Amal Meaning “action,” Amal is an anti-Western Shiite militia in Lebanon.
ANGLICO Air/Naval Gunfire Liaison Company. A unit assigned to the marines, specializing in the coordination of air strikes, artillery, and naval gunfire.
Antiterrorism Defensive measures used to reduce the vulnerability of personnel and facilities to terrorist acts. Such measures include guard patrols, vehicle barricades, and hardening targets, as well as the immediate actions taken by military and security forces following a terrorist attack. Also called “AT.”
AO Area of operations. Bailiwick.
AOT Advanced operator training. Post-BUD/S training to prepare SEAL platoon members for deployments.
API Armor piercing, incendiary. Ammunition designed to pass through armored vehicles and start fires inside.
Assault Element A SEAL unit varying in size from four to twenty-five operators. Elements are tailored to fit specific mission requirements.
AT Antiterrorism.
AT-4 An 84-millimeter (3.36-inch) recoilless antitank rocket, used in antiarmor and bunker busting.
Attack Board A grouping of depth gauge, watch, compass, and underwater GPS used by SEALs for navigation during underwater attacks.
AWACS (E-3 Sentry) The AWACS E-3 is an airborne warning and control aircraft that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control, and communications. The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airframe with a rotating radar dome.
Banana A SEAL trainee, or anyone not qualified as a SEAL operator. They’re called “bananas” because they’re yellow on the outside and squishy on the inside.
BDU Battle dress, utility. The three-color camouflage uniforms worn by marines and soldiers.
Beachmaster Navy personnel assigned in an amphibious operation to coordinate the movement of supplies and personnel across the beach. Their marine counterparts are called the “Shore Party.”
Beehive A 40-millimeter round fired from the M-203 grenade launcher. Instead of explosives, Beehive rounds contain hundreds of finned nails, called “fléchettes,” that shotgun the target.
Berthing Space Compartments aboard a ship, used as sleeping quarters.
BIA Beirut International Airport. The collective positions of the main body of 24 MAU.
Black Hawk (see also MH-60) The MH-60 helicopter, the workhorse of special operations. Its navy equivalent is the SH-60, the SeaHawk.
Black Shoe A surface warfare officer, a ship driver, so named because SWOs wear black shoes with their khaki uniforms. Pilots wear brown shoes.
Boat Crew A variably sized SEAL element; literally, the number of SEALs inserted by one boat or helicopter. Usually no smaller than four operators, a boat crew can be as large as twenty.
Body Snatch Also called “personnel interdiction,” the kidnapping of high-value enemy personnel. Also an operation or ambush designed specifically to capture prisoners.
Booger Eater Generic term for bad guys.
Bounce To hit the ground following a parachute malfunction.
BUD/S Basic underwater demolition/SEAL training. A twenty-six-week ordeal conducted at the Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, California. All SEAL operators attend this course. BUD/S is the only school in the U.S. military where officers and enlisted men attend together and take the same coursework.
Budweiser The badge awarded to qualified naval special warfare operators. Called a “trident” by the navy, it is the emblem and insignia of the SEAL Teams. The device features a pistol, an anchor, a trident, and a screaming eagle that is vaguely reminiscent of the logo on a can of Budweiser beer. In the naval service, enlisted warfare badges are silver, and the officers’ are gold. The Budweiser is the only gold navy warfare device worn by both officers and enlisted.
C-4 Composition 4. Plastic explosive.
Cadre The hard-core operational and training elements of a terrorist organization. Also the training cell within a SEAL Team.
Cake-Eater Naval officer. Any commissioned officer.
Call Sign Radio shorthand for a particular unit or individual. When followed by the word “actual” (as in Texas Pete, actual) it denotes that one is speaking to the unit’s commanding officer.
CAR-15 (see also M-4; Poodle Shooter) A short-barreled version of the M-16. SEALs favor the CAR for its compactness and accuracy.
Caustic Cocktail A toxic vapor of barilime and seawater, inhaled after the malfunction of a scuba rebreather rig. Not very tasty, and can be downright lethal.
CCT Combat control teams. Air force special operations forces specializing in air-traffic control and communications.
Chemlight A chemical light stick used to mark objects. Chemlights are made in various colors as well as infrared.
Chu Hoi Vietnamese, meaning “surrender.” A defected Viet Cong who agreed to help U.S. forces. Chu Hois were sometimes used by the SEALs to guide search-and-destroy missions. The term is still used to tag a defector agreeing to serve as a scout or guide. Also called “Kit Carson scouts.”
Cleared Hot Granted permission to open fire. Cleared for action.
Click Kilometer. One click equals one kilometer in range or distance.
Combat-Action Ribbon Navy and marine award for participation in combat. The navy’s equivalent of the army’s Combat Infantryman Badge.
Commando Hubert French naval commando.
Commodore A naval officer, usually a senior captain, who is in charge of a squadron of ships. The title also applies to the captain in administrative control of a NavSpecWarGru, a group of SEAL Teams.
Coronado Island suburb of San Diego, home to West Coast SEAL Teams and the naval special warfare training unit.
Corporal Chef The senior enlisted rank in the French Foreign Legion, equivalent to sergeant major.
Counterterrorism Offensive measures taken to deter, prevent, and respond to terrorism. These active measures include assaulting hostage barricade sites; retaking hijacked vehicles, vessels, or aircraft; and direct action against terrorist personnel, support, and infrastructure. Also called “CT.”
CP Combat post. A marine position, usually platoon-sized, located outside the perimeter wire of Beirut International Airport.
CQB Close-quarters battle. The precision shooting used by SEALs to clear ship spaces and rooms. CQB is the epitome of surgical shooting. SEALs frequently practice dynamic target shooting in which terrorist targets are mixed with real “hostages.”
CRRC Combat rubber raiding craft. Inflatable boats used by the SEALs. Although modern boats are made of bulletproof Kevlar, the “rubber” has stuck from World War II days, when the boats were made of rubberized nylon.
CSAR Combat search and rescue. Operations mounted to retrieve downed aircrew from enemy territory.
CTF Commander, task force.
Delta Special Forces Operational Detachment Delta, aka Delta Force. It is a frequent SEAL joke that the high-profile Delta Force is SEAL Team’s best cover.
Dhow A lateen-rigged Arab sailing vessel. Ubiquitous in the Middle East as a coastwise trader and fishing vessel.
Diawi Vietnamese. Captain (in the army), lieutenant (navy).
Dien Bien Phu Valley “citadel” occupied by the French in North Vietnam. Surrounded by the Viet Minh, Dien Bien Phu was overwhelmed on May 7, 1954, after a 169-day battle. This epic defeat marked the end of French hegemony in Indochina.
Ding To hit with a bullet. To kill.
Direct Action Combat actions undertaken against enemy targets.
Dirt Poisoning The cause of death when your parachute doesn’t open.
Dog-Face A member of the United States Army.
Draeger LAR-V German-made rebreathing scuba. Rebreathers emit no bubbles and are used for sneak attacks and maritime sabotage operations.
Druze (see also PSP) A secretive Islamic sect endemic to the mountains of Lebanon. The political arm of the Druze community is the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). Founded in 1948, the PSP is nationalist and anti-Western in orientation. The PSP and the Druze militias are
led by Walid Jumblat.
Dust Off Evacuation of wounded by helicopter.
E & E Escape and evasion. Individual efforts made to retreat and extract from hostile territory. A last-ditch effort to retreat.
F-470 CRRC made by Zodiac Industries. Used for coastwise operations and insertions and extractions.
Fast Rope A spongy, hawserlike rope used to deploy troops rapidly from helicopters. Also called a “zip line,” fast ropes are manufactured in 30-, 60-, and 120-foot lengths.
FAV Fast-attack vehicle. An armed dune buggy organic to SEAL Teams.
FLIR Forward-looking infrared.
FN Fabrique Nationale, a Belgian-made 7.62-millimeter assault rifle.
Forty Mike-Mike Forty millimeter grenades fired from an M-203 grenade launcher.
Frap A parachute malfunction. Used as both a noun and a verb.
Frog Hog A female SEAL groupie.
Fuerzas Especiales Colombian special forces.
Full Mission Profile A SEAL mission cycle from planning, rehearsal, deployment, insertion, infiltration, actions at the objective, exfiltration, extraction, recovery, and debriefing.
GP General Purpose. As in GP tent. Sometimes, General Principles. For example, “I punched him out just for GP.”
Goon Squad The slow and the stupid. In BUD/S, the slowest 20 percent of any run or evolution. Instructors single out these class members for extra physical instruction (see “It pays to be a winner”).
GPS Global positioning system. Navigational aid utilizing a series of military satellites to exactly pinpoint any location on earth.
Grab-assing Horseplay. Goofing off.
Greenroom The compartment on an aircraft carrier where personnel are held before being released onto the flight deck.
Gun-deck In the navy, to “gun-deck” means to retroactively fill in a logbook or to fake a document. Derives from the practice of quarterdeck watches retreating to the gun deck to make log entries.
HAHO High-altitude, high-opening parachute jump.
HALO High-altitude, low-opening parachute jump.
HE/DP High explosive/dual purpose. A round fired by the M-203 grenade launcher designed as both an antiarmor and an antipersonnel weapon.
Helmet-fire To panic. Also, to be absentminded or to make a mistake.
Hezbollah “Party of God.” Hezbollah is an umbrella group of Shiite Muslim militants in Lebanon. Formed about 1983, Hezbollah is a social as well as a military force, establishing schools, clinics, and welfare organizations for the Shiite minority. From 1983 to 2000 Hezbollah waged a guerrilla war against Israeli occupying forces and the towns and villages of northern Israel. Subsidized and trained by Iran, Hezbollah operates in the southern slums of Beirut and the Bekaa valley.
Hooterville The slum of Hay es Salaam, surrounding marine positions at the north end of the Beirut airport.
Hop and Pop A low-altitude, low-opening parachute drop.
HSAC High-speed assault craft. High-speed, highly capable open-ocean assault boat. Armed with a variety of 7.62-millimeter and .50-caliber machine guns. HSACs are capable of over-the-horizon operations against land and sea targets.
Hydrographic Recon A clandestine beach survey. Also called a “sneak-and-peek.”
IDF, IDFN Israeli defense forces, the Israeli army. “N” indicates a naval unit.
Indige Indigenous. Of or belonging to a certain locale. A local indigenous personnel or local vessel (indigenous craft).
IR Infrared. Invisible light frequencies below red, used passively in night-vision goggles, and actively as an infrared spotlight.
IR Strobe A blinking signal light using infrared light.
Jake and Abdul Bad guys. From a tour in Beirut where the bad guys were referred to as “Jake and Abdul, the Druze Brothers.”
JP-5 Jet propulsion (grade) 5. Jet fuel.
Kalashnikov Any of a variety of Russian-made assault rifles designed by Mikhail Timofeevich Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov weapons include the AK-47, the AK-74, RPK and RPD machine guns, as well as the Dragunov sniper’s rifle.
Katyusha 122-millimeter Russian-made artillery rockets.
K-Bar SEAL Team fighting knife.
Kufiyah An Arab headdress.
LAAW Rocket (Light Antiarmor Weapon) M-72 light armor antitank rocket. Replaced by the larger, more capable AT-4.
LAF The Lebanese armed forces (pronounced “laugh”). The army of President Amin Gemayel.
LALO Low-altitude, low-opening parachute drop.
LCU Landing craft, utility. The LCU is a tank-carrying landing craft, 134 feet in length. Also called a “U-boat.”
Lead Wings Army “silver” jump wings. Issued to BUD/S graduates after parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Naval special warfare operators on probation are forced to wear these army wings before they make ten navy jumps and earn the navy’s “wings of gold.”
Leg An army term (usually “nasty leg”) designating any soldier who is not airborne-qualified. A nonparatrooper, i.e., a member of a nasty-leg infantry unit.
Limpet Mine A magnetic mine used by SEALs in underwater attacks against enemy shipping, and in maritime sabotage operations. If you don’t like it, limpet.
Little Creek Naval amphibious base located in Norfolk, Virginia. Home of the East Coast SEAL Teams.
Lock Out Procedures used to leave and enter a submerged submarine.
Low Intensity, High Per Diem A boondoggle, or a cakewalk operation.
LT Lieutenant. Navy officer’s rank (0-3), comparable to a captain in the marines, army, and air force.
LTJG Lieutenant, junior grade, navy officer’s rank (0-2), comparable to a first lieutenant in the marines, army, and air force.
M-203 Rifle-mounted 40-millimeter grenade launcher.
M-4 (see also CAR-15) Carbine version of the M-16.
M-60 Standard-issue infantry machine gun. The M-60 fires the 7.62-millimeter NATO round.
MARG Mediterranean amphibious ready group.
Maronite Maronites are the largest Christian sect in Lebanon. Maronite areas include East Beirut and the mountains of northern Lebanon. Traditionally a class of merchants, traders, and businessmen, Maronites tend to dominate the Lebanese economy. By custom, the president of the Lebanese republic is a Maronite.
MAU Marine amphibious unit.
MH-53 (see also Pave Low) Long-range heavy-lift special operations helicopter. The navy and marine version, the CH-53, is called the “Sea Stallion.”
MH-60 (SeaHawk) Black Hawk helicopter. Workhorse of special operations forces.
Mk V Patrol boat replacing the Seafox.
MK-13 Day-night smoke and illumination flare carried by SEALs.
MK-15 Computerized semiclosed diving rig known for its unreliability. Also called the “black death.”
MP-5 German-made machine pistol used by SEALs for ship takedowns, room clearance, and close-quarters battle.
MRE Meal, ready to eat. Standard military battle rations. Not long on taste, also known as “meal, rarely enjoyed.”
MSC Miltary Sealift Command. Service and support ships manned by civilian crews.
Muezzin The official attached to a mosque who chants the azan, a call to the faithful to come to prayer. The azan is performed five times a day, at dawn, noon, midafternoon, dusk, and evening.
MULE Multiutility laser equipment. A laser target designator.
Mustang A commissioned officer with prior enlisted service.
Naval Special Warfare Navy SEAL Teams, SEAL delivery teams, and special boat units.
NCDU Naval combat demolition units, World War II forerunners of the navy’s famed underwater demolition teams.
NOD Night observation device.
No Joy Radio-speak for “I do not see the target.”
Nonqual A nonoperator. A person outside of the SEAL community.
NRO National Reconnaissance Office.
NSA National Security Agency.
NVGs Night-vision goggles.
O2 Hit Convulsion resulting from oxygen toxicit
y. Principal danger involved in rebreathing diving apparatus. Under pressures greater than two atmospheres, pure oxygen becomes toxic.
Operator Number Three-digit number given to SEAL operators to identify them within an operational unit.
Organic In military argot, equipment or personnel assigned and controlled by a specific unit. The fast-attack vehicles were organic to SEAL Team Six.
Pave Low (see also MH-53) MH-53 air force special operations helicopter. Descendants of the famed Jolly Green Giants of Vietnam, Pave Lows are equipped with miniguns, an advanced navigation suite, and FLIR, and are capable of in-flight refueling. Used to support combat search and rescue operations as well as to insert and extract special operations forces.
PDF Panamanian Defense Forces. Manuel Noriega’s army.
Phalange A Lebanese Christian militia originally formed in 1936 as a Maronite paramilitary youth organization by Pierre Jumayyil. Militant and violent, the Phalange bore responsibility for the 1983 massacres at Shabra and Chatilla, where upward of eight hundred Palestinian men, women, and children were massacred.
PJ Air force pararescueman. Comes from the abbreviation for “parajumpers.” Air force personnel specially trained to conduct combat search and rescue operations.
PLA Palestinian Liberation Army. A Syrian-backed Palestinian group.
Platoon Traditional SEAL operational unit comprised of two officers and twelve enlisted men.
PLO Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Poodle Shooter (see also CAR-15) CAR-15 rifle. So called because it is small and light.
PSP (see also Druze) Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party.
PT Boat Patrol/torpedo boat.
Qur’an Koran, literally “the recitation.” The Muslim holy book, revelations made to Mohammed by the angel Gabriel.
R&S Reconnaissance and surveillance mission.
Raven, The Onetime SEAL Team hangout in Virginia Beach. Now a tourist attraction.
Red Wolf Navy helicopter combat support squadron (HCS) helicopters. Specially equipped SH-60s that operate with SEAL Teams.
Ring Out To quit. From the three-rings-and-you’re-out quitting method at BUD/S.
ROE Rules of engagement. Orders dictating the circumstances and limitations under which U.S. forces may initiate combat.
Rope-a-Dope A static-line parachute drop, so called because the jumper’s parachute is opened by a static line (rope) attached to the aircraft.
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