Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
Military slang for millimeter, typically used when referring to caliber sizes of weapons or ammunition. Because saying 'fifty caliber' apparently requires too much oxygen during combat operations.
An intense, often punitive physical training session designed to exhaust and discipline soldiers. Has nothing to do with tobacco and everything to do with suffering.
Factual information obtained from direct observation or presence at a location, as opposed to secondhand reports. What's actually happening vs. what PowerPoint says is happening.
Originally standing for Special Warfare Combatant Crewmen (elite Navy operators), now repurposed as slang meaning "cool" or "impressive." It's what happens when military terminology gets hijacked by civilians who want their beer pong skills to sound tactical.
A bolt-action sniper rifle favored by U.S. Navy SEALs and other military sharpshooters who need to reach out and touch someone from very, very far away. This .308 Winchester chambered weapon is the professional's choice for long-range precision work, often confused with civilian hunting rifles by people who get their gun knowledge from video games. It's what you use when "spray and pray" isn't in your vocabulary.
Status of Forces Agreement—a treaty defining the legal status of military personnel stationed in a foreign country. The bureaucratic fine print determining whether you're tried in host nation courts or sent home.
Practicing trigger pull and aiming without live ammunition, usually as training or to prevent the embarrassing situation of shooting something you didn't intend to shoot. Click-click goes the expensive training.
Bureaucratic euphemism for combat operations involving actual shooting, as opposed to 'non-kinetic' operations like psychological warfare. When policy wonks need to say 'violence' without saying 'violence.'
Technique of firing weapons while advancing on an enemy position, combining movement with suppressive fire to create mobile violence. Challenging to execute, spectacular when successful, usually just wasteful of ammunition.
The military's paradoxical approach to time management: rush to do something, then stand around doing nothing while supervisors figure out what's next.
A rapid and dramatic increase in troop deployment to an area, deployed when normal operations aren't working and time is running out.
To remove personnel from a location, usually under fire and always in a dramatic hurry—the opposite of deploy.
The invisible line where a ship's destiny is decided—load it below this mark and you're sinking, above it and you're wasting cargo space. Also used metaphorically in design to indicate structural limits.
An even more minimalist cousin of the airfield—basically a runway and a prayer. One runway, zero-frills operations, and pilots who don't mind roughing it.
Inserting troops by fast-roping from hovering helicopters, essentially controlled falling down thick ropes because landing helicopters takes too long. It's rappelling's aggressive younger sibling who doesn't believe in safety briefings.
Military-speak for the complete explosive packages—bombs, rockets, and missiles—that make things go boom, as opposed to the guns that launch smaller booms. In NATO parlance, it's the finished product sitting in the arsenal, ready to ruin someone's day. Think of it as the difference between the bullet and the gun: munitions are the part that actually explodes.
Not the furry tunnel-digger, but a spy who burrows deep into an organization to gather intelligence from within. This double agent plays the long game, establishing cover so convincing that even their own mother might forget which side they're really on. Named after the animal because both prefer working underground and ruining otherwise pristine landscapes.
Military jargon for keeping troops fed, armed, and operational in the field—basically the logistics of not letting your army fall apart. It encompasses everything from ammunition resupply to field hospitals to making sure soldiers have boots. The unglamorous but absolutely critical business of keeping the war machine running.
The practice of having all personnel at their defensive positions during dawn and dusk—the most likely times for attack. Military tradition based on the proven principle that enemies love to ruin your breakfast and dinner.
A remark that appears to be praise but contains an insult or criticism. The officer evaluation report specialty, where 'performs adequately' means 'please never promote this person.'
Slang term for members of the National Guard, used by active duty personnel. Sometimes affectionate, sometimes condescending, depending on who's saying it and current deployment rotations.
Someone who deliberately underperforms or withholds effort, or in military training contexts, one who feigns injury or exhaustion to avoid difficult tasks. The art of strategic laziness elevated to tactical doctrine.
Slang for interpreter or translator, specifically local nationals hired to bridge language barriers during operations. Often risking their lives to help foreign forces in their homeland.
The grim but necessary practice of ensuring enemy combatants are actually deceased and not playing possum with a grenade. A final insurance policy against surprise encores.