Military

AAA:  Anti-Aircraft Artillery.  Ground based weapons system designed to shoot down aircraft using rounds or exploding shells.  Small Arms fired at aircraft are commonly included within this definition.

AL-QUEDA:  An Arabic word meaning "the base".  In approximately 1989, Osama bin Laden and Muhammad Atef founded "Al Qaeda", an international terrorist group dedicated to opposing non-Islamic governments with force and violence.

ATO:  Air Tasking Order.  A representation of the Joint Air Operations Plan.  Details how joint forces will be integrated and tasked, including specific mission details.

AWACS:  Airborne Warning and Control System.  An aircraft that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications capabilities to US, NATO and other allied air defence forces.

BAGRAM AIR BASE:  Located in the Parvan Province, Afghanistan, approximately 47 kilometres north of Kabul.

BATTLE GROUP (BG):  A temporary grouping of sub-units under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission. 

BISON ARMOURED AMBULANCE:  Is an 8X8 wheeled armoured ambulance for casualty evacuation manufactured by the Diesel Division General Motors; it entered service with the Canadian Forces in the early 1990's.

C-130 HERCULES:  Considered to be one of the most versatile tactical transport planes, it is used to airlift troops, equipment and cargo, conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and in air-to-air refueling of fighters certain helicopters.

CAOC:  Combined Aerospace Operations Center.  It is the primary theatre command and control facility responsible for orchestrating an air campaign for a coalition effort.

CASUALTY PRIORITY SYSTEM:  The four categories of casualty triage are color-coded and are recognized as follows:

Category I ­ IMMEDIATE (RED TAG) includes all compromises to a patient's Airway, Breathing and Circulation. If immediate medical attention is not provided, the patient will die.

Category II ­ DELAYED (YELLOW TAG) includes any injuries that may be serious and potentially life threatening. They may require extensive and intensive treatment.

Category III ­ MINIMAL (GREEN TAG) also called the "walking wounded." These individuals have injuries that will still need treatment, however, are unlikely to deteriorate over the next few days.

Category IV ­ EXPECTANT (BLACK TAG) this category is comprised of patients whose treatment would be time consuming and extremely complicated coupled with a low chance of survival. 

CFACC:  Coalition Force Air Component Command. 

CLOSE AIR SUPPORT:  Air action by fixed or rotary wing aircraft against hostile targets that are in close proximity to friendly forces.

COLLECTIVE TRAINING:  Training that focuses on producing cohesive, combat-capable tactical groupings and involves the simulated execution of battle tasks in realistic training scenarios.  Levels 4, 5, and 6 denote training at the Company, Combat Team and BG levels respectively.

COYOTE:  An 8x8 light armoured vehicle.  This highly mobile, well-armed, and well-protected reconnaissance variant of the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) family is employed in the conduct of battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance missions at the battle group and brigade levels.

DMART:  Disaster Mortuary Affairs Response Team.  In the US Army it covers the search for, recovery, identification, preparation and disposition of remains of persons for whom the Services are responsible by status and Executive Order.

E3-B/C SENTRY:  Airborne Early Warning aircraft.  The E-3 Sentry is a modified Boeing 707/320 commercial airframe with a rotating radar dome.  It contains a radar subsystem that permits surveillance from the Earth's surface up into the stratosphere, over land or water.

EOD TEAM:  Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team.  Responsible for the detection, identification, on-site evaluation, rendering safe, recovery and final disposal of unexploded explosive ordnance.

F-16 FIGHTING FALCON:  is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.  It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack.

FLIR:  Forward-Looking Infrared camera.  It is a high-resolution, thermal-imaging system.

FRATRICIDE:  The employment of friendly weapons and munitions with the intent to kill the enemy or destroy his equipment that results in unforeseen and unintentional death or injury to friendly personnel.

GBU-12 (LGB):  Guided Bomb Unit-12 Laser Guided Bomb.  It utilizes a 500-pound general-purpose warhead.  The operator illuminates a target with a laser designator and then the munition guides free fall to a spot of laser energy reflected from the target.                                                             

IRF(L):  Immediate Reaction Force (Land).  It is a light, fully mobile force designed to respond quickly to overseas missions, and highly suitable for evolving operations.

KC-135 STRATOTANKER:  Based on the Boeing 367-80 its principal mission is air refueling. This unique asset greatly enhances the USAF's capability to accomplish its primary missions of global reach and global power.

KC-10A EXTENDER:  An Air Mobility Command advanced tanker and cargo aircraft designed to provide increased global mobility for US armed forces.  Using either an advanced aerial refuelling boom, or a hose and drogue centerline refuelling system, the KC-10A can refuel a wide variety of US and allied military aircraft within the same mission.  The aircraft is equipped with lighting for night operations.

KANDAHAR:  Capital of Kandahar province in Southern Afghanistan, with a population of 250,000.  The country's second largest city and chief trade center is the main base for Canadian, US and Coalition military operations in the area.

MLVW:  Medium Logistic Vehicle Wheeled.  The backbone of the land force logistic support, these vehicles are used throughout the battlefield in command and control, troop and cargo transport, maintenance and administrative functions.

MSL:  Mean Sea Level.  Reference height system in which the altitude of an aircraft is given to its height above sea level.

NAUTICAL MILE (NM):  Commonly used for ships at sea and aircraft in flight.  A nautical mile is 6080 ft long as opposed to the more commonly used statute mile, which is 5280 ft long.

OPERATION ANACONDA:  During March 2002, members of the 3 PPCLI BG were in the mountains of Paktia Province east of Gardez on a US-led Coalition effort to search for Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters, capture them, and destroy their     

OPERATION HARPOON:  On 13 March 2002 a joint Canadian-American assault using land and air forces to eliminate a specific pocket of Taliban and Al-Qaeda resistance.  The land component was a battalion-sized mixed Canadian and American force under the tactical command of Lieutenant-Colonel Pat Stogran, the commanding officer of the 3 PPCLI BG.  Operation HARPOON was completed on 19 March 2002.

OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF):  The US nickname for the military phase of the campaign against terrorism which began on 7 October 2002.  Operation APOLLO is Canada's military contribution to this international campaign and includes the 3^rd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry BG.

RSO:  Range Safety Officer.  An individual specifically appointed by the commanding officer to ensure that range exercises are conducted safely.

SAM:  Surface-to-air Missile.  Rocket propelled, ground based system designed to shoot down aircraft.  Such systems may be small and mobile (shoulder launched) or large and stationary.  Guidance systems vary from optical through infra-red (IR), laser to radar.

TALIBAN:  Emerging from the disparate bands of anti-communist Islamic militia known as the Mujahideen they rapidly took control of most of the country, including the capital Kabul, which was taken in September 1996.  Their tough interpretation of Islamic law has attracted widespread criticism.

TARNAK FARM:  A multi-purpose range complex located south of the Kandahar Airfield Facility routinely used by the members of Task Force Rakkasan.

TASK FORCE DEVIL:  Brevity code word for "A" Company, 3 PPCLI Battle Group during its range exercise on 17 April 2002 at the Tarnak Farm Range.

TASK FORCE RAKKASAN:  Brevity code word for the brigade combat team based on the 3^rd Brigade (187^th Infantry Regiment) of the 101^st (US) Airborne Division (Air Assault) and is so named in honour of the 187^th's regimental nickname.  It is a Coalition formation based at                                 that includes 3 PPCLI BG.

TOC:  Tactical Operations Centre.  In the US Army it serves as the unit's command and control hub, assisting the commander in synchronizing operations.  The TOC is the location where the majority of the planning, staff coordination, and monitoring of key events occurs.

TRACER ROUND:  A tracer round contains a pyrotechnic charge that permits visible observation of a bullet's in-flight path to the impact point.

UHF:  Ultra High Frequency. 

VHF:  Very High Frequency.  Frequencies from                                  VHF signals are widely employed for television and radio transmissions.

WADI:  Rocky watercourse, dry except in rainy season.

ZULU:  Military standard time reference system that is based on the global time zone division commonly referred to as the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) reference system.  Zulu time system is universally applied by all Coalition members involved in OEF.