Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
Close Air Support—aircraft attacking enemy forces in dangerous proximity to friendly troops, requiring precise coordination to avoid turning your own soldiers into pink mist. Fighter pilots playing danger close while ground troops provide running commentary.
Casualty Evacuation using non-medical assets like trucks or helicopters without dedicated medical personnel. When you need to get wounded out fast and can't wait for the ambulance with the red cross.
A training methodology progressing from basic skills to complex operations in stages. How the military teaches everything from marksmanship to not accidentally invading the wrong country.
A new and inexperienced service member who hasn't seen combat or completed their first deployment. Still believes the stories about military intelligence not being an oxymoron.
Close Quarters Battle—combat at intimate distances where things get loud, personal, and very permanent, usually lasting seconds.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear threats—basically every way science has discovered to ruin someone's day from far away.
Military strategy of removing enemy forces from an area and then staying put to prevent them from returning—theoretically simple, practically exhausting.
A wind that has decided to take the scenic route across your path of travel instead of cooperating like a normal breeze. Pilots and sailors learn to respect this atmospheric contrarian, as it loves to make landings and takeoffs unnecessarily theatrical.
A clear, concise statement describing what success looks like in an operation, providing subordinates flexibility in execution. Theoretically the guiding star of operations; practically, often vague enough to mean whatever you want.
A person actively engaged in armed conflict, typically distinguished from civilians by international law—the term that helps separates 'participant in warfare' from 'bystander caught in crossfire.'
Redistributing personnel, equipment, or supplies between units to ensure all elements meet operational requirements. Robbing Peter to pay Paul, but with more tactical justification.
The movement and distribution of intelligence, supplies, personnel, or currency through operational channels. Restricted circulation is a spy's nightmare; unrestricted circulation is an administrator's.
A specialized vessel, aircraft, or entity tasked with transporting valuable cargo, personnel, or biological agents from point A to point B—essentially the logistics backbone of any operation. In military contexts, this could be anything from a naval carrier to a humble mail carrier.
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.
Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence. The nervous system of modern military operations—without it, your army becomes very confused and violent.
Preparing for every possible catastrophe so nothing surprises you—military pessimism elevated to strategic doctrine.
Communications Intelligence—gathering intelligence by intercepting and analyzing enemy radio, telephone, and data communications. High-tech eavesdropping with government authorization.
Counterinsurgency—military and political operations against insurgent forces trying to overthrow governments. It's the kind of warfare that requires killing the bad guys, winning the population's trust, and somehow doing both simultaneously.
A shop or store where candles and other supplies are sold, or the supplies themselves. Historically, chandlers also dealt in soap, oil, and other goods made from animal fat.
A short, curved sword with a single sharp edge, historically used by sailors, pirates, and soldiers for close combat. Known for its practical design and effectiveness in confined spaces like ship decks.
The equipment and ammunition a soldier carries during active operations. The weight between 'fully prepared' and 'can't move.'
The mental and informational battlefield where perception, beliefs, and decision-making occur. Where the real war is fought—in people's heads.
Air-to-ground combat support against enemy forces near friendly troops. The reason ground soldiers love pilots who can actually hit what they're aiming at.
Air forces directly assisting ground troops in combat. When jets show up to help the infantry because things got spicy.