Glossary

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance — the foundation of modern military command networks.

Command and Control — the authority and direction exercised by a commander over assigned forces.

Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance — coordinated collection and processing of battlefield information.

Center of Gravity — the source of power that provides moral or physical strength to the enemy.

Concept of Operations — a detailed plan outlining how forces will achieve a specific mission or objective.

Rules of Engagement — directives that define the conditions under which military forces may engage in combat.

Operations Order — formal directive issued by a commander to subordinate units outlining mission details.

Airborne Warning and Control System — aircraft with radar systems used for airspace surveillance and battle coordination.

Air Tasking Order — daily schedule for air operations including target assignments and sortie coordination.

Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses — missions to degrade or destroy adversary SAM and radar networks.

Beyond Visual Range — air combat that occurs outside visual line of sight using radar-guided weapons.

Close Air Support — air missions in direct support of ground forces engaged with the enemy.

Anti-Access / Area Denial — capabilities that prevent enemy forces from entering or maneuvering within a region.

Anti-Submarine Warfare — operations and systems designed to detect and neutralize enemy submarines.

Carrier Battle Group — a fleet centered around an aircraft carrier including escorts and support vessels.

Littoral Combat Ship — fast, modular U.S. Navy vessels optimized for operations close to shore.

Ballistic Missile Submarine — nuclear-powered submarines equipped with long-range ballistic missiles.

Electronic Warfare — disruption of enemy communications and sensors using electromagnetic energy.

Signals Intelligence — collected from intercepted radio, radar, or digital signals.

Cyber Electromagnetic Activities — integrated cyber and electronic warfare operations.

Anti-Satellite Weapon — weapons that disable or destroy enemy space-based systems.

Low Earth Orbit — altitude range for satellites used in reconnaissance and communication.

Main Battle Tank — heavily armed and armored tank used as the primary combat vehicle of ground forces.

Infantry Fighting Vehicle — armored vehicle transporting infantry and providing fire support.

Forward Line of Own Troops — the most forward location of friendly units.

Improvised Explosive Device — homemade bombs used by irregular forces against conventional troops.

Counterinsurgency — military and political operations aimed at defeating insurgent forces and winning civilian support.

Direct Action — short-duration strikes or other small-scale offensive operations by special operations forces.

Special Reconnaissance — covert surveillance missions by special operations units deep in enemy territory.

Unconventional Warfare — operations supporting insurgents, resistance forces, or guerrilla movements.

Logistics Package — scheduled delivery of supplies such as ammunition, fuel, and food to frontline units.

Table of Organization and Equipment — formal structure of a military unit including personnel and gear.

Medical Evacuation — transport of wounded personnel under medical supervision, typically protected under Geneva Conventions.

Casualty Evacuation — emergency evacuation of wounded without formal medical support.

Mass Casualty — an incident resulting in a large number of casualties that overwhelm local resources.

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear — weapons and hazards requiring specialized response and protection.

Weapons of Mass Destruction — nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons capable of large-scale loss of life.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile — long-range nuclear-capable missile system used for strategic deterrence.

A structured set of guiding principles used to conduct military operations at the strategic, operational, or tactical level.

The military's capacity to deploy forces rapidly and sustain them in combat environments across distances.

The integration of different military branches — such as infantry, armor, artillery, and air support — into a unified combat effort.

Warfare between unequal actors where the weaker side uses unconventional tactics to exploit the stronger side’s vulnerabilities.

A combat strategy focused on gradually wearing down the enemy through continuous losses in personnel and resources.

A critical strength, capability, or source of power that is essential to an enemy’s ability to fight or govern.

The use of military forces to achieve strategic goals by organizing and executing campaigns and major operations.

Logical lines connecting actions, effects, and objectives to campaign goals through time and space.

A geographic location, capability, or function that, when seized or neutralized, enables a major advantage over the adversary.

A self-sustaining military unit capable of rapid deployment and extended operations abroad.

Military operations involving physical force, such as airstrikes, shelling, or ground assaults.

Operations that involve influence, disruption, or denial using cyberwarfare, psychological ops, or electronic attack instead of physical violence.

The step-by-step process of identifying, targeting, engaging, and assessing effects on an adversary asset.

A coordinated tactic where one unit suppresses the enemy while another moves to an advantageous position.

The gradual expansion of a mission beyond its original objectives, often without clear strategic guidance.

The confusion, misinformation, and uncertainty that surrounds all aspects of combat and decision-making in wartime.

The legal and tactical framework that governs when and how military personnel may use force.

The defined geographic area where military commanders are authorized to plan and execute missions.

The multidimensional area — physical, cyber, electromagnetic — where operations are conducted.

Artillery, air, or naval gunfire provided to assist troops engaged in direct combat.

The distance and duration across which a military force can successfully deploy and operate.

A military strategy aimed at preventing an adversary from entering or operating within a specific region, utilizing long-range weapons, electronic warfare, and other means to deny access and freedom of maneuver. [Source]

A strategy focused on wearing down an opponent through continuous losses in personnel and material, aiming to erode their capacity to fight over time. [Source]

A rapid and intense military attack combining air and ground forces to quickly overwhelm the enemy, minimizing prolonged engagement. [Source]

A counter-insurgency strategy involving clearing an area of insurgents and maintaining control to prevent their return, while winning local support. [Source]

A defensive strategy that layers multiple defensive positions to delay and disrupt an attacker, rather than relying on a single strong line of defense. [Source]

A strategy of rapid dominance using overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception and destroy their will to fight. [Source]

A tactical maneuver that seeks to attack the flanks or rear of an enemy formation to encircle or cut off their retreat. It can be single or double envelopment.

A concentrated attack at a specific point in the enemy line to rupture defenses and drive deep into the rear, aiming for disruption or collapse.

A maneuver intended to bypass the enemy’s main defensive line and seize objectives behind their position, forcing them to retreat or reposition.

A short-duration strike behind enemy lines, often for sabotage, psychological effect, or high-value target elimination — not intended to hold ground.

An offensive action that aims to fracture a segment of enemy defenses to allow follow-on forces to exploit and expand the breach.

A preemptive strike aimed at disrupting or delaying an imminent enemy offensive, targeting their preparations and staging areas.

Aimed at eliminating the enemy’s leadership or command systems to collapse operational control and morale across their forces.

A sustained military campaign across an entire theater of war, combining multiple operations under a unified strategic objective.

A layered defense strategy designed to slow, attrit, and disrupt the attacker through successive lines of resistance rather than one forward line.

A flexible defense posture that combines positional defense with strong counterattacks to regain lost ground and disrupt enemy momentum.

A force posture that focuses on fortifications and fixed positions, relying on terrain and firepower to repel enemy advances.

A tactical withdrawal designed to slow the enemy without becoming decisively engaged, buying time or preserving forces for a later stand.

A principle of allocating minimal essential combat power to secondary efforts, enabling concentration of decisive effort elsewhere.

A defensive doctrine focused on preventing adversary forces from gaining operational freedom of movement through long-range fires, air denial, and electronic warfare.

A retreating tactic in which defenders destroy infrastructure, supplies, and assets to deny the enemy their use upon capture.

Operations conducted via computer networks to disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy information systems and infrastructure.

Use of the electromagnetic spectrum to attack or defend against enemy communications, radar, and command systems.

Intelligence gathered by intercepting communications, radar signals, or other electromagnetic emissions.

Use of orbital platforms to collect imagery, communications intercepts, and geospatial intelligence from space.

Weapon systems that use focused energy — lasers, microwaves, or particle beams — to disable enemy sensors or platforms.

A weapon system designed to neutralize or destroy enemy satellites, impacting GPS, ISR, or communication networks.

Techniques used to deceive or disrupt enemy radar, communications, and sensors, including jamming and spoofing.

The orbital band between 160 to 2,000 km altitude, used for military ISR, communication, and missile tracking satellites.

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance — a holistic system integrating battlefield awareness and decision-making.

The authority and direction exercised by a commander over assigned forces to accomplish the mission through decision-making and resource coordination.

The deliberate cycle of planning, decision-making, execution, and assessment that structures staff activities and command updates.

A leadership philosophy that empowers subordinates to exercise initiative and act decisively within the commander’s intent.

The use of creative thinking and systemic planning to align tactical actions with strategic objectives in a campaign or theater.

The source of power that provides moral or physical strength, freedom of action, or will to act — crucial for planning and targeting.

Conceptual routes that link tactical actions to strategic objectives in time and space; may be physical or logical.

A structured, repeatable cycle of planning, coordination, and decision-making that aligns staff functions and commander actions in complex operations.

A clear, concise statement of the desired outcome of the operation and the purpose behind it. It guides subordinate actions in the absence of detailed orders.

Branches are contingency plans for anticipated changes in the situation. Sequels are subsequent operations based on possible outcomes of the current operation.

Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. A decision-making framework used in fast-paced combat, emphasizing rapid adaptation to unfolding events. Developed by USAF Col. John Boyd.

The principle that a single commander should direct all forces to avoid confusion, conflicting orders, or inefficiencies.

The number of subordinates or units a commander can effectively manage. Optimal spans vary by mission complexity and echelon.

Common order formats in military operations: Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) updates or modifies previous orders; Operations Order (OPORD) is a full plan; Warning Order (WARNORD) alerts units of impending action.

A key event, factor, or location whose seizure, control, or influence significantly shifts the momentum of the operation.

The science and art of planning and carrying out the movement, supply, and maintenance of military forces.

The distance and duration across which a military force can successfully employ and sustain combat power.

Routes—land, air, or sea—that connect operating units to supply bases and reinforcements.

A secured forward-positioned installation used to support tactical operations, resupply, and command elements.

Timely and efficient movement and en route care of the wounded, injured, or ill from the battlefield to medical treatment facilities.

Activities, units, and personnel that provide essential services such as transport, maintenance, health services, and supply during operations.

The delivery of ammunition, fuel, food, and other essentials to combat units, often under combat conditions.

The capability to transport large quantities of personnel and materiel rapidly across long distances to a theater of operations.

Directives that define the circumstances, conditions, and manner in which military forces may initiate or continue combat engagement.

The use of physical force (missiles, bombs, shells) to destroy or disable enemy personnel or infrastructure.

Military actions that achieve objectives without physical force, such as jamming, cyber, or psychological operations.

Weapons equipped with guidance systems (GPS, laser, infrared) that enable high-accuracy strikes on specific targets.

Targeting and neutralization of enemy artillery systems by tracking launch points and rapidly returning fire.

Operations aimed at neutralizing, destroying, or degrading enemy surface-to-air missile and radar systems.

A designated area in which military fires are restricted or prohibited, often to protect civilians or sensitive assets.

The process of detecting, identifying, and locating a target to facilitate engagement by a weapon system.

The synchronized use of infantry, armor, artillery, engineers, and other branches to achieve complementary battlefield effects.

A strategy that emphasizes speed, surprise, and disruption of the enemy’s decision-making cycle over brute attrition.

A tactical method where one element suppresses the enemy while another moves to assault, flank, or reposition.

A battlefield tactic where a force pins the enemy in place with frontal engagement while another force attacks from the side.

Combat operations conducted in densely populated, built-up areas, requiring adaptation in movement, visibility, and engagement rules.

Infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles to enhance mobility and protection.

High-intensity combat in confined spaces such as buildings, ships, or tunnels where speed, precision, and surprise are critical.

A surprise attack from a concealed position on a moving or temporarily halted enemy, often using terrain to advantage.

A naval force capable of operating globally across the deep waters of open oceans, far from a home country's shores.

Naval operations conducted in littoral zones, rivers, and shallow coastal waters, often involving patrol craft and amphibious forces.

A strategy aimed at preventing an enemy from using the sea without necessarily controlling it oneself.

The ability to ensure unimpeded use of a specific maritime area for one’s own forces while denying it to the enemy.

Naval operations that detect, track, and destroy enemy submarines using sonar, depth charges, torpedoes, and specialized aircraft.

A coordinated attack that involves deploying land forces from sea platforms directly onto hostile or potentially contested shores.

A formation of naval vessels centered around an aircraft carrier, including destroyers, submarines, and supply ships for projection of airpower.

The strategic isolation of a nation’s ports or coastline to prevent imports, exports, and resupply — an act of economic and military pressure.

The degree of dominance in the air battle that permits the conduct of operations without prohibitive interference by opposing forces.

Aerial engagements conducted using missiles and radar targeting systems at distances beyond sightline, often over 30 km.

Aircraft deployed to patrol an area to detect and intercept enemy aircraft before they reach a critical objective.

A mission designed to neutralize or destroy ground-based air defense systems that pose a threat to friendly aircraft.

Airborne systems used to jam or deceive enemy radar and targeting systems, enhancing survivability and penetration.

Strikes against enemy forces and logistics intended to delay, disrupt, or destroy before they can engage friendly forces.

The use of long-range bombers to attack an adversary’s critical infrastructure, economy, or war production capabilities.

Vertical or Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft capable of operating from short or improvised runways, enhancing deployment flexibility.

Systems designed to destroy or disable enemy satellites, affecting communications, navigation, and ISR capabilities.

Orbital range of 160 to 2,000 km used for reconnaissance, communications, and early-warning military satellites.

Orbit at approximately 35,786 km where satellites remain fixed over a point on Earth, used for strategic communications and surveillance.

The ability to detect, track, and understand space objects and threats in orbit, essential for defense of space assets.

Weapon that intercepts and destroys enemy targets in space through direct impact rather than explosive payloads.