Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
Military strategy of grinding down enemy forces through sustained casualties over time—basically 'we have more bodies than you do, so let's count.'
A person injured or killed by accident or violence—the human cost of disaster. In military terminology, it's the grim accounting of who didn't make it home.
The strategic and tactical practice of armed conflict conducted through military operations. Different styles exist—guerrilla, cyber, psychological—each designed to maximize chaos while minimizing fair play.
Covert military or intelligence operations denied by the government. Deniable operations where the government claims no official involvement whatsoever.
Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence. The nervous system of modern military operations—without it, your army becomes very confused and violent.
Communications Intelligence—gathering intelligence by intercepting and analyzing enemy radio, telephone, and data communications. High-tech eavesdropping with government authorization.
Attacking the side of an enemy force rather than the defended front. It's the military principle that 'head-on fighting is stupid, so let's attack from where they're not looking.'
Military systems allowing engagement of targets from a safe distance, minimizing exposure to enemy fire—basically 'hitting them before they can hit you back'.
Guidelines for safely breaking contact with enemy forces—how to run away in an organized, military fashion.
Operations designed to neutralize enemy air defense systems—taking out the AA before they take out your planes.
Tactical Training Exercise—a simulated military operation designed to train personnel and test procedures without actual combat. It's a dress rehearsal where everyone uses their inside voice and nobody dies.
Preparing for every possible catastrophe so nothing surprises you—military pessimism elevated to strategic doctrine.
Battle Damage Assessment—the evaluation of damage caused to enemy targets during strikes. It's the post-attack scorekeeping system, often optimistic about what was actually destroyed.
A longitudinal timber brace running along a ship's ribs like a terrifyingly specific orthopedic corset; the structural reinforcement preventing a vessel from deciding mid-voyage to reorganize itself into something more geometrically creative.
The ability to deploy military power anywhere globally—essentially having a fist that can reach anywhere on Earth.
Armed conflict or military actions between opposing forces—basically when nations stop using their words and start using their weapons. The fancy term for 'we're shooting at each other now.'
Render an enemy position, weapon, or force ineffective without necessarily destroying it. It's the military's polite way of saying 'make them unable to kill us without using the word kill.'
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.'
A narrow excavation in the ground, typically rectangular with smooth walls, used in military warfare as protective cover or in archaeology to unearth buried secrets. Think of it as nature's filing cabinet, but way more dangerous depending on your neighbors.
A tactical maneuver where friendly forces attack the enemy's flanks and rear while maintaining front-line pressure. It's the military equivalent of 'attacking you from all sides while you're facing one direction.'
Employing lighter forces to observe and report enemy movement while avoiding engagement. It's 'send the junior soldiers out front to see what we're dealing with,' expressed as legitimate military doctrine.
Helicopter pilot or crew member. Usually said affectionately by those who fly them and dismissively by jet pilots who consider rotary-wing undignified.
Military or organizational status meaning temporarily or permanently out of service—whether that's a weapon system that's broken down, a soldier on leave, or that motivational poster collecting dust in the break room.
Grab something before it reaches its destination—be it a missile, a secret message, or a 40-yard touchdown pass. In mathematics, it's that awkward point where a line crashes into an axis like an embarrassing collision.