Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
Originally meant being killed by a fragmentation grenade, but gained dark notoriety during Vietnam when it specifically referred to troops murdering their own unpopular officers. Today it also means being destroyed or deleted in various military contexts.
Organized groups of military personnel equipped with weapons and bad attitudes, or more generally, any substantial power capable of producing significant change. Can be wielded, deployed, or unfortunately, unleashed with catastrophic consequences.
The act of killing your own officer, historically done by soldiers who didn't appreciate the officer's leadership style—mutiny with grenades.
Small, temporary military installation supporting field operations—basically a fortified gas station in hostile territory.
Short for 'fragmentary order,' a quick modification to an existing operations plan that doesn't require rewriting the entire thing. Because sometimes the enemy doesn't cooperate with your carefully crafted 50-page OPORD.
Cargo or goods in transit through supply chains, often under security protocols in military contexts to ensure safe delivery of sensitive materials. Sometimes the freight is more valuable than the vehicle carrying it.
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.'
An alternative defensive location occupied if the primary position is compromised. A military way of saying 'Plan B for when Plan A gets overrun.'
Military defensive structures or defensive systems—basically architecture's answer to paranoia and sieges. Also applied to food when nutrients are added, because humans unified in their impulse to make things defensible against any threat, external or internal.
The ability to deploy military power anywhere globally—essentially having a fist that can reach anywhere on Earth.
Forward-Looking Infrared—sensor technology that detects heat signatures ahead of aircraft or vehicles. The military's way of seeing through darkness and smoke.
A loud signaling horn or electronic device used by ships and coastal installations to warn of their presence in fog or low visibility conditions; also used figuratively to describe a loud, forceful voice or manner.
Making a position stronger by adding walls, trenches, and defensive structures so the enemy really regrets attacking. To strengthen a military position with defensive structures.
An acronym too good to explain here that means a tactical situation has progressed beyond 'concerning' into 'we might need a drink' territory. Officially stands for 'Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.'
The uncertainty, confusion, and incomplete information that surround combat, where nobody knows what is actually happening. Carl von Clausewitz made it a central concept in On War (1832). Its modern cousin is the dashboard that says everything is green while the building is on fire.
An imaginary line that says 'anything beyond this gets shot at by our artillery.' It's the invisible fence that keeps friendly fire from being too unfriendly.