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For information about UK Armed Forces, including organisation, equipment and manning, use the links below:

Army
Royal Navy
Royal Air Force
Management of Defence

Abbreviations



The following is a selection from the list of standard military abbreviations and should assist users of this site.


A  

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AAC                 Army Air Corps
AAR Air to Air Refuelling  
AAAW Advanced Anti-Armour Weapon  
AAW Anti-Air Warfare  
AB Airborne  
ABLE Automotive Bridge Launching Equipment  
ac Aircraft  
ACCS Air Control and Command Systems  
accn Accommodation  
ACE Allied Command Europe  
ACLANT Allied Command North Atlantic  
ACOS Assistant Chief of Staff  
ACV Armoured Command Vehicle  
AD Air Defence/Air Dispatch/Army Department  
ADA Air Defended Area  
ADAD Air Defence Alerting Device  
Adjt Adjutant  
admin Administration  
admin O Administrative Order  
ADP Automatic Data-Processing  
ADR Airfield Damage Repair  
AEW Airborne Early Warning  
AFCENT Allied Forces Central European Theatre  
AFNORTHWEST Allied Forces Northwestern Europe  
AFSOUTH Allied Forces Southern Europe  
AFV Armoured Fighting Vehicle  
AGC Adjutant General's Corps  
ANGLS Autonomous Navigation And Gun Laying System  
AHQ Air Headquarters  
AIFV Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle  
AIRCENT Allied Air Forces Central Europe  
Airmob Airmobile  
AJT Advanced Jet Trainer  
ALARM Air-Launched Anti-Radiation Missile  
AM Airbus Military  
AMF(L) Allied Mobile Force (Land Element)  
AMRAAM Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile  
AOC Air Officer Commanding  
AP Armour-Piercing/Ammunition Point/Air Publication  
APC Armoured Personnel Carrier  
APDS Armour-Piercing Discarding Sabot  
APO Army Post Office  
APS Auto Pointing System  
ARBS Angle Rate Bombing System  
armd Armoured  
armr Armour  
ARRC Allied Rapid Reaction Corps  
ARRF Allied Rapid Reaction Forces  
arty Artillery  
ARV Armoured Recovery Vehicle     
ASACS Air Surveillance & Control System  
ASRAAM Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile  
ASTOVL  Advanced Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing  
ASW Anti -Submarine Warning  
ATAF Allied Tactical Air Force  
ATGW Anti-Tank Guided Weapon  
ATM Acquisition Training Missiles  
att Attached  
ATWM Army Transition to War Measure  
AUR All-up-Round  
AVLB Armoured Vehicle Launched Bridge  
AWC Air Warfare Centre  
AWOL Absent without leave  
B  

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BACCS Backbone Air Command and Control System  
BALTAP Baltic Approaches  
BAOR British Army of the Rhine  
BC Battery Commander  
bde Brigade  
BE Belgium (Belgian)  
BEF British Expeditionary Force  
BFG British Forces Germany  
BFPO British Forces Post Office  
BG Battlegroup  
BGHQ Battlegroup Headquarters  
BGTI Battlegroup Themal Imaging  
BICS Battlefield Information Control System  
BiH Bosnia Herzogovina  
BK Battery Captain  
BLD Battlefield and Land Digitisation  
BMA Battery Manoeuvre Area  
BMEWS Ballistic Missile Early Warning System  
BMH British Military Hospital  
BMS Battle (field)  Management System  
bn Battalion  
bty Battery  
C  

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c sups Combat Supplies  
C3I Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence  
CAD Central Ammunition Depot  
cam Camouflaged  
CAP Combat Air Patrol  
cas Casualty  
CASEVAC Casualty Evacuation  
CASOM Conventional Attack Stand-Off Missile  
CASTOR Corps Airborne Stand-Off Radar  
cat Catering  
CATO Civilian Air Traffic Operation  
CATS Combined Aerial Target Service  
CCM Counter Countermeasure  
CCP Casualty Collecting Point  
CCS Casualty Clearing Station  
Cdo Commando  
CDS Chief of the Defence Staff  
CEP    Circular Error Probable/Central Engineer Park  
CEPS Central European Pipeline System  
CET Combat Engineer Tractor  
CGRM Commander General Royal Marines  
CGS Chief of the General Staff  
CHARRV  Challenger Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicle   
CHARRV TRL Challenger Armoured Repair & Recovery Vehicle Trailer  
CID Combat Indentification  
CIMIC Civil Military Cooperation  
CinC Commander-in-Chief  
CINCENT     Commander-in-Chief Central European Theatre  
CINCUKAIR Commander-in-Chief UK Air  
CIS Communication Information Systems  
civ Civilian  
CJO Chief of Joint Operations  
CJRDFO     Chief of the Joint Rapid Deployment Force Operations  
Cmdt Commandant  
CO Commanding Officer  
COBRA Counter Battery Radar    
Col GS Colonel General Staff  
ComBAT Common Battlefield Application Toolset  
comd Command/Commander  
Comms Z Communications Zone  
comp rat Composite Ration (Compo)  
COMRFA Commander Royal Fleet Auxiliary  
COMSEN Communications Centre  
COMSFOR Commander SFOR  
coord Coordinate  
COS Chief of Staff  
coy Company  
CP Close Protection/Command Post  
CPO Command Pay Office/Chief Petty Officer  
CQMS Company Quartermaster Sergeant  
CRC Control Reporting Centre  
CRP Control Reporting Point  
CSABM Collaborative System for Air Battlespace Management  
CSVH Combat Support Vehicle Heavy  
CSVL Combat Support Vehicle Heavy  
CTOL Conventional Take-Off and Landing  
CTTO Central Trials and Tactics Organisation  
CUP Capability Upgrade Period  
CV Combat Vehicle  
CVD Central Vehicle Depot  
CVR(T)  Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Tracked  
CVR (W) Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance Wheeled  
CW Chemical Warfare  
D  

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DAA Divisional Administrative Area
DAG Divisional Artillery Group
DASS Defensive Aids Sub-System
DAW Department of Air Warfare
def Defence
DERA Defence Evaluation & Research Agency
det Detached/Detachment
DF Defensive Fire
DHFS Defence Helicopter Flying School
DISTAFF Directing Staff (DS)
div Division
DK Denmark
DMA Divisional Maintenance Area
dml Demolition
DMR Daily Messing Rate
DRA Defence Research Agency
DROPS Demountable Rack Off-Loading & Pick-Up System
DRU Dynamic Reference Unit
DS Direct Support/Dressing Station
DTG Date Time Group
E  

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ech Echelon
ECM Electronic Counter Measure
EDP Emergency Defence Plan
emb Embarkation
EME Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
EMP Electro Magnetic Pulse
en Enemy
engr Engineer
EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal
eqpt Equipment
ESS Environmental Support System
ETA Estimated Time of Arrival
EW Early Warning / Electronic Warfare
EWOSE Electronic Warfare Operational Support Establishment
ex Exercise
F  

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FAC Forward Air Controller
FBRV Future Beach Recovery Vehicle
FCLV Future Command and Liaison Vehicle
Fd Amb Field Ambulance
Fd Field
FEBA Forward Edge of the Battle Area
FFR Fitted for Radio
FGA Fighter Ground Attack
FIMU Fleet Information Management Unit
FLA Future Large Aircraft
FLET Forward Location Enemy Troops
FLIR Forward Looking Infra Red
FLOT Forward Location Own Troops
fmm Formation
FOC First Of Class
FONA Flag Officer Naval Aviation
FOO Forward Observation Officer
FOSCLE Fleet Operational Command System
FOSF Flag Officer Surface Fleet
FOSM Flag Officer Submarines
FOST Flag Officer Sea Training
FR France (French)
FRES Future Rapid Effect System 
FRG     Federal Republic of Germany/Forward Repair Group
FRT Forward Repair Team
FSP Full Service Provision
FTS Flying Training School
FUP Forming Up Place/Forming Up Point
FWAM Full Width Attack Mine
FWOC (R) Fleet Weather & Oceanographic Computer (Replacement)
Fy Financial Year
G  

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GDP General Defence Plan/Gross Domestic Product
GE German (Germany)
GHTM Ground Handling Training Missiles
GOC General Officer Commanding
GPMG General Purpose Machine Gun
GPWS Ground Proximity Warning System
GR Greece (Greek)
GRSC Ground Radio Servicing Centre  
H  

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HAS Hardened Aircraft Shelter
HE High Explosive
HEAT High Explosive Anti-Tank
hel Helicopter
Hesh High Explosive Squash Head
HET Heavy Equipment Transporter
HLDC Heavy Load Distribution Capability
HOTAS Hands on Throttle and Stick
HV Hyper Velocity
HVM Hyper Velocity Missile
Hy Heavy
 
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