Easy: The only easy day was yesterday. SEAL talk.
ELINT: ELectronic INTelligence. Often from satellite in orbit, picture-taker, or other electronic communications.
EOD: Navy experts in nuclear material and radioactivity who do Explosive Ordnance Disposal.
Equatorial Satellite Pointing Guide: To aim antenna for radio to pick up satellite signals.
ES-3A: Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) intercept craft. The platform for the battle group Passive Horizon Extension System. Stays up for long patrol periods, has comprehensive set of sensors, lands and takes off from a carrier. Has 63 antennas.
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival.
Executive Order 12333: By President Reagan authorizing Special Warfare units such as the SEALs.
Exfil: Exfiltrate, to get out of an area.
F/A-18 Hornet: Carrier-based interceptor that can change from air-to-air to air-to-ground attack mode while in flight.
Fitrep: Fitness Report.
Flashbang Grenade: Non-lethal grenade that gives off a series of piercing explosive sounds and a series of brilliant strobe-type lights to disable an enemy.
Flotation Bag: To hold equipment, ammo, gear on a wet operation.
Fort Fumble: SEALs’ name for the Pentagon.
Forty-mm Rifle Grenade: The M576 multipurpose round, contains 20 large lead balls. SEALs use on Colt M-4A1.
Four-Striper: A Navy captain.
Fox Three: In air warfare, a code phrase showing that a Navy F-14 has launched a Phoenix air-to-air missile.
FUBAR: SEAL talk. Fucked Up Beyond All Repair.
Full Helmet Masks: For high-altitude jumps. Oxygen in mask.
G-3: German-made assault rifle.
Gloves: SEALs wear sage-green, fire-resistant Nomex flight gloves.
GMT: Greenwich Mean Time. Where it’s all measured from.
GPS: Global Positioning System. A program with satellites around Earth to pinpoint precisely aircraft, ships, vehicles, and ground troops. Position information is to a plus or minus ten feet. Also can give speed of a plane or ship to one quarter of a mile per hour.
GPSL: A radio antenna with floating wire that pops to the surface. Antenna picks up positioning from the closest 4 global positioning satellites and gives an exact position within 10 feet.
Green Tape: Green sticky ordnance tape that has a hundred uses for a SEAL.
GSG-9: Flashbang grenade developed by Germans. A cardboard tube filled with 5 separate charges timed to burst in rapid succession. Blinding and giving concussion to enemy, leaving targets stunned, easy to kill or capture. Usually non-lethal.
GSG9: Grenzschutzgruppe Nine. Germany’s best special warfare unit, counterterrorist group.
Gulfstream II (VCII): Large executive jet used by services for transport of small groups quickly. Crew of 3 and 18 passengers. Cruises at 581 mph. Maximum range 4,275 miles.
H & K 21A1: Machine gun with 7.62 NATO round. Replaces the older, more fragile M-60 E3. Fires 900 rounds per minute. Range 1,100 meters. All types of NATO rounds, ball, incendiary, tracer.
H & K G-11: Automatic rifle, new type. 4.7mm caseless ammunition. 50-round magazine. The bullet is in a sleeve of solid propellant with a special thin plastic coating around it. Fires 600 rounds per minute. Single-shot, three-round burst, or fully automatic.
H & K MP-5SD: 9mm submachine gun with integral silenced barrel, single-shot, three-shot, or fully automatic. Rate 800 rds/min.
H & K P9S: Heckler & Koch’s 9mm Parabellum double-action semiauto pistol with 9-round magazine.
H & K PSG1: 7.62 NATO round. High-precision, bolt-action, sniping rifle. 5- to 20-round magazine. Roller lock delayed blowback breech system. Fully adjustable stock. 6×42 telescopic sights. Sound suppressor.
HAHO: High Altitude jump, High Opening. From 30,000 feet, open chute for glide up to 15 miles to ground. Up to 75 minutes in glide. To enter enemy territory or enemy position unheard.
Half-Track: Military vehicle with tracked rear drive and wheels in front, usually armed and armored.
HALO: High Altitude jump, Low Opening. From 30,000 feet. Free fall in 2 minutes to 2,000 feet and open chute. Little forward movement. Get to ground quickly, silently.
Hamburgers: Often called sliders on a Navy carrier.
Handie-Talkie: Small, handheld personal radio. Short range.
HELO: SEAL talk for helicopter.
Herky Bird: C-130 Hercules transport. Most-flown military transport in the world. For cargo or passengers, paratroops, aerial refueling, search and rescue, communications, and as a gunship. Has flown from a Navy carrier deck without use of catapult. Four turboprop engines, max speed 325 knots, range at max payload 2,356 miles.
Hezbollah: Lebanese Shiite Moslem militia. Party of God.
HMMWU: The Humvee, U.S. light utility truck, replaced the honored Jeep. Multipurpose wheeled vehicle, 4×4, automatic transmission, power steering. Engine: Detroit Diesel 150-hp diesel V-8 air-cooled. Top speed 65 mph. Range 300 miles.
Hotels: SEAL talk for hostages.
Humint: Human Intelligence. Acquired on the ground; a person as opposed to satellite or photo recon.
Hydra-Shock: Lethal hollow-point ammunition made by Federal Cartridge Company. Outlawed in some areas.
Hypothermia: Danger to SEALs. A drop in body temperature that can be fatal.
IBS: Inflatable Boat Small. 12×6 feet. Carries 8 men and 1,000 pounds of weapons and gear. Hard to sink. Quiet motor. Used for silent beach, bay, lake landings.
IR Beacon: Infrared beacon. For silent nighttime signaling.
IR Goggles: “Sees” heat instead of light.
Islamic Jihad: Arab holy war.
Isothermal layer: A colder layer of ocean water that deflects sonar rays. Submarines can hide below it, but then are also blind to what’s going on above them since their sonar will not penetrate the layer.
IV Pack: Intravenous fluid that you can drink if out of water.
JAG: Judge Advocate General. The Navy’s legal investigating arm that is independent of any Navy command.
JNA: Yugoslav National Army.
JP-4: Normal military jet fuel.
JSOC: Joint Special Operations Command.
JSOCCOMCENT: Joint Special Operations Command Center in the Pentagon.
KA-BAR: SEALs’ combat, fighting knife.
KATN: Kick Ass and Take Names. SEAL talk, get the mission in gear.
KH-11: Spy satellite, takes pictures of ground, IR photos, etc.
KIA: Killed In Action.
KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid. SEAL talk for streamlined operations.
Klick: A kilometer of distance. Often used as a mile. From Vietnam era, but still widely used in military.
Krytrons: Complicated, intricate timers used in making nuclear explosive detonators.
KV-57: Encoder for messages, scrambles.
LT: Short for lieutenant in SEAL talk.
Laser Pistol: The SIW pinpoint of ruby light emitted on any pistol for aiming. Usually a silenced weapon.
Left Behind: In 30 years SEALs have seldom left behind a dead comrade, never a wounded one. Never been taken prisoner.
Let’s Get the Hell out of Dodge: SEAL talk for leaving a place, bugging out, hauling ass.
Liaison: Close-connection, cooperating person from one unit or service to another. Military liaison.
Light Sticks: Chemical units that make light after twisting to release chemicals that phosphoresce.
Loot & Shoot: SEAL talk for getting into action on a mission.
LZ: Landing Zone.
M1-8: Russian Chopper.
M1A1 M-14: Match rifle upgraded for SEAL snipers.
M-3 Submachine gun: WWII grease gun,45-caliber. Cheap. Introduced in 1942.
M-16: Automatic U.S. rifle. 5.56 round. Magazine 20 or 30, rate of fire 700 to 950 rds/min. Can attach M203 40mm grenade launcher under barrel.
M-18 Claymore: Antipersonnel mine. A slab of C-4 with 200 small ball bearings. Set off electrically or by trip wire. Can be posit
ioned and aimed. Sprays out a cloud of balls. Kill zone 50 meters.
M60 Machine Gun: Can use 100-round ammo box snapped onto the gun’s receiver. Not used much now by SEALs.
M-60E3: Lightweight handheld machine gun. Not used now by the SEALs.
M61A1: The usual 20mm cannon used on many American fighter planes.
M61(j): Machine Pistol. Yugoslav make.
M662: A red flare for signaling.
M-86: Pursuit Deterrent Munitions. Various types of mines, grenades, trip-wire explosives, and other devices in antipersonnel use.
M-203: A 40mm grenade launcher fitted under an M-16 or the M-4A1 Commando. Can fire a variety of grenade types up to 200 yards.
MagSafe: Lethal ammunition that fragments in human body and does not exit. Favored by some police units to cut down on second kill from regular ammunition exiting a body.
Make a Peek: A quick look, usually out of the water, to check your position or tactical situation.
Mark 23 Mod O: Special operations offensive handgun system. Double-action, 12-round magazine. Ambidextrous safety and mag-release catches. Knight screw-on suppressor. Snap-on laser for sighting. .45-caliber. Weighs 4 pounds loaded. 9.5 inches long; with silencer, 16.5 inches long.
Mark II Knife: Navy-issue combat knife.
Mark VIII SDV: Swimmer Delivery Vehicle. A bus, SEAL talk. 21 feet long, beam and draft 4 feet, 6 knots for 6 hours.
Master-at-Arms: Military police commander on board a ship.
MAVRIC Lance: A nuclear alert for stolen nukes or radioactive goods.
MC-13 °Combat Talon: A specially equipped Hercules for covert missions in enemy or unfriendly territory.
McMillan M87R: Bolt-action sniper rifle. .50-caliber. 53 inches long. Bipod, fixed 5- or 10-round magazine. Bulbous muzzle brake on end of barrel. Deadly up to a mile. All types .50-caliber ammo.
MGS: Modified Grooming Standards. So SEALs don’t all look like military, to enable them to do undercover work in mufti.
MH-53J: Chopper, updated CH053 from Nam days. 200 mph, called the Pave Low III.
MH-60K Black Hawk: Navy chopper. Forward infrared system for low-level night flight. Radar for terra follow/avoidance. Crew of 3, takes 12 troops. Top speed 225 mph. Ceiling 4,000 feet. Range radius 230 miles. Arms: 2 12.7mm machine guns.
MIDEASTFOR: Middle East Force.
MiG: Russian-built fighter, many versions, used in many nations around the world.
Mike Boat: Liberty boat off a large ship.
Mike-Mike: Short for mm, millimeter, as in 9 mike-mike.
Milstar: Communications satellite for pickup and bouncing from SATCOM and other radio transmitters. Used by SEALs.
Minigun: In choppers. Can fire 2,000 rounds per minute. Gatling gun-type.
Mitrajez M80: Machine gun from Yugoslavia.
MI-15: British domestic intelligence agency.
MI-16: British foreign intelligence and espionage.
Mocha: Food energy bar SEALs carry in vest pockets.
Mossberg: Pump-action, pistol-grip, 5-round magazine. SEALs use it for close-in work.
Motorola Radio: Personal radio, short range, lip mike, earpiece, belt pack.
MRE: Meals Ready to Eat. Field rations used by most of U.S. Armed Forces and the SEALs as well. Long-lasting.
MSPF: Maritime Special Purpose Force.
Mugger: MUGR, Miniature Underwater Global locator device. Sends up antenna for pickup on positioning satellites. Works under water or above. Gives location within 10 feet.
Mujahideen: A soldier of Allah in Muslim nations.
NAVAIR: NAVy AIR command.
NAVSPECWARGRUP-ONE: Naval Special Warfare Group One based on Calmoloi Cal. SEALs are in this command.
NAVSPECWARGRUP-TWO: Naval Special Warfare Group Two based at Norfolk.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service. A civilian operation not reporting to any Navy authority to make it more responsible and responsive. Replaces the old NIS, Naval Investigation Service, that did report to the closest admiral.
NEST: Nuclear Energy Search Team. Non-military unit that reports at once to any spill, problem, or Broken Arrow to determine the extent of the radiation problem.
NEWBIE: A new man, officer, or commander of an established military unit.
NKSF: North Korean Special Forces.
NLA: Iranian National Liberation Army. About 4,500 men in South Iraq, helped by Iraq for possible use against Iran.
Nomex: The type of material used for flight suits and hoods.
NPIC: National Photographic Interpretation Center in D.C.
NRO: National Reconnaissance Office. To run and coordinate satellite development and operations for the intelligence community.
NSA: National Security Agency.
NSC: National Security Council. Meets in Situation Room, support facility in the Executive Office Building in D.C. Main security group in the nation.
NSVHURAWN: Iranian Marines.
NUCFLASH: An alert for any nuclear problem.
NVG One Eye: Litton single-eyepiece Night-Vision Goggles. Prevents NVG blindness in both eyes if a flare goes off. Scope shows green-tinted field at night.
NVGs: Night-Vision Goggles. One eye or two. Give good night vision in the dark with a greenish view.
OAS: Obstacle Avoidance Sonar. Used on many low-flying attack aircraft.
OIC: Officer In Charge.
Oil Tanker: One is: 885 feet long, 140 feet beam, 121,000 tons, 13 cargo tanks that hold 35.8 million gallons of fuel, oil, or gas. 24 in the crew. This is a regular-sized tanker. Not a supertanker.
OOD: Officer Of the Deck.
Orion P-3: Navy’s long-range patrol and antisub aircraft. Some adapted to ELINT roles. Crew of 10. Max speed loaded 473 mph. Ceiling 28,300 feet. Arms: internal weapons bay and 10 external weapons stations for a mix of torpedoes, mines, rockets, and bombs.
Passive Sonar: Listening for engine noise of a ship or sub. It doesn’t give away the hunter’s presence as an active sonar would.
Pave Low III: A Navy chopper.
PBR: Patrol Boat River. U.S. has many shapes, sizes, and with various types of armament.
PC-170: Patrol Coastal-Class 170-foot SEAL delivery vehicle. Powered by 4 3,350 hp diesel engines, beam of 25 feet and draft of 7.8 feet. Top speed 35 knots, range 2,000 nautical miles. Fixed swimmer platform on stern. Crew of 4 officers and 24 EM, carries 8 SEALs.
Plank Owners: Original men in the start-up of a new military unit.
Polycarbonate material: Bullet-proof glass.
PRF: People’s Revolutionary Front. Fictional group in NUCFLASH, a SEAL Team Seven book.
Prowl & Growl: SEAL talk for moving into a combat mission.
Quitting Bell: In BUD/S training. Ring it and you quit the SEAL unit. Helmets of men who quit the class are lined up below the bell in Coronado. (Recently they have stopped ringing the bell. Dropouts simply place their helmet below the bell and go.)
RAF: Red Army Faction. A once-powerful German terrorist group, not so active now.
Remington 200: Sniper Rifle. Not used by SEALs now.
Remington 700: Sniper rifle with Starlight Scope. Can extend night vision to 400 meters.
RIB: Rigid Inflatable Boat. 3 sizes, one 10 meters, 40 knots.
Ring Knocker: An Annapolis graduate with the ring.
RIO: Radar Intercept Officer. The officer who sits in the backseat of an F-14 Tomcat off a carrier. The job: find enemy targets in the air and on the sea.
Roger That: A yes, an affirmative, a go answer to a command or statement.
RPG: Rocket Propelled Grenade. Quick and easy, shoulder-fired. Favorite weapon of terrorists, insurgents.
SAS: British Special Air Service. Commandos. Special warfare men. Best that Britain has. Works with SEALs.
SATCOM: Satellite-based communications system for instant contact with anyone anywhere in the world. SEALs rely on it.
SAW: Squad’s Automatic Weapon. Usually a machine gun or automatic rifle.
SBS: Special Boa
t Squadron. On-site Navy unit that transports SEALs to many of their missions. Located across the street from the SEALs’ Coronado, California, headquarters.
SD3: Sound-suppression system on the H & K MP5 weapon.
SDV: Swimmer Delivery Vehicle. SEALs use a variety of them.
Seahawk SH-60: Navy chopper for ASW and SAR. Top speed 180 knots, ceiling 13,800 feet, range 503 miles, arms: 2 Mark 46 torpedoes.
SEAL Headgear: Boonie hat, wool balaclava, green scarf, watch cap, bandanna roll.
Second in Command: Also 2IC for short in SEAL talk.
SERE: Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape training.
Shipped for Six: Enlisted for six more years in the Navy.
Shit City: Coronado SEALs’ name for Norfolk.
Show Colors: In combat put U.S. flag or other identification on back for easy identification by friendly air or ground units.
Sierra Charlie: SEAL talk for everything on schedule.
Simunition: Canadian product for training that uses paint balls instead of lead for bullets.
Sixteen-Man Platoon: Basic SEAL combat force. Up from 14 men a few years ago.
Sked: SEAL talk for schedule.
Sonobuoy: Small underwater device that detects sounds and transmits them by radio to plane or ship.
Space Blanket: Green foil blanket to keep troops warm. Vacuum-packed and folded to a cigarette-sized package.
Sprayers and Prayers: Not the SEAL way. These men spray bullets all over the place hoping for hits. SEALs do more aimed firing for sure kills.
SS-19: Russian ICBM missile.
STABO: Use harness and lines under chopper to get down to the ground.
STAR: Surface To Air Recovery operation.
Starflash Round: Shotgun round that shoots out sparkling fireballs that ricochet wildly around a room, confusing and terrifying the occupants. Non-lethal.
Stasi: Old-time East German secret police.
Stick: British terminology: 2 4-man SAS teams. 8 men.
Stokes: A kind of Navy stretcher. Open coffin shaped of wire mesh and white canvas for emergency patient transport.
STOL: Short TakeOff and Landing. Aircraft with high-lift wings and vectored-thrust engines to produced extremely short takeoffs and landings.
Sub Gun: Submachine gun, often the suppressed H & K MP5.
Suits: Civilians, usually government officials wearing suits.
Sweat: The more SEALs sweat in peacetime, the less they bleed in war.
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