Oscar Mike to the glossary. Copy that.
The strategic and tactical practice of armed conflict conducted through military operations. Different styles exist—guerrilla, cyber, psychological—each designed to maximize chaos while minimizing fair play.
Killed in Action—a service member who dies as a direct result of enemy action. The military's clinical abbreviation for profound loss.
Preparing for every possible catastrophe so nothing surprises you—military pessimism elevated to strategic doctrine.
Directing military forces toward a specific objective through radio navigation—basically playing air traffic control for armed units.
The ability to deploy military power anywhere globally—essentially having a fist that can reach anywhere on Earth.
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses—using missiles and aircraft to neutralize or degrade enemy air defense systems so other aircraft can operate safely. Basically clearing the airspace.
Armed conflict or military actions between opposing forces—basically when nations stop using their words and start using their weapons. The fancy term for 'we're shooting at each other now.'
Forward Arming and Refueling Point—a temporary resupply base closer to combat allowing helicopters and aircraft to refuel and rearm without returning to main base. It's essentially a gas station in a war zone.
Tactical Training Exercise—a simulated military operation designed to train personnel and test procedures without actual combat. It's a dress rehearsal where everyone uses their inside voice and nobody dies.
Grab something before it reaches its destination—be it a missile, a secret message, or a 40-yard touchdown pass. In mathematics, it's that awkward point where a line crashes into an axis like an embarrassing collision.
Battle Damage Assessment—the evaluation of damage caused to enemy targets during strikes. It's the post-attack scorekeeping system, often optimistic about what was actually destroyed.
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.'
Military or organizational status meaning temporarily or permanently out of service—whether that's a weapon system that's broken down, a soldier on leave, or that motivational poster collecting dust in the break room.
Communications Intelligence—gathering intelligence by intercepting and analyzing enemy radio, telephone, and data communications. High-tech eavesdropping with government authorization.
Engaging targets from a distance safe enough that your forces aren't vulnerable to direct return fire. Also called 'standoff distance' or 'standoff range.'
Wounded in Action—a service member injured as a result of enemy action during combat. Less final than KIA, but often life-altering nonetheless.
Employing lighter forces to observe and report enemy movement while avoiding engagement. It's 'send the junior soldiers out front to see what we're dealing with,' expressed as legitimate military doctrine.
An intense military training facility where recruits are systematically broken down and rebuilt as soldiers, complete with screaming drill instructors and an unhealthy amount of yelling before breakfast.
A broad geographic area where military operations occur—referred to as 'theater of operations' or 'theater of war.' It's a war zone, but with a fancy strategic term.
Military phonetic for 'CM,' which stands for 'Continue Mission.' When you're taking casualties but the mission must proceed—cheerfully abbreviated into phonetic form.
Prisoner of War—a combatant captured by the enemy. Theoretically protected under international law (Geneva Conventions), though historical compliance varies considerably.
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.
A longitudinal timber brace running along a ship's ribs like a terrifyingly specific orthopedic corset; the structural reinforcement preventing a vessel from deciding mid-voyage to reorganize itself into something more geometrically creative.
A defensive operation intended to prevent enemy forces from advancing while buying time for reinforcements or withdrawal. It's 'die slowly in place' masquerading as strategic depth.