Glossary

Useful Acronyms, Abbreviations and Military Terms

Copyright 2011 by Eric H. Larson

ACU: Army Combat Uniform. The current issue combat uniform of the US Army. (USA)

ACUPAT: unofficial, alternative name for UCP (USA)

AFSOC: Air Force Special Operations Command (USA)

AMF: Australian Military Forces (Australia)

AOR: Area of Responsibility

ARSOC: Army Special Operations Command (USA)

ARPAT: “Army Pattern.” Unofficial, alternative name for UCP (USA)

ARVN: Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The South Vietnamese Army from the mid-1950s until 1975.

Auscam: Australian Camouflage. Early nickname for the standard Australian camouflage pattern of the DPCU.

Base color: usually the most prevalent color of a camouflage pattern, over which designs or shapes in other colors are printed.

BDU: Battle Dress Uniform. The one-time standard woodland camouflage patterned combat uniform of US military forces. (USA)

Beavertail: a wide, usually reinforced, strap of fabric hanging from the bottom rear of a field jacket or smock that can be pulled under the crotch and fastened to the front of the smock to protect billowing under windy conditions. This feature is most often associated with parachutist jackets. Also called the “ape tail” or “crutch flap.”

BGS: Bundesgrenzschutz – Federal Border Guards (Germany)

BW: Bundeswehr – Federal Army (Germany)

CADPAT: Canadian Pattern. General term for the family of pixilated camouflage designs worn by Canadian Armed Forces. (Canada)

CBRN: Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear

COIN - Counter Insurgency

CCU: Close Combat Uniform. An experimental precursor to the ACU tested by Stryker Brigades in Iraq. (USA)

CF: Canadian Forces (formerly Canadian Armed Forces – CAF)

CFN: Corpo de Fuzileiros Navais – Brazilian Marine Corps (Brazil)

Chevron: a badge of rank worn on the sleeve of a military uniform by enlisted and non-commissioned officers.

COE: Compaña Operaciones Especiales – Special Operations Company (Spain)

COMANF: Comandos Anfibios – Navy Special Operations Force (Brazil)

DCU: Desert Camouflage Uniform. The one-time standard tricolor camouflage patterned combat uniform of US military forces. (USA)

DOD: Department of Defense (USA)

DPCU: Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform. The standard camouflage uniform of Australian Military Forces (Australia)

DPDU: Disruptive Pattern Desert Uniform. The standard desert camouflage uniform of Australian Military Forces (Australia)

DPM: Disruptive Pattern Material (UK).

DPNU: Disruptive Pattern Naval Uniform (Australia)

EB: Exercito Brasileiro – Brazilian Army (Brazil)

Epaulette: an ornamental shoulder piece, decoration or embroidered mark worn on a military jacket to denote badge of rank or as part of formal dress. The term is very frequently confused with shoulder strap.

ERDL: referring to the US Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratory, the term is also used in reference to the "leaf" pattern camouflage, first used in Vietnam (USA)

ESKS: Ein Strich, kein Strich (single stripe, no stripe). A nickname for the rain patterns used in some Warsaw Pact countries (East Germany)

F1: French Army designation for the M1964 pattern combat uniform, characterized by vertical zip chest pockets on the jacket. This uniform style has been universally copied by French-speaking nations in Africa and elsewhere.

F2: French Army designation for M1992 pattern combat uniform, characterized by having only chest pockets on the jacket. This uniform has also been copied by m any French-speaking nations in Africa.

FAA - Fleet Air Arm (UK, Australia)

FAB: Força Aerea Brasileira – Brazilian Air Force (Brazil)

FAR - Force d'Action Rapide (France)

Fallschirmjäger: Paratroop units (Germany)

FE: Forças Especiais – Special Forces (Brazil)

FIBUA: Fighting in Built-up Areas. (UK)

HBT: Herringbone Twill. A distinctive V-shaped woven fabric pattern, especially popular on military uniforms during the 1940s and 1950s.

Heer: Army (Germany, Austria)

HMAK: Hærens Materialkommando - Army Material Command (Denmark)

IFOR: Implementation Force – a NATO force originally deployed to Bosnia-Hercegovina in December of 1995 to implement military aspects of the Dayton Peace Accord.

IR: Infrared

IRCM - Infra-Red Counter Measure

IRR: Infra Red Reflective (sometimes also known as Infra Red Reducing)

JASDF - Japan Air Self Defense Force

JGSDF - Japan Ground Self Defense Force

JMSDF - Japan Maritime Self Defense Force

KFOR: Kosovo Force – a NATO-led peacekeeping force deployed to Kosovo in June of 1999.

Khaki: a shade of light brown (from the Urdu word khak, meaning “dirt colored”) originally employed for military uniform fabric by the British Army in the 19th century.

KSK: Kommando Spezialkräfte - Special Forces Command (Germany)

LWIR: Longwave Infrared or C-band Infrared. Wavelength of light between approximately 3000 nanometers (nm) and 15000 nm. Thermal (heat) energy.

Luftwaffe: Airforce. (Germany)

MARPAT: Marine Pattern. Term referring to the family of pixilated camouflage designs worn by the US Marine Corps (USA)

MOD: Ministry of Defence. Also written MoD.

MOUT: Military Operations in Urban Terrain (USA)

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization – a military alliance originally established in 1949 to provide a unified defense against hypothetical Soviet aggression in postwar Europe.

NBC: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical – generally used in reference to gear and specialized clothing designed to protect the wearer under conditions in which any of the above weapons were employed.

NIR: Near Infrared or A-band Infrared. Wavelength of light between 700 nanometers (nm) and approximately 1400 nm

NOD: Night Observation Device.

Nutria: Brown uniform fabric used on the standard uniforms and equipment of the South African Defence Force (discontinued). (South Africa)

NVA: Nationale Volks Armee – the East German Army. (East Germany)

NVG: Night Vision Goggles

NWU: Navy Working Uniform. The standard pixilated camouflage working uniform of the US Navy since 2009 (USA)

OCP: Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern. Originally this was DOD-approved MultiCam issued to personnel deployed to Afghanistan. Later the term was retained for the Scorpion W2 pattern, which was an enhanced version of a design developed by Natick Labs and issued from 2015 to the present. This is now the standard camouflage pattern of the US Army. (USA)

ODA: Operational Detachment Alpha. The basic operational unit of the US Army Special Forces, consisting of 12 cross-trained personnel. Also called the A-Team.

OEF: Operation Enduring Freedom (USA)

OG-107: A specific shade of olive green (107), this was also the designation of a series of olive green working uniforms worn by the US Army from the late 1950s until the late 1960s.

OIF: Operation Iraqi Freedom (USA)

OPFOR: Opposing Forces (an "enemy" during training exercises)

Pip: a badge of rank (often in the shape of an elaborate star) worn by officers in the British-based rank system.

PM: Policia Militar – Military Police (Brazil)

RAF - Royal Air Force (UK)

RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force

RAN - Royal Australian Navy

RM: Royal Marines (UK)

RN - Royal Navy (UK)

RNeAF - Royal Netherlands Air Force

RNZAF - Royal New Zealand Air Force

ROK: Republic of Korea (South Korea)

SADF: South African Defence Force (pre 1994)

SANDF: South African National Defence Force (post 1994)

SF: Special Forces (USA)

SFOR: Stabilization Force – a NATO-led peacekeeping force first deployed in December 1996 in Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Shoulder slide: a printed or embroidered mark (usually a badge of rank) worn over the shoulder straps.

Shoulder strap: a short fabric strap (usually buttoned) running parallel to the shoulder seam of a military shirt, jacket or field coat. This was traditionally used to affix epaulettes, and later a badge of rank called a shoulder slide. Often incorrectly called an epaulette.

SOCOM: Special Operations Command. (USA)

SWIR: Shortwave Infrared or B-band Infrared. Wavelength of light between approximately 1400 nanometers (nm) and 3000 nm

Tenue leópard: “leopard suit” – a colloquial term for the French Army’s “lizard” pattern camouflage scheme, introduced in the early 1950s and worn prolifically during the campaigns in Indochina and Algeria.

UCP: Universal Camouflage Pattern. The standard camouflage pattern of the US Army from 2005 until around 2015. (USA)

UCP-D: Universal Camouflage Pattern – Delta. An experimental variation of the standard UCP with coyote tan color incorporated. This was tested in Afghanistan 2008-9, but not adopted. (USA)

USAF: United States Air Force (USA)

USMC: United States Marine Corps (USA)

USN: United States Navy (USA)

UVA: Ultraviolet light in the wavelengths between 320nm and 400nm

UVR: Ultraviolet reflection.

VSR: Voruzhenny Sil Rossi – the Russian Armed Forces (Russia)