17 Charlie: Cyber Operations Specialists MOS in the U.S. Army. They use their cybersecurity skills to protect the Army’s networks, systems, and data from cyber threats.
ACOST: American Confederation of Southern Territories.
ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
AFB: Air Force Base.
Allahu Akbar: God is most great
AO: Area of Operations.
As-Salamu Alaykum: Peace be upon you.
Automaton: a machine that performs a function according to a predetermined set of coded instructions, especially one capable of a range of programmed responses to different circumstances.
AWCUSS: American West Coast United Socialist States.
AWOL: Absent Without Official Leave but without intent to desert.
Blue Falcon: Military slang refers to someone who betrays their friends, especially for personal gain. The term implies that the closer the friends were, the more egregious the betrayal.
Bump Helmet: a lightweight, non-ballistic protective helmet designed to shield the head from blunt force trauma, falls, and debris. Unlike ballistic helmets, they are not designed to stop bullets or shrapnel. They are popular for training, search and rescue, and tactical operations requiring mounting of night-vision devices (NVGs) or cameras.
CCP: Chinese Communist Party
Chicom: Short for Chinese Communist.
Charlie Mike: Continue the Mission.
Coyote: a specialized human smuggler operating under the control or oversight of Mexican drug cartels to guide migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border for high fees.
CQB: Closed Quarters Battle.
CS: Tear Gas.
DM: Designated Marksman.
Double tap: two shots in rapid succession, typically center mas of the target.
DZ: Drop Zone.
E&E: Escape and Evade.
EAFA: East American Freedom Alliance – led by Greg McDonnel.
Ear Pro: Ear Protection – see Peltor.
EMP: Electric Magnetic Pulse.
FA: Free America, the states with the five free militias and working governments and governors working for the people.
FALF: Free American Liberation Front militia group.
Fire-Team: the smallest maneuver unit in many modern militaries, typically composed of three to five soldiers, designed for close-knit, flexible combat operations, and organized around specific roles like a leader, rifleman, automatic rifleman, and grenadier, working together as a cohesive unit under the direction of a Squad Leader.
FP: Firing position
FTX: Field Training Exercise.
FUBAR: Fucked (Fouled) Up Beyond All Recognition.
FYI: For Your Information.
Glock 19: A 9 mm Luger semi-automatic pistol popular for concealed carry and personal defense. It’s known for its reliability, durability, and simple design.
Green Beret: See SF. Also the symbolic headgear of the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Grunt: Military slang for an infantry soldier or Marine.
H&K Mp5: Heckler and Koch manufactured 9 mm submachine gun.
HE: High Explosive.
HEDP: High Explosive Dual Purpose.
Hermano: Spanish for brother.
HMG: Heavy Machine Gun.
Hooah: is a versatile U.S. Army expression signifying “yes,” “understood,” or “acknowledged,” serving as a motivational battle cry, morale booster, and general affirmation for “anything and everything except ‘no’”
HQ: Headquarters.
Hide Site: is a concealed, camouflaged, and temporary shelter designed to protect individuals from elements and detection by threats. Often used in evasion or tactical situations, these sites, which can be surface-built (brush) or sub-surface (dugout), focus on 360-degree concealment while allowing observation of surroundings.
Hijab: Head covering worn in public by some Muslim women.
ICU: Intensive care unit.
Indigs: Slang for Indigenous people – the descendants of the original inhabitants of a land or geographical region, existing before colonization or the establishment of current state boundaries.
IED: Improvised Explosive Device.
Infidel: A person who does not believe in religion or who adheres to a religion other than one’s own.
IV: Intravenous – a way to deliver fluids, medicines, nutrients, or blood directly into a person’s vein through a small, flexible tube (catheter) inserted by a needle, allowing for rapid delivery into the bloodstream for hydration, medication, or nutrition when oral intake isn’t possible.
Jihadi: an individual who subscribes to a violent, extremist interpretation of the Islamic concept of jihad, advocating armed struggle to achieve political goals.
JPC: Jumpable Plate Carrier.
JROTC: Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a program for high school students that helps them develop leadership skills and a sense of civic responsibility.
KIA: Killed in Action.
Laowai: Non-Chinese national; foreigner.
Lifer: is slang for a service member who commits to a long, full career, typically aiming for the 20+ years needed to qualify for retirement benefits, viewing the military as their lifelong profession rather than a temporary job.
LKP: Last Known Position.
LPVO: A Low-Power Variable Optic is a versatile rifle scope, typically used on AR-pattern rifles, that combines the rapid, both-eyes-open capability of a 1x red dot with the magnification of a traditional scope (often 1-4x, 1-6x, 1-8x, or 1-10x). It allows shooters to quickly switch between close-quarters and mid-range engagements.
LRS: Long-Range Surveillance.
LRRP: Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol.
M1911: Semi-automatic pistol designed by John Browning and adopted by the U.S. Army in 1911. Typically chambered in .45 ACP caliber.
M203: 40mm single-shot grenade launcher.
M240 B: a reliable, gas-operated, belt-fed medium machine gun used by the U.S. military and NATO, firing the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, known for its versatility as a general-purpose weapon for infantry, vehicles, and aircraft, providing essential suppressive fire and known for its robust performance.
M249 SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon – LMG – provides automatic fire support at the squad level, acting as the base of fire for the team.
M4: A lightweight, gas-operated assault rifle that is the primary infantry weapon for the U.S. military. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO.
M81 Camo: The Woodland camouflage pattern used by the U.S. military, introduced around 1981, is actually M82 camo. Used until the mid-to-late 2000s. Derived from the earlier Vietnam era ERDL pattern.
MA Deuce: nickname of the Browning M2 .50 caliber heavy machine gun – derived from its designation, M2, and its status a the mother of all HMG’s (Heavy Machine Guns).
MACVSOG: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group. It was a top-secret U.S. special operations unit that carried out covert missions in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
Marauders: raiders.
Masa’ Alkhayr: good afternoon or good evening.
Ma’a Salama: goodbye in Arabic.
MBITR: AN/PRC-148 Multi-Band Inter/Intra Team Radio.
MIKE Force: Mobile Militia Strike Force.
MK12 Mos 0: a 5.56x45mm NATO specialized designated marksman rifle utilized by U.S. Special Operations Forces (2002–2017), designed for high accuracy at extended ranges (up to 700m).
MK17 (Mark17) AKA SCAR—H/ MK16 AKA SCAR-L: The FN SCAR (SOF (Special Operations Forces) Combat Assault Rifle) is a family of gas-operated short-stroke gas piston automatic rifles developed by Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal (FN) in 2004. It is constructed with modularity for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to satisfy the requirements of the SCAR competition. This family of rifles consists of two main types. The SCAR-L, for ‘light,’ is chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO, and the SCAR–H, for ‘heavy,’ is chambered in 7.62×51mm NATO. Both types are available in Close Quarters Combat (CQC), Standard (STD), and Long Barrel (LB) variants.
Mog: Mogadishu
MOLLE: Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment
Monoc: Monocular- single tube Night Optical Device. Ie. Single tube PVS-14.
MOS: Military Occupational Specialty.
MP: Military Police.
NAST: North American Socialist Territories: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer.
NESSA: Northeast Socialist States of America.
NODs: Night Optical Devices.
Normie: Military slang for a civilian.
NVGs: Night Vision Goggles.
NWAA: Northwest American Alliance Militia Group Comprising of Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Montana.
OBs: SEE OP below.
OCP: Operational Combat Pattern, originally codenamed Scorpion W2. This pattern was adopted in 2015 and replaced the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP “ACU”) in 2019.
OCS: Officer Candidate School.
ODA: Operational Detachment Alpha, or Special Forces (Green Berets), a twelve-man team.
OP: Observation Post.
OSCAR MIKE: On the Move.
Peltor Brand Hearing Protection: designed to protect the wearer from loud sounds like gunfire, but allowing them to hear normal to advance hearing.
PLA: People’s Liberation Army.
POG: Personnel Other than Grunts.
POS: Position.
POTUS: President of the United States.
PVS-14: a rugged, multi-purpose military-issue night vision monocular used by U.S. and allied forces for hands-free or handheld operation, providing clear vision in low light using Generation 3 image intensifier tubes, allowing users to see in the dark while retaining natural night vision in one eye for better situational awareness.
PVS-22: a high-performance Gen 3 Universal Night Sight (UNS) designed to clip on in front of existing riflescopes, enabling night operations without re-zeroing.
PVS-31: a lightweight, high-performance Gen 3 binocular night vision goggle (BNVD) widely used by US Special Operations Forces.
QBZ-191: Chinese assault rifle chambered for the 5.8×42mm intermediate cartridge, designed and manufactured by Chongqing Jianshe as a new-generation service rifle for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and People’s Armed Police (PAP). The rifle’s designation QBZ stands for light weapon (Qīng Wǔqì)—rifle (Bùqiāng)—automatic.
QRF: Quick Reaction Force.
Recondo School: a famous, grueling U.S. Army training program, especially during the Vietnam War, focusing on Reconnaissance and Commando skills, teaching long-range patrolling, intelligence gathering, survival, and advanced marksmanship, culminating in a final exam that often involved real missions in enemy territory. Created by General William Westmoreland, it trained elite soldiers for covert operations, with graduates earning the distinctive Recondo badge, and influenced modern Special Operations training.
ROTC: Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, a college program that prepares students to become commissioned officers in the U.S. military.
RP: Rally Point – a predesignated location, secure or otherwise, where single team members, or units meet for further preparation, organization, orders. Used prior to and after an operation/mission.
RPD: Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova – A Soviet designed light machine gun (LMG) belt fed linked 7.62x39mm, developed in the 1940’s.
RPG: Rocket-Propelled Grenade.
RTB: Return To Base.
RTO: Radio Telephone Operator.
S-2: Army Intelligence.
SBR: Short-Barreled Rifle, a rifle with a barrel length of less than sixteen inches and an overall length of less than twenty-six inches.
Scavs: Short for Scavengers; slang.
SF: Special Forces, specifically the U.S. Army Special Forces (the Green Berets).
SFAS: Special Forces Assessment and Selection.
SFMOS: Special Forces Military Occupational Specialty.
Shuriken: a thrown edged weapon used in feudal Japan by the Ninja Clans. Many different designs and ways of throwing and employing them.
SHTF: Shit Hits the Fan.
Shemagh: a large scarf from the Middle East, used for multiple purposes and worn in different ways. One is a simple scarf around the neck.
SITREP: Situation Report.
Situ –: Situation.
SLLS: Stop Look Listen Smell.
SOF: Special Operation Forces.
SOP: Standard Operating Procedures.
Spray and pray: when someone shoots on full auto at an enemy location and prays they hit them. Non disciplined firing of one’s weapon.
S-Vest: Suicide vest—Jihadis use as an offensive weapon, primarily.
SWAT: Special Weapons and Tactics.
Tangos: Use of the military phonetic alphabet ‘T’ for terrorist or generally a hostile target, enemy.
The Unit: informally referring to the special operation force also known as the Delta Force.
TLC: Tender Loving Care.
TN: Tennessee.
TOC: Tactical Operating Center.
Tracer(s) (Round): a round that has a pyrotechnic charge on its tip that is ignited when fired through the appropriate weapon system. It allows the shooter to see where he/she is firing at night because of it leaving a burning trail and correct aim.
Trimmed: Grazed. Flesh wound caused by a bullet.
U.N.: United Nations.
VBIED: Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device.
VIP: Very Important Person.
VP: Vice President.
Wa alaykumu s-salam: And upon you be peace.
W.H.O.: World Health Organization.
WTF: What The Fuck!
WWI: World War I.
WWII: World War II.
X.O.: Executive Officer; second in charge.
The Reason Novel Series 