence Officer
IR – Individual Reservist
IS – Internal Security
ISC – Infantry Section Carrier
IW – Individual Weapon
JFHQ – Joint Forces Headquarters
JHQ – Joint Headquarters
LCpl – Lance Corporal
LAC – Light Armoured Vehicle
LdSH (RC) – Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
LFC – Land Force Command (Army)
LFCA TC – Land Forces Central Area Training Centre
LFAA – Land Force Atlantic Area
LFQA – Land Force Quebec Area
LFCA – Land Force Central Area
LFWA – Land Force Western Area
LFNA – Land Force Northern Area
LFWATC – Land Force Western Area Training Centre
L of C - Lines of Communications
LO - Liaison Officer
Log - Logistic
LRATGW - Long Range Anti Tank Guided Weapon
LRSW - Long Range Sniper Weapon
LSDI - Large Scale Deliberate Intervention
LSVW - Light Support Vehicle, Wheeled
LSW - Light Support Weapon
LT – Lieutenant
LUP - Lying Up Point
LVS - Logistics Vehicle System
LZ – Landing Zone
MARCOM – Maritime Command (Navy)
MBT – Main Battle Tank
MC - Military Cross
MD – Military District
Mech - Mechanised
Med - Medical
MFC - Mortar Fire Controller
MLU – Maple Leaf Up
MLVW – Medium Logistic Vehicle, Wheeled
MM - Military Medal
MMEV – Multi-Mission Effects Vehicle
MML – Manual of Military Law
MO – Medical Officer
Mob – Mobilisation
MOD – Ministry of Defence
Mov O – Movement Order
MP - Military Police
Msl - Missile
MT - Mechanical Transport or Motor Transport
NAAFI - Navy Army and Air Force Institutes
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NBC - Nuclear Biological and Chemical
NCO - Non Commissioned Officer
NOK - Next of Kin
NORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command
NTR – Nothing To Report
NYK – Not Yet Known
OC – Officer Commanding or Officer Cadet
O Group - Order Group
OIC - Officer in Charge
OOTW - Operations Other Than War
OP - Observation Post
Op O - Operation Order
OPV - Observation Post Vehicle
OR - Other Ranks (Often mistakenly taken to mean Ordinary Ranks)
OStJ – Officer of the Order of St John
Or Bat – Order of Battle
Pax – Passengers
PPCLI – Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
POETS Day - Push Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday
P Info - Public Information
Pl - Platoon
POL - Petrol Oil and Lubricants
POM - Potential Officer Material
POW - Prisoner of War or Privately Owned Weapon
PRI – Physical Recreation Instructor
PT – Physical Training
Pte – Private
QAIMNS - Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
QHNS - Queen's Honorary Nursing Sister Nurse
QHN - Queen's Honorary Nurse
QM - Quartermaster
QMG - Quartermaster General
QMS - Quartermaster Sergeant
QVJI - Queen Victoria's Jubilee Institute
R22eR - Royal 22e Regiment
RAF – Royal Air Force
RAP – Regimental Aid Post or Rocket Assisted Projectile
RCA – Royal Canadian Artillery
RCAF – Royal Canadian Air Force
RCAMC – Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps
RCD – Royal Canadian Dragoons
RCDC - Royal Canadian Dental Corps
RCHA – Royal Canadian Horse Artillery
RCMP – Royal Canadian Mounted Police
RCN – Royal Canadian Navy
RCR – Royal Canadian Regiment
RCZ – Rear Combat Zone
Recce – Reconnaissance
Regt – Regiment
Rft - Reinforcement
RHQ - Regimental Headquarters
RJDF - Rapid Joint Deployment Force
RMA - Royal Military Academy or Rear Maintenance Area
ROE - Rules Of Engagement
ROTC – Reserve Officer Training Corps
ROWPU – Reverse-Osmosis Water Purification Unit
RPG – Rocket Propelled Grenade or Rounds per gun
RSM - Regimental Sergeant Major
RTM - Ready To Move
RTU - Returned or Return to Unit
RRC - Royal Red Cross
SACUER -Supreme Allied Commander Europe
SADO - Senior Administrative Officer
SAM – Surface to Air Missile
SatCom – Satellite Communications
SDR – Strategic Defence Review
SF – Special Forces
Sgt – Sergeant
SHAPE -Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
SIB -Special Investigation Branch
Sit -Situation
SitRep -Situation Report
SLR - Self Loading Rifle
SMG-Sub Machine Gun
SNCO - Senior Non Commissioned Officer
SP - Self Propelled or Start Point or Support
Sqn - Squadron
Squaddie - Slang Word For A Soldier
SSM - Surface to Surface Missile
SSVC - Services Sound and Vision Corporation
STOL - Short Take Off and Landing
TA - Territorial Army
TAB - Tactical Advance to Battle
Tac - Tactical
TC – Training Centre
TCP – Traffic Control Point
TCV – Troop Carrying Vehicle
Tgt – Target
Tk – Tank
TOT – Time On Target
Tp – Troop
Tpt – Transport
Two i/c – Second In Command
UKMF – United Kingdom Mobile Force
Unclass – Unclassified
UNPROFOR - United Nations Protection Force
UXB - Unexploded Bomb
U/S - Unserviceable
VAD - Voluntary Aid Detachment
VC – Victoria Cross
VCDS – Vice Chief of the Defence Staff
VCP – Vehicle Check Point
Veh – Vehicle
WAAC - Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps
WE - War Establishment
A Wet – A Cup Of Tea Or Coffee
Wksp - Workshop
WO - Warrant Officer