| ABN |
airborne |
| acclimatization |
the physiological changes that allow the body to adapt or get used to the effects of a new environment, especially low oxygen saturation at higher elevations |
| ACE |
armored combat earthmover |
| acetazolamide |
a pharmaceutical drug used to accelerate acclimatization |
| ADA |
air defense artillery |
| ADAM |
area denial artillery munitions |
| AH-64 |
attack helicopter also called the Apache |
| aid |
in mountaineering, a climbing device, such as pitons, bolts, chocks, and stirrups, used for body support and upward progress; also used for artificial height in the absence of handholds and footholds |
| ALOC |
air lines of communications |
| AM |
amplitude modulation |
| ambient temperature |
encompassing atmosphere |
| AMS |
acute mountain sickness |
| anchor |
a secure point (natural or artificial) to which a person or rope can be safely attached |
| aneroid |
using no liquid |
| ANZAC |
Australia and New Zealand Corps |
| AO |
area of operations |
| apnea |
temporary suspension of respiration |
| ARSOF |
Army special operations forces |
| ART |
Army tactical task |
| ARTEP |
Army training and evaluation program |
| assault climber |
military mountaineer possessing advanced (Level 2) skills, capable of leading small teams over class 4 and 5 terrain and supervising rigging/operation of all basic rope systems |
| AT4 |
a man-portable, lightweight, self-contained, antiarmor weapon |
| ATGM |
anti-tank guided missile |
| basic mountaineer |
a military mountaineer trained in fundamental (Level 1) travel/climbing skills necessary to move safely and efficiently in mountainous terrain |
| belay |
a rope management technique used to ensure that a fall taken by a climber can be quickly arrested; belay techniques are also used for additional safety/control in rappelling, raising and lowering systems, and for mountain stream crossings |
| BFV |
Bradley fighting vehicle |
| BSFV |
Bradley Stinger fighting vehicle |
| BN |
battalion |
| C2 |
command and control |
| CAFAD |
combined arms for air defense |
| CFV |
cavalry fighting vehicle |
| CHS |
combat health support |
| CNR |
combat net radio |
| continental climate |
bitterly cold winters, extremely hot summers; annual rain and snowfall is minimal and often quite scarce for long periods |
| cordillera |
principal mountain ranges of the world, named after the Spanish word for rope |
| crampons |
climbing irons, attached to the bottom of boots, used on ice or snow in mountaineering |
| crevice |
a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack as in a cliff |
| CS |
combat support |
| CSS |
combat service support |
| DA |
Department of the Army |
| defile |
a narrow passage or gorge |
| DPICM |
dual-purpose improved conventional munition |
| DZ |
drop zone |
| ECWCS |
extended cold weather clothing system |
| edema |
a local or general condition in which the body tissues contain an excessive amount of tissue fluid |
| evacuation team |
a team trained to move casualties over steep slopes, cliffs, and other obstacles that would significantly impede the mobility of standard litter bearers |
| EW |
electronic warfare |
| F |
Fahrenheit |
| FARP |
forward arming and refueling point |
| FASCAM |
family of scatterable mines |
| FEBA |
forward edge of the battle area |
| fixed alpine path |
a mountain path created by any combination of aids, to include steps, stanchions, standoff ladders, suspended walkways, cableways, or other improvements made of materials available; normally an engineering task. |
| fixed rope |
a rope, or series of ropes, anchored to the mountain at one or more points to aid soldiers over steep, exposed terrain; usually installed by lead climbing teams (normally Level 2 qualification) |
| flash defilade |
to arrange fortifications to protect from fire |
| FM |
field manual; frequency modulation |
| FSMC |
forward support medical company |
| FOX system |
a lightly-armored, wheeled laboratory that takes air, water, and ground samples and immediately analyzes them for signs of weapons of mass destruction |
| gabion |
a wicker basket filled with earth and stones often use in building fortifications; can also be created out of similar materials, such as wire mesh/fence, lumber, plywood, or any suitable material that forms a stackable container for rocks, gravel, and soil |
| giardiasis |
parasitical illness |
| glaciated |
covered with glacial ice |
| GPS |
global positioning system |
| GTA |
graphic training aid |
| guide |
a soldier experienced in all aspects of mountaineering who has the skills and knowledge to identify obstacles and ways to overcome them; commander's advisor on technical mountaineering matters that could affect the tactical scheme of maneuver; primary function of mountain leaders (Level 3 qualification) |
| HACE |
high altitude cerebral edema |
| HAPE |
high altitude pulmonary edema |
| HE |
high explosives |
| Hellfire |
tank-killing missile carried by the Apache attack helicopter |
| high mountains |
mountains that have a local relief usually exceeding 900 meters (3,000 feet) |
| HUMINT |
human intelligence |
| HWY |
highway |
| hygrometer |
an instrument used to measure humidity or moisture content in the air |
| hypoxia |
a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body |
| ice fog trails |
steam/smoke trails created by firing weapons |
| ID |
infantry division |
| IFV |
infantry fighting vehicle |
| IHFR |
improved high frequency radio |
| IMINT |
imagery intelligence |
| installation team |
a team organized to construct and maintain rope installations used to facilitate unit movement; usually comprised of Level 1 and 2 mountaineers |
| interdiction |
to stop or hamper |
| ionospheric |
a part of the earth's atmosphere of which ionization of atmospheric gases affects the propagation of radio waves; starts at about 30 miles above ground |
| IPB |
intelligence preparation of the battlefield |
| IV |
intravenous |
| JSTARS |
joint surveillance, target attack radar system |
| km |
kilometer |
| lead climbing team |
a roped climbing team (usually Level 2 qualification) trained to lead on class 4 and 5 terrain; establishes/prepares the entire route for the remainder of the unit |
| leeward |
the side sheltered from the wind |
| lenticular |
having the shape of a double-convex lens |
| LOC |
line of communication |
| local relief |
the difference in elevation between valley floors and the surrounding summits |
| look-down angles |
the angle from the aircraft to the target |
| low mountains |
mountains that have a local relief of 300 to 900 meters (1,000 to 3,000 feet) |
| LPT |
logistics preparation of the theater |
| LRS |
long-range surveillance |
| LRSU |
long-range surveillance unit |
| LSDIS |
light and special division interim sensor |
| LTC |
lieutenant colonel |
| LZ |
landing zone |
| MANPADS |
man-portable air defense system |
| maritime climate |
mild temperatures with large amounts of rain or snow |
| MBA |
main battle area |
| METT-TC |
mission, enemy, terrain and weather, troops and support available, time available, civil considerations |
| MK-19 |
40-mm grenade machine gun, MOD 3 |
| MOPP |
mission-oriented protective posture |
| motti |
Finnish word meaning "a pile of logs ready to be sawed into lumber"; used in military terms to describe setting the conditions so a larger force can be defeated in detail |
| mountain leader |
a military mountaineer possessing the highest level (Level 3) of mountaineering skills with extensive experience in a variety of mountain environments in both winter and summer months |
| MSE |
mobile subscriber equipment |
| MSRT |
mobile subscriber radio terminal |
| MTF |
manual terrain following |
| NBC |
nuclear, biological, and chemical |
| OCOKA |
observation and fields of fire, cover and concealment, obstacles, key terrain, and avenues of approach |
| OH-58D |
a scout and attack helicopter known as the Kiowa Warrior |
| OP |
observation post |
| OPORD |
operation order |
| OPSEC |
operations security |
| OR |
operational readiness |
| orographic |
pertaining to the physical geography of mountains and mountain ranges |
| PADS |
Position Azimuth Determining System |
| POL |
petroleum, oils, and lubricants |
| protection |
in mountaineering, special anchor points established during a roped party climb to limit potential fall distances, protecting climbers from severe fall/ground-fall consequences |
| PSYOP |
psychological operations |
| RAAMS |
remote antiarmor mine system |
| rappel |
method of controlled frictional descent down a rope |
| RCW |
ration, cold weather |
| rockfall |
rockfall occurs on all steep slopes. It is caused by other climbers or by the continual erosion of the rock on a mountainside resulting from freezing, thawing, and heavy rain; grazing animals; or enemy action. |
| SATCOM |
satellite communications |
| scree |
small unconsolidated rocks or gravel, fist-size or smaller, located mostly below rock ridges and cliffs |
| screening crest |
a hill or ridge located in front of a radar set to mask it from unwanted returns (clutter) at close range, and to provide security against electronic detection or jamming; screening crest also prevents visual observation and attack by direct fires |
| SEE |
small emplacement excavator |
| SHELREP |
shelling report |
| SHORAD |
short-range air defense |
| SINCGARS |
Single-channel Ground and Airborne Radio System |
| SOF |
special operations forces |
| squall |
a sudden, violent wind |
| SR |
special reconnaissance |
| talus |
accumulated rock debris that is much larger than scree, usually basketball-size or larger |
| TBP |
to be published |
| TC |
training circular |
| TCF |
tactical combat force |
| TCP |
traffic control point |
| temperature inversion |
when the temperature is warmer at higher elevations than lower elevations |
| TM |
technical manual |
| TOC |
tactical operations center |
| TOW |
tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided, heavy antitank missile system |
| TRADOC |
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command |
| tundra |
treeless, black, mucky soil with permanently frozen subsoil; located in mountainous regions above the timberline |
| tussocks |
grassy clumps |
| UAV |
unmanned aerial vehicle |
| UGR |
unitized group ration |
| UHF |
ultrahigh frequency |
| Venturi effect |
as a fluid (such as air) flows through a constriction (like a mountain pass), the speed increases and the pressure drops |
| VFR |
visual flight rules |
| VT |
variable time |
| wind chill |
the rate at which a man or object cools to the ambient temperature; wind increases the rate of cooling and adds to the risk of frostbite, hypothermia, and other cold-weather injuries |
| windward |
being in or facing the direction from which the wind is blowing |
| WP |
white phosphorous
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