Land of Promise

by James Wesley, Rawles

  Oryx: The South African-built variant of the French Puma SA 330 series helicopter. Can carry up to 12 troops.

  P2P: Peer to Peer. See also: Darknet.

  P5: The Ilemi Republic Passport Office, Patent & Copyright Office, Public Lands Pastoral Management and Brands Registration Office, the Postal and Internet Office, and the Private Property Deeds and Surveys Office. (Fictional.)

  PE2P: Possible Exception to Policy.

  P90: A bullpup 5.7×28 caliber personal defense weapon featuring a 50-round transverse top-mounted magazine, manufactured by FN.

  PAF: Philippine Air Force.

  Panga: The African locally-manufactured equivalent of a machete.

  Paracord: A contraction for Parachute Cord.

  Parkour: A training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. The term derives from “parcours du combattant”, the classic obstacle-course method of military training proposed by Georges Hébert. Practitioners aim to get from A to B in the most efficient way possible. This is done using only the human body and the surroundings for propulsion, with a focus on maintaining as much momentum as possible while still remaining safe. Parkour can include obstacle courses, running, climbing, swinging, mantling, vaulting, jumping, rolling, quadrupedal movement, and other, similar movements depending on what movement is deemed most suitable for the given situation. Parkour is usually practiced in urban spaces. Parkour involves seeing one’s environment in a new way, and imagining the potentialities for navigating it by movement around, across, through, over and under its features. Developed in France, primarily by Raymond Belle, David Belle, and Sébastien Foucan during the late 1980s, Parkour became popular in the late 1990s and 2000s through films, documentaries, and advertisements featuring these practitioners and others. (WP)

  PASGT: Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops. A largely obsolete U.S. military body armor ensemble. Only the PASGT Kevlar helmet is still issued.

  Patria AMV: See Badger.

  PCS: Permanent Change of Station.

  PDD: Presidential Decision Document.

  PDW: Personal Defense Weapon.

  Peshmerga: Literally: “one who confronts death” are the military forces of Iraqi Kurdistan. The overall formal head of the peshmerga is the President of Iraqi Kurdistan. The peshmerga force itself is largely divided and controlled separately by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, although both pledge allegiance to the Kurdistan Regional Government. Peshmerga forces are responsible for defending the land, people and institutions of the Kurdistan Region. (WP) See also: PKK, PYD, and YPG.

  PETN: Pentaerythritol tetranitrate.

  P.I.: Slang contraction for Philippine Islands.

  Pic: Slang contraction for picture.

  PII: Personally Identifiable Information. The information that is the target of identity thieves.

  Pilatus: Pilatus Aircraft, Ltd. is a Swiss manufacturer of STOL and fighter transition trainer aircraft.

  Pilatus Moth: See Moth STOL.

  Pilatus Porter: The Pilatus PC-6 is a STOL utility aircraft designed specifically to operate from unprepared, rough, and short airstrips. In continuous production since 1959. it can take off within a distance of 640 feet (195 m) and land within a distance of 427 feet (130 m) while carrying a payload of 2,646 lbs (1,200 kg). An armed gunship/light transport/spotter was built under license in the US by Fairchild in the 1970s, under the USAF designation AU-23A Peacemaker. (WP)

  PK: Pulemyot Kalashnikova, or “Kalashnikov’s Machinegun”, a 7.62 mm general-purpose machinegun designed in the Soviet Union and currently in production in Russia. It is chambered for the 7.62×54(r) cartridge. The original PK machinegun was introduced in 1961 and then the improved PKM in 1969. See also: PKM: (WP)

  PKK: Partiya Karkerên Kurdistani—the PKK Kurdish Worker’s Party. A Syrian resistance movement with communist overtones. See also: PYD and YPJ.

  PKM: Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy. Kalashnikov’s Machinegun, Modernized. A stamped receiver variation of PK machinegun. See also: PK. (WP)

  PKMS: Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy Stepanov. A tripod-mounted variant of PKM machinegun, using the Stepanov tripod.

  PLA: People’s Liberation Army (China).

  PLF: Parachute Landing Fall.

  PM: Depending on context, Precious Metals or Prime Minister.

  P-MAG: Polymer magazine.

  PN: Pseudo-Noise. A frequency hopping radio security technology.

  PNG: Persona Non Grata.

  POCLC: People of Color Law Center (Fictional.)

  POL: Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants.

  Pop: Slang contraction for Popular.

  POV: Privately Owned Vehicle.

  PR: Public Relations.

  Pre-1965: U.S. silver coins with 1964 or earlier mint dates, usually with little or no numismatic value. They are sold for their 90% silver bullion content. Well-worn pre-1965 coins are sometimes derisively called “junk” silver by rare coin dealers.

  Project SWILL: GlobalMAP Project Sovereign Will. (Fictional.)

  PROM: Programmable Read-Only Memory.

  Protector: A remotely controlled weapons station (RWS) that can be mounted to vehicles and stationary platforms. It is manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace of Norway and Thales Group of France. See also: RWS.

  PSG1: Präzisionsschützengewehr 1. A sniper rifle variant of the HK91 rifle. See also: MSG90A1.

  PSP: Pierced Steel Planking. Used for constructing aircraft runways and aprons.

  PSYOPS: Psychological Operations.

  PT: Depending on context, Perpetual Traveler or Physical Training.

  PTSD: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

  Pukka: British military slang for authentic or excellent.

  Puma M26-15: An armored personnel carrier (APC) with mine and Improvised Explosive Device (IED) protection. It was designed by OTT Technologies, a South African firm affiliated with DynCorp International. It is manufactured in South Africa and Mozambique.

  PV: Photovoltaic (solar power conversion cell or array). Used to convert solar power to DC electricity, typically for battery charging or for isolating oxygen and hydrogen from water.

  PYD: Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syrian Kurdistan. See also: PKK and YPJ.

  QBZ-95: Bullpup-style assault rifle manufactured by Arsenal 266, part of Norinco and Arsenal 296, under Jianshe Corp., China South for the People’s Liberation Army. These bullpups shoot the Chinese 5.8×42mm cartridge, which was rarely exported, and only for military contracts.

  Quiet Minarets Agreement: An agreement between the WIS and the Roman Catholic church which promised them 99 years of ‘no Sharia law’ and ‘no political ambitions’ on the part of the Muslims all along the northern periphery of the Mediterranean from Portugal to Greece. (Fictional.)

  QRF: Quick Reaction Force.

  QSZ-92: A semiautomatic pistol designed by Norinco that shoots the 5.8×21mm cartridge.

  R1: The South African variant of the FN/FAL rifle.

  R4: A licensed South African-manufactured variant of the Israeli Galil rifle. See also: Galil.

  R5: A carbine length variant of the R4 rifle.

  R6: A personal defense weapon (PDW) variant of the R4 rifle.

  RAM: Radar Absorbing Material. Coatings designed for radar stealthiness. See also: LO and RCS.

  Ratel: An obsolete South African six-wheeled APC replaced by the Badger APC in the 2020s.

  Raufoss: An explosive bullet variety of .50 BMG ammunition.

  RCD: Referred to Church Discipline.

  RCIED: Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device. See also: UAVIED and VBIED.

  RCS: Radar Cross Section. See also: RAM and LO.

  RDX: Research Department Explosive.

  Rebar: Reinforcing bar, used primarily in concrete work.

  Recce: British military slang contraction for reconnaissance.

  Rendition: In the legal context, rendering an imprisoned alleged criminal offender to
another jurisdiction for trial. The word rendition is commonly, but erroneously, used interchangeably with the word extradition.

  Reg/Regs: Slang for regulation/s.

  Resident (Work Permit) Non-Citizens (of the Ilemi Republic): Not jury eligible. Not eligible to vote. Right to keep and bear arms limited to firearms only with an unloaded weight of 5 kilograms or less. Not eligible to buy land. Eligible to hold a bank account. IRDF Service is optional. Eligible for renewable 120-day resident work permits if they have been specifically invited by an employer who is a Class A or Class H Citizen, and only if they remain gainfully employed.

  RetroRover: The generation of hydrogen-powered Range Rovers built in the 2030s and 2040 with a boxy design and folding windshields that were highly reminiscent of the classic 1950s and 1960s 88-inch and 109-inch wheelbase Land Rovers. (Fictional.)

  Reva APC: 4×4 is a mine-protected four-wheel vehicle produced by ICP South Africa.

  RFI: Request(s) for Intelligence.

  RG-32: A South African armored scout car.

  RG-32M Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV), is a 4×4 multi-purpose mine-protected armoured personnel carrier (APC) manufactured by BAE Systems of South Africa. Also known as RG Outrider.

  RG-33: A mine-resistant light armored vehicle initially designed by BAE Systems Land Systems South Africa (formerly Land Systems OMC) a South African subsidiary of BAE Systems. They have four wheels and are 22 feet long. The RG33L variant of this vehicle was later adopted by the US military for their first generation MRAP.

  RG-33L: A six-wheel variant of the RG-33.

  RG-34: Formerly designated as the Iguana FV4; a four-wheeled South African MRAP. Development of the Iguana was initiated under contract by Industrial & Automotive South Africa (IADSA) for a Belgian firm, Sabiex.

  RG-35: A South African manufactured six-wheel APC.

  RG Outrider: See RG-32M.

  Ricky-Tick: Slang for taking “mighty quick” action in a duty or project.

  RINT: Radiations Intelligence.

  RLST: Remote Landing Site Tower. Built under the nomenclature AN/TSQ-216, these 20 Century vehicle-mounted control towers were semi-self-contained and designed for use at austere airfields.

  RMAS: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

  RMK30: Rückstoßfreie MaschinenKanone 30; recoilless machinegun. A recoilless 30 mm caliber autocannon firing caseless 30 × 250 mm ammunition cartridges. The gun was developed by the German company Mauser, which is now a subsidiary of Rheinmetall Detec AG. RMK30 is a three-chamber revolving cannon driven by an electric motor, allowing variable rates of fire of up to 300 rounds per minute. Part of the propellant gases are ejected to the rear of the cannon, compensating for the recoil and allowing lightweight and less rigid mounts.

  Rooikat: A wheeled armoured fighting vehicle built in South Africa for the South African Army. Rooikat is Afrikaans for Caracal; literally “Red cat.”

  RORO: Roll-On-Roll-Off—A type of cargo ship designed for transporting vehicles.

  RPD: Ruchnoy Pulemyot Degtyaryova, English: hand-held machinegun of Degtyaryov is a 7.62mm light machinegun developed in the Soviet Union by Vasily Degtyaryov for the intermediate 7.62×39mm M43 cartridge. This belt-fed light machinegun is a precursor of most squad automatic weapons It was succeeded in Soviet service by the RPK. See also: AK and RPK. (WP)

  RPG: Rocket Propelled Grenade.

  RPK: Ruchnoy Pulemyot Kalashnikova or “Kalashnikov hand-held machinegun” is a 7.62×39mm light machinegun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault rifle. It was created as part of a program designed to standardize the small arms inventory of the Red Army, where it replaced the 7.62×39mm RPD light machinegun. The RPK continues to be used by the armed forces of countries of the former Soviet Union and some African and Asian nations. The RPK was also manufactured in Bulgaria, Poland, and Romania. (WP) See also: RPD and AK.

  RPM: Revolutions Per Minute.

  RPV: Remotely Piloted Vehicle. See also: Drone, UAV, and UAV-IED.

  RTA: Radio Traffic Analyst. See also: TA.

  RTB: Return to Base.

  RUAG: Originally Rüstungs Unternehmen Aktiengesellschaft; Joint Stock Defense Company. A Swiss weapons, ammunition, and aerospace manufacturing company.

  RTB: Return To Base.

  RTV: Room Temperature Vulcanizing (silicone sealant).

  RWR: Radar Warning Receiver. See also: LWR.

  RWS: Remote[ly controlled] Weapons Station.

  SA: Special Agent.

  SAA: South African Airways.

  Sabra: (pronounced “tzabar”) is a Hebrew slang term that refers to Israeli Jews born in Israel. Literally, the word means cactus, which is a reference to the bristly demeanor of many Israelis, when meeting strangers. (“Prickly on the outside, but sweet on the inside.”) The term first appeared in the 1930s to refer to a Jew who had been born in Mandatory Palestine or in Ottoman Palestine. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Israelis have used the word to refer to a Jew born anywhere in the Land of Israel. (WP)

  SAC: Strategic Air Command.

  SANDF: South African National Defense Force.

  Salat: The Islamic formalized system of worship at five prescribed times of the day. See also: Adhan and Muezzin. (WP)

  Sally Port: A controlled accessway security feature for a building, utilizing solenoid-activated locks for mantrap doors. Typically bullet-resistant glass or plexiglas is incorporated, although video cameras can be substituted.

  SALW: Small Arms and Light Weapons.

  SALUTE: Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time & Duration, Equipment. An intelligence report format. See also: SALT.

  SALT: Size, Activity, Location, Time. An intelligence report writing format. See also SALUTE.

  SAM: Depending on context, Surface to Air Missile or Sources and Methods.

  SAP: Special Access Program. Any approved program that imposes need-to-know or access controls beyond those normally required for access to CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, or TOP SECRET information. Commonly (and erroneously) called “above top secret,” SAP compartmented information is actually considered collateral to the TOP SECRET security level.

  SAR: Search and Rescue.

  SAS: Special Air Service.

  SBB: Schweizerische Bundesbahnen. Swiss Federal railway system.

  SBI: Special Background Investigation.

  SCI: Sensitive Compartmented Information. This is classified information concerning or derived from intelligence sources, methods, or analytical processes, which is required to be handled exclusively within formal control systems established by the director of Central Intelligence. See also: SAP and SCIF.

  SCIF: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility. An accredited area, room, group of rooms, building, or installation where SCI may be stored, used, discussed, and/or electronically processed. Also commonly called a vault.

  SEAL: Sea-Air-Land (Team). The U.S. Navy Special Operations Force. See also: BUD/S.

  Second IS: See WIS.

  Second Reformation: A movement that began in 2030s, distancing some Protestants from liberalized churches, watered-down gospels, weak and statist Bible translations, ecumenicalism, and observance of pagan holidays. Adherents were often called Second Reformers. (Fictional.)

  Secular: Non-religious. See also: Non-Observant.

  Seignorage: From Old French seigneuriage “the right of the lord (seigneur) to mint money”), is the difference between the value of money and the cost to produce and distribute it. The term can be applied in the following ways:

  • Seigniorage derived from specie—metal coins—is a tax, added to the total price of a coin (metal content and production costs), that a customer of the mint had to pay to the mint, and that was sent to the sovereign of the political area.

  • Seigniorage derived from notes is more indirect, being the difference between interest earned on securities acquired in exchange for bank notes and the costs of producing and distributing those notes.

  T
he term also applies to monetary seignorage, where sovereign-issued securities are exchanged for newly minted bank notes by a central bank, thus allowing the sovereign to ‘borrow’ without needing to repay. However, monetary seignorage refers to the sovereign revenue obtained through routine debt monetization, including expanding the money supply during GDP growth and meeting yearly inflation targets.

  Seigniorage is a convenient source of revenue for some governments. (WP)

  SFTE: Society of Flight Test Engineers.

  Shabak: See Shin Bet.

  Sharia Law: Islamic law, enforced on all subjugated populations, regardless of their faith, by the IS. See also Hudud and Jizya.

  Sharia Renditions: Western European governments honoring pre-Caliphate rendition (or “extradition,”) treaties and handing over anyone that the Caliphate has charged with a crime, regardless of their nationality. (Fictional.)

  Shifta: Derivation of Shefta, an Amharic word that means bandit or rebel.

  Shin Bet: The Israeli agency for counterintelligence and internal security. Also known as Sherut ha-Bitachon ha-Klali (Shabak.)

  Shmirah Hebrew for guard duty.

  SIG: Schweizer Industrie Gesellschaft. A major Swiss conglomerate that was a gun maker until the 1980s.

  SIG MPX: A Swiss submachinegun chambered in 9mm Parabellum.

  SIGINT: Signals Intelligence.

  Sikorsky: An American Helicopter manufacturer, founded by Ivanovich Sikorsky, a Russian émigré. See also: UH-60.

  Silmo: Silver Ilemi Monetary Ounce. The currency unit adopted by the Ilemi Republic, in coin form only. The coins are commonly called “Silver Ilemis.” A Silmo was constitutionally defined as 1 Troy ounce of .999-fine silver with 10% antimony hardener added, to make the coins hold up to rigors of circulation. Silmos were intended to be minted in full ounces, 1/2 , ¼ and 1/10-ounce sizes. See also: Centime, Gilmo, and Pilmo. (Fictional.)

  SLAR: Side-looking airborne radar. See also: MTI.

  SLEP: Service Life Extension Program.

  Shpitz , describing a great soldier (“He’s the Shpitz.”)

  SMG: Submachinegun.

  SMS: Short Message Service. Commonly called “Texting.”

  SMS4Tor: A self-destructing messaging service, on Tor.