Robert Kaplan - Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts

full bell:full speed.

GPS:global positioning system. Navigational system that uses satellite signals to fix the location of a radio receiver.

Green Zone:see IZ.

grunt:noncommissioned or enlisted combat infantryman.

GWOT:Global War on Terrorism.

Harpoon Launcher:ship-to-ship missile launched from a canister.

haversack:shoulder bag similar to a knapsack.

havildar: noncommissioned officer in the army of British India equivalent to a sergeant.

Hellfire missile:Helicopter-launched fire-and-forget. U.S. air-to-ground laser-guided missile used by helicopters against heavily armored vehicles from greater distances than were possible before.

HESCO baskets:large wire-mesh baskets that are filled with sandbags to create barriers.

high-and-tight:a buzz cut.

HIT:human intelligence team.

HUD:heads-up display—information a pilot sees on his computer screen.

Humvee:U.S. Army all-purpose four-wheel-drive vehicle.

IED:improvised explosive device, such as a roadside bomb.

IMT:individual movement tactics—that is, buddy teams advancing in tandem despite live fire so no one accidentally gets hit.

indigs:indigenous troops in a given country.

IP:Iraqi police.

IZ:International Zone in Baghdad, the nerve center of the U.S. military occupation. Also called Green Zone.

JCET:Joint Combined Exercise for Training.

JDAM:Joint Direct Attack Munition. A massive GPS-guided air-to-ground bomb.

jingle truck:a four-wheel-drive truck built for rugged terrain, usually adorned with colorful stickers and chimes, and garishly painted.

JPAC:Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, for locating MIAs, etc.

JSOTF:Joint Special Operations Task Force. It is composed of Special Operations units from more than one service to carry out a specific special operation or special operations in support of a campaign.

JTAC:joint terminal attack controller. Directs action of combat aircraft engaged in close air support and other offensive air operations.

JUSMAG:Joint United States Military Assistance Group. Provides military training and security assistance to other countries.

Kalashnikov:see AK-47.

KC-10 Extender:tanker and cargo aircraft that provides increased mobility for U.S. forces in air-to-air refueling.

Kevlar:strong, lightweight fiber used for protective apparel, including helmets. It is flexible and comfortable.

KFR:Kim Family Regime (North Korea).

KISS:keep it simple, stupid.

k-loader:truck that carries cargo to and from the cargo ramp of a plane or dock.

kukri: short curved knife with a broad blade used by Gurkhas.

kurta: loose shirt falling above or below the knee that is worn in Nepal and neighboring countries by men and women.

LAW:66mm light anti-tank weapon.

layer depth:depth at which submarines operate, several hundred feet below the surface layer, where cooler temperatures and greater water pressure optimize the movement of sound waves.

LCC:last place of cover and concealment.

leatherneck:marine, from the protective leather collar that was once part of the uniform.

LED:light-emitting diode. A semiconductor diode that emits light when current is conducted through it. It is used in electronic equipment to display readings.

LFE:large force exercise.

log officer:logistics officer.

magnetic silencing:a process of reducing a boat’s magnetic field by running electronic coils, permanent magnets, or electric currents through it so that it cannot be threatened by magnetic mines. Also called degaussing.

MA1:first class chief master-at-arms.

Makarov pistol:9mm service sidearm of the Soviet Union during the Cold War that is compact and easy to use and maintain.

MARFORPAC:Marine Forces, Pacific.

MBITR:multi-band inter-team radio.

MEB:Marine Expeditionary Brigade. Consists of a reinforced infantry regiment, aircraft group, and service support. Larger than MEU.

MEDCAP:medical civic action program. Free medical care for local people in the area where it is set up.

MEF:Marine Expeditionary Force. Largest unit of marines sent overseas, about forty thousand.

MEU:Marine Expeditionary Unit. Smaller configuration in which marines usually deploy.

M-4:light, compact 5.56mm assault rifle used by some U.S. Army and Special Operations units. It can be operated in close quarters.

mil:sight setting in a pilot’s display.

MOD:maximum operating depth of a submarine.

MOG:maximum on ground space (for aircraft).

M1A1:Abrams tank—the main U.S. Army battle tank. Provides mobile fire for armored divisions. Also used by the Marines.

MOUT:military operations in urban terrain.

MPS:maritime pre-positioning ship. Ship with a civilian crew that has pre-positioned equipment and a month’s supplies to support three MEBs.

MRE:meal ready to eat.

M-16:U.S. Army 5.56mm assault rifle, lightweight and easy to use.

MWR:Morale, Welfare, and Recreation.

NCO:noncommissioned officer.

NGO:nongovernmental organization.

NORTHCOM:Northern Command.

OEF:see Operation Enduring Freedom.

officer of the deck:naval officer given charge of a vessel by the commanding officer for an assigned period.

OGA:other government agency.

OIF:see Operation Iraqi Freedom.

OL:operating location.

Operation Enduring Freedom:U.S. military response, primarily in Afghanistan, to September 11, 2001, attacks.

Operation Iraqi Freedom–1:U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Operation Iraqi Freedom–2:U.S. military operations in Iraq since 2004.

OPSEC:operations security.

PACAF:Pacific Air Forces.

PACOM:Pacific Command.

pallet:a flat platform on an aircraft used to facilitate loading and unloading.

pelican hook:hinged hook, like a pelican’s bill, that opens and closes, and is used on a ship to grasp and release.

perisher:related to periscope use.

pillbox:a small, low concrete emplacement for machine guns and anti-tank weapons.

pirogue:a canoe made by hollowing out and shaping a large log.

PMI:primary marksmanship instructor.

pop:of an airplane, steep emergence from low altitude and roll out to the other side of a barrier to hit the enemy by surprise.

Predator:small, unmanned aerial vehicle, operated by remote control, that can be in the air up to twenty-four hours. It is sometimes armed with laser-guided anti-tank missiles to kill targeted individuals.