Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
Operational Security — the art of not telling anyone anything about anything ever. The military invented information hoarding before tech companies made it cool with NDAs. If you're explaining OPSEC to someone, you might already be violating it.
NATO phonetic alphabet for 'O.M.,' meaning 'On the Move.' It is the tactical way of saying 'we're heading out' without sounding like you're leaving brunch. Makes every commute sound like a covert operation.
Shorthand for operations—whether military missions, business processes, or that person moderating your IRC channel. It's the ultimate multipurpose abbreviation beloved by everyone who wants to sound tactical while saving two syllables. From Navy SEALs planning black ops to DevOps engineers deploying code, everyone's running "ops" these days.
Tactical positioning where one element provides covering fire while another maneuvers, creating a leap-frog pattern of mutually supporting violence. The buddy system, but with machine guns.
Opposing Force—the designated enemy in training exercises, or actual adversary forces in planning. The people whose job is to make your day difficult, whether for practice or real.
Military weapons, ammunition, and related equipment—basically anything designed to explode, propel, or otherwise ruin someone's day. Not to be confused with 'ordinance' (a local law), though both can blow up in your face if mishandled.
Operational tempo—the pace and intensity of military operations and activities. High op tempo means constant missions with little downtime, inevitably leading to exhausted personnel.
Protection from indirect fire, shrapnel, and aerial observation, typically achieved through reinforced roofing or natural terrain. Because sometimes the sky really is falling, and it's carrying ordnance.
Personnel or equipment permanently assigned to a military unit, as opposed to attached or supporting elements. Like the difference between your own kids and someone else's you're babysitting.
The pace and intensity of military operations, often abbreviated as OPTEMPO. How fast you're burning through both resources and personnel's sanity.
Decision-making cycle standing for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act—the faster you complete this loop than your enemy, the more you win. Fighter pilot Colonel John Boyd's gift to military strategists who needed a fancy acronym to describe "think fast and do stuff."
Weapons and support that are inherent to a military unit rather than attached from higher command. It's 'stuff we bring with us' as opposed to 'stuff we have to call for and wait for.'
Measures to protect sensitive information about military operations. The paranoid mindset that everyone outside the briefing room is the enemy.
The rate at which military operations are conducted, measured in missions, sorties, or patrols per unit time. The speed at which soldiers get exhausted.