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Abbreviations

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

A		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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		TOP
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