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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Glossary

A

ABCA allies--American, British, Canadian, and Australian allies

active defense measures--
steps taken to find and destroy either the munitions or the delivery systems of an NBC attack.

ADA--air defense artillery

air-ground correlation factor (AGCF)--
the ratio of a dose-rate reading taken at survey height to a ground dose rate taken one meter above the surface.

APC--armored personnel carrier

ARR--aerial radiological recon

AWS--Air Weather Service

C

CF--correlation factor

CFA--covering force area

cGy--centigray

cGyph--centigray per hour

COMMZ--communications zone

D

dose--
amount of radiation received at any given time.

dose rate--
amount of radiation emitted from a single source at a specific time.

Dtb--turnback dose

E

ECM--electronic countermeasures

ECCM--electronic counter-countermeasures

electromagnetic pulse (EMP)--
a nonuniform electric field resulting from a nuclear explosion, causing the emission of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.

EW--electronic warfare

F

FDC--fire direction center

FEBA--forward edge of the battle area

FLOT--forward line of troops

FOMET--fallout meteorological message

FSE--fire support element

FSOP--field standing operating procedures

G

GN--grid north.

GMT--Greenwich mean time

GRR--ground radiological recon

GZ--ground zero

H

half-thickness--
the thickness of any material that reduces the dose rate of gamma radiation to one-half its unshielded value.

HN--
host nation. Allied nation in which US forces are operating.

K

km--kilometer

KT--kiloton

M

METT-T--mission, enemy, terrain, troops, and time available

MEV--
million electron volts. Used to measure energy levels of radiation.

minimum safe distance--
distance corresponding to a degree of protection needed to remain in the area.

MSD--minimum safe distance

N

NATO--North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NAV EDM--US naval effective downwind message

NBC--nuclear, biological, and/or chemical

NBCC--NBC center

NBCWRS--NBC Warning and Reporting System

NF--normalizing factor

NIGA--neutron-induced gamma activity

O

OCF--overall correlation factor

OEG--operational exposure guidance

OPSEC--operational security

OPORD--operational order

OPLAN--operations plan

OPCON--operational control

P

passive defense measures--
measures taken to reduce possibilities of (or effects of) NBC attack

POW--prisoner of war

R

RES--radiation exposure status

Rtb--tumback dose rate

RADIAC--radiation detection, identification, and computation

rainout--
see washout

S

SALUTE--size, activity, location, unit, time, equipment

shielding--
protection from gamma rays and Xrays by use of dense materials such as metal, concrete, or certain soils.

SIGSEC--signal security

SITREP--situation report

SOP--standing operating procedures

STRIKWARN--
warning of a friendly force's nuclear strike

T

TARR--time of arrival

Tcomp--time of completion

TF--transmission factor

TOB--time of burst

total dose--
total amount of radiation received

Tp--projected in time (time of validity)

transmission factor--
measure of the degree of shielding afforded by a structure, vehicle, fortification, or a set of specified shielding conditions.

TREE--transient radiation effects on electronics

U

universal transverse mercator--
meridians and parallels of latitudes appearing as lines crossing at right angles.

USMC--US Marine Corps

USMTF--US message text format

UTM--universal transverse mercator

V

VCF--vehicle correlation factor

W

washout/rainout--
the removal of radiological fallout particles from the air by percipitation passing through the radiation (cloud).



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