Definition

A communications lockdown where no military personnel can communicate with the outside world, ensuring that rumors spread faster than actual information.

Example Usage

All communications went blackout one hour before the operation commenced.

Origin

WWII era, formalized in modern operations planning

Fun Fact

Information vacuums during blackouts generate conspiracy theories that military intelligence agencies have to publicly debunk

Source: Military communications protocols

Related Terms

Intermediate

COMSEC

Communications Security—the art and science of keeping your radio chatter from being intercepted, decoded, and used to ruin your whole day. Loose lips sink ships, encrypted lips just confuse everyone.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

birds

Military slang for helicopters or other aircraft. Because 'rotary-wing aircraft' takes too long when you're requesting emergency extraction.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Beginner

leave

Military-approved vacation time, because apparently 'vacation' sounds too leisurely for people trained to jump out of airplanes. Earned through service and granted at command's discretion, it's the carrot that keeps soldiers from going AWOL. Comes in various flavors including emergency leave, convalescent leave, and the mythical 'approved leave' that somehow never gets approved before holidays.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

METT-TC

Mission, Enemy, Terrain and weather, Troops and support available, Time available, Civil considerations—the six factors commanders analyze during tactical planning. A mental checklist ensuring nothing critical gets forgotten.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

troop-to-task

The analytical process of assigning specific units to accomplish specific tasks within an operation. Matching capability to requirement, assuming you have enough of both.

🎖️ Military / Defense
Intermediate

Collateral Damage

Unintended destruction caused during military operations. The world's most extreme way of saying 'oops, my bad.' It is the phrase that launched a thousand Pentagon press conferences and even more euphemisms.

🎖️ Military / Defense

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Beginner

fcfs

first come first served...