List of U.S. government and military acronyms

List of initialisms, acronyms ("words made from parts of other words, pronounceable"), and other abbreviations used by the government and the military:

A

• A - analog
• A2C2 - Army airspace command and control
• A-3 - (Operations Directorate (COMAFFOR))
• A-5 - (Plans Directorate (COMAFFOR))
• AA - assessment agent
• AA - avenue of approach
• AAA - antiaircraft artillery
• AAA - arrival and assembly area
• AAA - assign alternate area
• AAAS - amphibious aviation assault ship
• AABB - American Association of Blood Banks
• AABWS - amphibious assault bulk water system
• AAC - Army Air Corps (British)
• AAC - Australian Army Cadets (Australia)
• AAC - activity address code
• AACG - arrival airfield control group
• AADC - area air defense commander
• AADP - area air defense plan
• AA&E - arms, ammunition, and explosives
• AAEC - aeromedical evacuation control team
• AAFC - Australian Air Force Cadets (Australia)
• AAFES - Army and Air Force Exchange Service
• AAFIF - automated air facility information file
• AAFS - amphibious assault fuel system
• AAFSF - amphibious assault fuel supply facility
• AAGS - Army air-ground system
• AAI - air-to-air interface
• AAM - air-to-air missile
• AAMDC - US Army Air and Missile Defense Command
• AAOE - arrival and assembly operations element
• AAOG - arrival and assembly operations group
• AAP - Allied administrative publication
• AAP - assign alternate parent
• AAR - after action report
• AAR - after action review
• AAS - Army Apprentice School (Australia)
• AAST - aeromedical evacuation administrative support team
• AAT - automatic analog test
• AAT - aviation advisory team
• AAU - analog applique unit
• AAV - amphibious assault vehicle
• AAW - antiair warfare
• AB - airbase
• ABCA - American, British, Canadian, Australian Armies Program
• ABCS - Army Battle Command System
• ABD - airbase defense
• ABFC - advanced base functional component
• ADF - Australian Defence Force (Australia)
• ADFA - Australian Defence Force Academy (Australia)
• ADFC - Australian Defence Force Cadets (Australia)
• ADOS - Active Duty Other Services
• ADSW - Active Duty Special Work
• AFOSI - Air Force Office of Special Investigations
• AIM - Airborne Intercept Missile (U.S. military)
• AIPD - Army Institute For Professional Development
• AIRTC - Air Training Corps (former name for the Australian Air Force Cadets)
• An - Antonov (Russian)
• ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
• AOL - Absent Over Leave (U.S. Navy)
• APC - Armored Personnel Carrier
• APOAE - Army Post Office Armies in Europe
• APPN - Appropriation Number (U.S. Military)
• ARA - Australian Regular Army (Australia)
• ARes - Army Reserve (Australia)
• ARM - Anti-Radar Missile
• ARM - Anti-Radiation Missile
• ARMS - Automated Recruit Management System (U.S. military)
• ARVN - Army of the Republic of (South) Viet Nam (U.S. Military)
• ASAP - As Soon As Possible (U.S. military)
• ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations
• ASM - Air to Surface Missile
• ASM - Anti-Ship Missile
• ASV - Anti-Surface Vessel (airborne radar)
• A&P - administrative and personnel
• ATTRS - Army Training Requirements And Resources Development
• AWOL - Absent Without Leave

B

• BDF - Barbados Defence Force (Barbados)
• Be - Beriev (Russian)
• BEA - Budget Execution Authority (U.S. Navy)
• BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again (US Military)

C

• C1 - Command
• C2 - Command And Control
• C3 - Command Control And Communication
• C4IR - Command Control Communication Computers Intelligence And Recognition
• CAC - Common Access Card (DoD)
• CAG - Commander, Air Group (U.S.)
• CAGE - Commercial and Government Entity
• CAS - Close Air Support
• CAT - Combat Application Tourniquets
• CCIR - Commanders Critical Information Requirements
• CDIAC - Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center
• CENTCOM - Central Command (U.S. Military)
• CIC - Command Intelligence Center (U.S. Navy)
• CINCLANT - Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Forces (U.S. Navy)
• CINCLANTFLT - Commander-in-chief, Atlantic Fleet (U.S. Navy)
• CINCPAC - Commander-in-chief, Pacific Forces (U.S. Navy)
• CIWS - Close-In Weapon System
• CONUS - Continental United States (U.S. military)
• CORDS - (U.S. military, Vietnam era)
• CQB - Close Quarters Battle
• CT - Counter-terrorism Team
• CVN - Nuclear-powered Aircraft Carrier (NOTE: the V comes from the expression "heavier than air flying machine")
• CZN - Nuclear-powered Airship Carrier (NOTE: the Z comes from the use of the word Zeppelin although non-Zeppelin airships would also be transported on a CZN)

D

• DARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (U.S. Military)
• DFAS - Defense Finance and Accounting Service (U.S. Military)
• DMS - Defense Message System (U.S. Military)
• DMZ - Demilitarized Zone
• DoDAF - Department of Defense Architectural Framework

E

• EOD - Explosive Ordnance Disposal
• Exfil - Exfiltration

F

• FAR - Federal Acquistion Regulation
• FEBA - Forward Edge of the Battle Area
• FLOT - Forward Line of Troops
• FLOTUS - First Lady of the United States (U.S. - see POTUS)
• FOB - Forward Operating Base
• FOD - Foreign Object Damage (U.S.)
• FOD - Foreign Object Debris (U.S.)
• FSA - Force Structure Allowance
• FTUS - Full Time Unit Specialist
• FUBAR - Fucked Up Beyond All Repair

G

• G1 - General Staff Level office for Personel and Manpower
• G2 - General Staff Level office for Military Intelligence
• G3 - General Staff Level office for Operations and Plans
• G4 - General Staff Level office for Logistics
• G5 - General Staff Level office for Military/Civil Affairs
• G6 - General Staff Level office for Signal and Communication
• G7 - General Staff Level office for Training and Exercises
• G8 - General Staff Level office for Force Development and Analysis
• G9 - General Staff Level office for Civil Operations
• GOCO - Government owned, contractor operated
• GPMG - General Purpose Machine Gun
• Gulag - The Chief Administration of Collective Labor Camps (Russian Главное Управление Лагерей, "Glavnoye Upravleniye Lagerey")

H

• HMAS - Her Majesty's Australian Ship (Australia)
• HMCS - Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (Canada)
• HMMWV - High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (U.S. Military)
• HMNZS - Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship (New Zealand)
• HMS - Hans Majestäts Skepp (His Majesty's ship, Sweden)
• HMS - Her Majesty's Ship (UK)
• HOMSEC - Homeland Security
• HYT - High Year Tenure (USAF)

I

• IAF - Indian Air Force
• IAF - Israeli Air Force
• IED - Improvised Explosive Device
• IFF - Identification Friend or Foe
• IFV - Infantry Fighting Vehicle
• Il - Ilyushin
• Interpol - International Criminal Police Organization
• ISO - Inter School Course

J

• JETDS - Joint Electronics Type Designation System

K

• KIA - Killed In Action

L

• LZ- Landing Zone

M

• MBT - Main Battle Tank
• MCEN - Marine Corps Enterprise Network (U.S. Military)
• MFA - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Mi - Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant (Russian)
• MIA - Missing In Action
• MICV - Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle
• MiG - Mikoyan-Gurevich (Russian)
• MOAB - Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (U.S. military)
• MOB - Main Operating Base
• MPDS - Military Planning Data Allowance
• MRE - Meal Ready to Eat (U.S. Military)
• MRX - Mission Rehearsal Exercise
• MTOE - Modified Table Of Organizational Equipment

N

• NAFTA - North American Free Trade Agreement
• NAS - Naval Air Station
• NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
• NCIS - Naval Criminal Investigative Service
• NMC - Not Mission Capable
• NMCI - Naval Marine Corps Internet (U.S. Navy)

O

• OBE - Overcome by Events (DoD)
• OFO - Out Fucking Off
• O&M, MC - Operations & Maintenance, Marine Corps (U.S. Navy)
• O&M, N - Operations & Maintenance, Navy (U.S. Navy)
• OODA - Observe, Orient, Decide, And Act
• OPSEC - Operations Security
• OTV - Outer Tactical Vest

P

• PACOM - Pacific Command
• PFT - Physical Fitness Test
• PME - Professional Military Education
• PMS - Planned Maintenance Schedule (U.S. Navy)
• PO - Post Office
• POTUS - President of the United States
• POW - Prisoner Of War
• PT - Physical Training

R

• RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force (Australia)
• RAF - Royal Air Force (UK)
• RAN - Royal Australian Navy (Australia)
• RCSCC - Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (Canada)
• RFP - Request for Proposal (U.S.)
• RMC - Royal Military College of Canada (Canada) Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario
• RN - Royal Navy (UK)
• RNZAF - Royal New Zealand Air Force (New Zealand)
• RSS - Regional Security System (Caribbean)
• RV - Rendez-Vous

S

• SITREP - Situation Report
• SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
• SOL - Shit Out of Luck
• SOP - Standard Operating Procedures
• SOS - Shit On a Shingle

T

• TAD - Temporary Additional Duty (U.S. Military)
• TDY - Temporary Duty (U.S. Military)
• TFOA - Things Falling Off Aircraft

U

• UA - Unauthorized Absence
• UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
• UCAV - Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle
• UMA - Unit Mobilization Assistor
• UN - United Nations
• US - Unserviceable
• USAF - United States Air Force
• USA PATRIOT Act - Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act
• USAREUR - US Army / Europe
• USMC - United States Marine Corps
• USN - United States Navy
• USO - United Service Organizations (U.S. Military)
• USR - Unit Status Report
• UUV - Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
• UXB - Unexploded Bomb (bomb disposal; British)

V

• VDM - Visual Distinguishing Mark
• VFD - Volunteer Fire Department

W

• WIA - wounded in action

Z

• Z - Zeppelin

See also

• List of acronyms
• List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions
• List of U.S. Marine Corps acronyms and expressions
• List of U.S. Navy acronyms