Land of Promise

by James Wesley, Rawles

  Jizya: A special tax levied by some Islamic governments on unbelievers.

  JP4: Jet Propellant Four, an aviation fuel.

  JP5: Jet Propellant Five, an aviation fuel.

  JTH: Juba Teaching Hospital.

  K: Depending on context: Kilo (for 1,000) or Kurz (German for short.)

  Kalashnikov: See AK.

  Kamaz: A Russian truck manufacturer, located on the Kama River. (Kamskiy avtomobilny zavod that was at one time laid out and equipped with tooling supplied by Ford Motor Company.

  Kaserne: A military barracks. (Originally a German, word, but also used by other armies.)

  KDF: Kenya Defence Forces.

  Keffiyeh: The Arabic word for headscarf. Worn as neck scarves by the IRDF.

  Kel-Tec: A Florida gun manufacturer specializing in polymer frame guns.

  Kevlar: The material used in most body army and ballistic helmets. “Kevlar” is also the nickname for the standard U.S. Army helmet.

  KG, Kg, or kg: Kilogram.

  KIA: Killed in Action.

  Kibbutz: a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. In more recent years farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism. In recent decades, some kibbutzim have been privatized and changes have been made in the communal lifestyle. A member of a kibbutz is called a kibbutznik.

  In 2010, there were 270 kibbutzim in Israel. Their factories and farms account for 9% of Israel’s industrial output, worth US$8 billion, and 40% of its agricultural output, worth over $1.7 billion. Some Kibbutzim had also developed substantial high-tech and military industries. (WP.)

  Kibbutznik: See Kibbutz.

  Kiswahili: A Bantu language and the mother tongue of the Swahili people, spoken widely in Eastern Africa.

  Kit: British slang for field gear.

  KJV: King James Version of the Bible.

  Klick: Slang for kilometer.

  KPH: Kilometers Per Hour.

  Komatsu: A Japanese manufacturer of heavy construction equipment, best known in western countries for their excavators.

  Koppie: A hill. (From Afrikaans, a derivation of the Dutch word Kopje.)

  KP: Kitchen Police or “Keep Peeling.”

  Kraal: Afrikaans for corral.

  Kravi: Hebrew for combat.

  Krav Maga: A modern hybrid martial art developed by Israeli Defense Forces that merges specific techniques from Aikido, Boxing, Combat Sambo, Grappling, Judo, Jujitsu, Muay Thai, and Wrestling. The Hebrew words Krav and Maga can be translated as “combat” and “contact.”

  Krinkov: A compact folding-stock version of the Kalashnikov rifle. (Also made in a pistol version, for the commercial export market.)

  KRPH: Kim Rhee Photovoltaics and Hydrogen Group. (Fictional.)

  Kuffar: The Arabic word for Infidel.

  L1A1: The British army version of the FN/FAL, made to inch measurements.

  Laager: A defensive encampment. An Afrikaans word.

  Land Nav: Short for Land Navigation.

  LAR-8: A variant of the AR-10 rifle that accepts FN/FAL or L1A1 magazines.

  Lat/Long: Shorthand for Latitude and Longitude. See also: GPS.

  LAW: Light Antitank Weapon.

  LC-1: Load Carrying, Type 1. (U.S. Army Load Bearing Equipment, circa 1970s to 1990s.)

  LDS: The Latter Day Saints, commonly called the Mormons. (Flawed doctrine, great preparedness.)

  LED: Light Emitting Diode.

  Levant: A geographical term referring to a large area in Southwest Asia bounded by the Taurus Mountains of Anatolia in the North, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and the north Arabian Desert and Mesopotamia in the east. The Levant does not include Anatolia (although at times Cilicia may be included), the Caucasus Mountains, or any part of the Arabian Peninsula proper. The Sinai Peninsula is sometimes included, though more considered an intermediate, peripheral or marginal area forming a land bridge between the Levant and northern Egypt. (WP)

  LGBTT2QQAAIIPDPPANGNAA: Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Transsexual Two-Spirit Queer Questioning Intersex Intergender Asexual Allies Pansexual Demisexual Polysexual Polyamorous Androgynous Neutrois Gender Neutral and Animal Amorous. (Fictional future expansion of a currently growing acronym.)

  LIDAR: A remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analyzing the reflected light. Although spuriously thought by some to be an acronym of Light Detection And Ranging, the term LIDAR was actually created as a portmanteau of “light” and “radar”. (WP.)

  LINAC: Linear accelerator. A high energy device for generating particle beams.

  LLDR: Lightweight Laser Designator Rangefinder.

  LNGS: Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso.

  LO: Low observable (aka Stealth.) See also: RAM and RCS.

  LOA: Letter of Agreement.

  LOC: Letter of Credit.

  Loki: Slang contraction for the town name Lokichoggio—a town that is an international aid distribution center in western Kenya.

  LP: Liquid Propane.

  LPCs: Leather Personnel Carriers.

  LP/OP: Listening Post/Observation Post.

  LRRP: Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol. (Spoken “Lurp.”)

  LWR: Laser Warning Receiver. See also: RWR.

  LZ: Landing Zone.

  M1 Abrams: The United States’ current main battle tank, with a 120mm cannon (“main gun”).

  M1A: The civilian (semiauto only) version of the U.S. Army M14 7.62mm NATO rifle.

  M1911: The Model 1911 Colt semiauto pistol (and clones thereof), usually chambered in .45 ACP.

  M2 Browning: A .50 caliber belt-fed machinegun used for both direct fire on the ground and for anti-aircraft fire.

  M4: The U.S. Army–issue 5.56mm NATO selective-fire carbine. (A shorter version of the M16, with a 14.5-inch barrel and collapsing stock.) Earlier-issue M16 carbine variants had designations such as XM177E2 and CAR-15. Civilian semiauto-only variants often have these same designations, or are called “M4geries.”

  M4gery: A civilian semiauto-only version of an M4 Carbine, with a sixteen-inch barrel instead of the military 14.5-inch barrel.

  M9: The U.S. Army–issue version of the Beretta M92 semiauto 9mm pistol.

  M14: The U.S. Army–issue 7.62mm NATO selective-fire battle rifle. These rifles are still issued in small numbers, primarily to designated marksmen. The civilian semiauto-only equivalent of the M14 is called the M1A.

  M16: The U.S. Army–issue 5.56mm NATO selective-fire battle rifle. The current standard variant is the M16A2 that has improved sight and three-shot burst control. See also: M4.

  M60: The obsolete U.S. Army–issue 7.62mm NATO belt-fed light machinegun that utilized some design elements of the German MG-42.

  M151 Protector: See Protector.

  M2: The Browning .50 Caliber Machinegun. Sometimes called by the nickname “Ma Deuce.”

  M240: The US military variant of the 7.62mm NATO FN-MAG light machinegun. See also: FN-MAG.

  M249: The US military variant of the 5.56mm NATO FN Minimi light machinegun.

  M&A: Mergers & Acquisitions.

  Maaminim: Hebrew word for believers (plural).

  MAC Address: Media Access Control Address. A unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on the physical network segment. MAC addresses are used as a network address for most IEEE 802 network technologies, including Ethernet and WiFi. Logically, MAC addresses are used in the media access control protocol sublayer of the OSI reference model. MAC addresses are most often assigned by the manufacturer of a network interface controller (NIC) and are stored in its hardware, such as the card’s read-only memory or some other firmware mechanism. If assigned by the manufacturer, a MAC address usually encodes the manufacturer’s registered identification number and may be referred to as the burned-in address
(BIA). It may also be known as an Ethernet hardware address (EHA), hardware address or physical address. This can be contrasted to a programmed address, where the host device issues commands to the NIC to use an arbitrary address. (WP.)

  Madrasa: The Arabic word for an educational institution, whether secular or religious. In the West, the word usually refers to a specific type of religious school or college for the study of the Islamic religion, though this may not be the only subject studied. (WP.)

  Ma Deuce: See M2.

  Mag: Slang contraction for Magazine.

  MAG: See FN-MAG.

  MAG-58: See FN-MAG.

  Magen David Adom: See MDA.

  Mag-Lite: A popular American brand of sturdy flashlights with a machined aluminum casing.

  Mahdi: In Islamic eschatology, the Mahdi (“Guided One”) is the prophesied redeemer of Islam who will rule for seven, nine, or nineteen years (according to differing interpretations) before the Day of Judgment (yawm al-qiyamah -- literally, the Day of Resurrection) and will rid the world of evil. (WP) See also: Twelver.

  Mahdists: Adherents of the Mahdi.

  Mahram: The male guard for any woman leaving their home, in strict Sharia-controlled regions.

  MAM: Military Age Male.

  Mamba: A South African mine-proof wheeled APC that can carry ten troops. This model was the predecessor of the RG-31 Nyala. Also a greatly feared venomous African snake.

  MAP: Mergers and Acquisitions Partners. See GlobalMAP.

  MAPEX: Map Exercise.

  Masorati: Hebrew word for observant (‘tradition keeping”) Jews. See : Dati and Observant.

  Max: Slang contraction for Maximum.

  MBT: Main Battle Tank.

  MCT: Modular Combat Turret.

  MDA: Magen David Adom. The Israeli affiliate organization of the International Red Cross /Red Crescent. The organization’s insignia is a red Star of David.

  Med: Slang contraction for Mediterranean Ocean and its surrounding nations.

  Mensa: The World’s largest High Intelligence Quotient (IQ) organization, limited to members who score in the 98th or higher percentiles on IQ tests.

  Meshiach: Hebrew for Messiah.

  Meshichim: Hebrew word (plural) for Messianic.

  MDI: Monolitic Domes International. (Fictional.)

  MET: Short for Meteorological.

  MG3: A German belt-fed light machinegun, chambered in 7.62mm NATO.

  MG4: A German belt-fed light machinegun, chambered in 5.56mm NATO.

  MH-60: U.S. Special Forces variant models of the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.

  MI: Military Intelligence. See also: CI, HUMINT, and SIGINT.

  MID: Miniature Imaging Detector.

  Mimiyah: Canteen.

  Mini-14: A 5.56mm NATO semiauto carbine made by Ruger.

  Minimi: See M249.

  MKEK: Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation. (Turkish: Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu.) A Turkish arms-making conglomerate. They are the makers of licenses copies of the U.S. Mk19 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

  MLW: Maximum Landing Weight.

  Mog: Slang contraction for Unimog. See Unimog.

  MOIS: Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the Iranian spy agency. See also: VEVAK.

  MOLLE: Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment.

  Molotov Cocktail: A hand-thrown firebomb made from a glass container filled with gasoline or thickened gasoline (napalm).

  MOS: Military Occupational Specialty.

  Moshav: A type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second wave of aliyah. A resident or a member of a moshav can be called a moshavnik. (WP.) See also: Kibbutz.

  Mossad: Israel’s national intelligence agency. The literal meaning of Mossad is “Institute”, which is short for HaMossad leModiʿin uleTafkidim Meyuḥadim--meaning “Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.”

  Moshavnik: See Moshav.

  Moth STOL: A low observable (LO) ducted fan composite aircraft (with drone variants) built by Pilatus. Originally designed for trainer, utility and Search and Rescue (SAR) roles, but modified by the Ilemis to be an air-to-air and air to surface missile and 30mm cannon platform, and for use in gathering SIGINT and IMINT. (Fictional.)

  MoU: Memorandum of Understanding.

  MP: Military Police.

  MRAP: Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (vehicle).

  MRE: Meal, Ready to Eat. See also: IMP and CR1M.

  MRI: Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

  MSF: Médecins Sans Frontières (aka Doctors Without Borders.)

  MSG90A1: A militarized variant of the PSG1, that is both strengthened and lightened. The PSG1 and MSG90 have different trigger packs. The MSG90 uses a modified version of the push pin trigger packs of H&K roller locked select-fire assault rifles. The composite shoulder stock of the MSG90 is adjustable for height (cheek), length of pull (shoulder), and is smaller and lighter than that of the PSG1. MSG90s have a slightly shorter contoured barrel to help with harmonic stabilization and consistent whip instead of the PSG1’s heavy barrel, but remain free-floating. As a result, these particular MSG90 A1’s have a threaded barrel capable of attaching a suppressor, which is an advantage over the PSG1. (WP.)

  MTBE: Methyl tert-butyl Ether. An oxygenating additive for gasoline.

  MTI: Moving Target Indicator(s). See also: SLAR.

  MTOW: Maximum Takeoff Weight.

  Mufti: An Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law (Sharia and fiqh). A muftiate or diyanet is a council of muftis. (WP.) Also used in British slang to indicate someone in costume or disguise. (“In mufti.”) See also: Fatwa.

  Mujirah: A female IS member.

  Mullah: An Islamic cleric.

  MultiCam: See OCP.

  MURS: Multi Use Radio Service. A VHF two-way radio service that does not require a license. See also: FRS and GMRS.

  Mushrikun: Arabic word for non-believers in Islam.

  Muezzin: The man appointed at a mosque to lead, and recite, the call to prayer for every event of prayer and worship in the mosque. (WP.) See also: Adhan, Imam, and Salat.

  NAI: New Ayalon Institute. An Ilemi small arms ammunition maker. (Fictional, but based on the historic Ayalon Institute of the 1940s.)

  NAP: Non-Aggression Principle.

  Napalm: Thickened gasoline, used in some flame weapons.

  Nations of Refuge Confederation. A loose association of nations including Australia, Ecuador, The Ilemi Republic, India, Israel, Kenya, Kiribati, Namibia, The Philippines, Poland, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Zambia. (Fictional.)

  NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

  NBC: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical.

  NCO: Noncommissioned Officer.

  NE: Short for NEuro. (See also: NEuro.)

  Net: Slang expression for the Internet

  NEuro: New Euro. A global currency issued only in electronic form. (Fictional.)

  Newton Bores: A South African well-drilling company. (Fictional.)

  NGO: Non-Government Organizations.

  Nguni: A hybrid cattle breed developed in South Africa and Namibia.

  Niqab: A scarf which covers the face as a part of sartorial hijab. It is worn by some Muslim women in public areas. See also: Chador and Hijab.

  NSIS: National Security and Intelligence Service (of Sudan).

  Non-Observant: A synonym for secular Jews in Israel. See also: Masorati, and Dati.

  Norinco: A Chinese conglomerate that produces small arms and military vehicles.

  Notzrei: Contemporary Israeli Hebrew term for a Christian (singular). A reference to the branch of the Nazarene.

  Notzrim: Contemporary Israeli Hebrew term for Christians (plural).

  NiCd: Nickel Cadmium (rechargeable battery).

  NiMH: Nickel Metal Hydride (rechargeable battery) improvement of NiCd.

  NIST: National Institute of Standards and Technology.

  NOC
: Nonofficial cover. Clandestine agent.

  Norinco: The China North Industries Corporation. A weapons and military vehicle maker.

  NO-TIPS: Mnemonic memory aid acronym for “No Tracer, Incendiary, or Pyrotechnic Signals” use during the Ilemi dry season, to reduce the risk of brushfires. (Fictional.)

  NVGs: Night Vision Goggles.

  NWO: New World Order.

  Nyala: A South African mine-proof wheeled APC, designated RG-31, that can carry up to ten troops, depending on configuration.

  Nyangatom: A tribe of western Kenya, also sometimes called the Donyiro, or derisively “Bume” (meaning “Dirty”) by Ethiopians.

  OAS: Organization of African States.

  OB: Order of Battle.

  Observant: See Masorati.

  OCONUS: Outside the Continental United States.

  OCP: Operational Camouflage Pattern. This standard U.S. Army camouflage is commonly called by its predecessor civilian trade name, MultiCam, which was developed by Crye Precision, Inc. Note, however, that OCP was actually a military adoption of the slightly different Crye Scorpion W2 Pattern. Limited issue began in 2008, and service-wide issue began in 2014.

  OCS: Officer Candidate School.

  O Dark Thirty: Military slang for pre-dawn hours.

  OFAC: Office of Foreign Assets Control. A division of U.S. Department of the Treasury which administers and enforces foreign assets control in support of U.S. Sanctions programs, including organizations and individuals that sponsor terrorism, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

  Old Man: Slang for Commanding Officer. See also: CO.

  One-Time Pad: A manual one-time cryptosystem produced in pad form.

  Onion Router: See Tor.

  OONI: Open Observatory of Network Interference. A free software, global observation network for detecting censorship, surveillance and traffic manipulation on the Internet.

  OP: Observation Post. See also: LP/OP.

  OPORD: Operations Order.

  OPSEC: Operational Security. The systematic and proven process by which potential adversaries can be denied information about capabilities and intentions by identifying, controlling, and protecting generally unclassified evidence of the planning and execution of sensitive activities. The process involves five steps: identification of critical information, analysis of threats, analysis of vulnerabilities, assessment of risks, and application of appropriate countermeasures.