Glossary
59 military terms used in the briefings and situation reports (control measures, courses of action, intelligence grades) in plain words.
- limit of advance
- The line a unit must not go beyond. It halts there and waits for orders.
- line of departure
- The line an attacking unit crosses to begin the attack.
- phase line
- A line drawn on the map to keep units in step, as in "report when you reach the phase line".
- battle handover line
- Where responsibility for the fight passes from one unit to another.
- contact point
- A set place where patrols or neighbouring units meet.
- objective rally point
- The last place a patrol gathers before moving onto its objective.
- assembly area
- Where a unit gathers and gets ready before its next move.
- battle position
- A defensive location a unit occupies and fights from.
- engagement area
- Ground chosen in advance where fire will be massed on the enemy.
- target reference point
- An easy-to-see point fixed in advance so fire can be aimed and shifted quickly.
- observation post
- A spot from which to watch the enemy and the ground.
- command post
- Where the commander and staff run the fight.
- HQ
- Headquarters: where the commander and staff are.
- XO
- Executive officer: second in command, who takes over if the commander falls.
- NCO
- Non-commissioned officer: a sergeant or corporal who leads soldiers directly.
- RTO
- Radio operator: carries the set and handles the traffic for the leader.
- PACE
- Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency: the fallback order of ways to communicate.
- AAR
- After action review: what was planned, what happened, and why.
- perimeter
- All-round defence: positions facing every direction, because the enemy may come from any side.
- passage of lines
- Passage of lines: a following unit moves through the unit in front and takes up the fight.
- main effort
- The attack given the most weight, meant to decide the action.
- supporting effort
- An attack that helps the main effort by holding or deceiving the enemy.
- feint
- An attack made to mislead the enemy about where the real one is coming.
- delaying action
- Trading ground for time: the enemy is slowed while the force stays intact.
- covering fire
- Fire that keeps the enemy down while another unit moves.
- main body
- The bulk of a force, behind its lead and security elements.
- fording
- A shallow place where a river can be crossed on foot or by vehicle.
- Easting
- A north–south grid line, numbered west to east; 73 Easting is the line numbered 73.
- main supply route
- The road that carries ammunition, food and troops forward; cut it and the units ahead are cut off.
- forward observer
- The officer who calls for artillery fire and adjusts it onto the target.
- FDC
- Where the observer's call is turned into firing data for the guns.
- How Battery
- An artillery company: several guns worked as one unit.
- defensive fire
- Artillery or mortar fire planned in advance on the routes the enemy is likely to use.
- FPF
- The last pre-planned barrage, laid just in front of the position when the enemy is about to break in.
- final protective line
- The line along which machine guns fire low across the front of the position.
- pre-registered fire
- Fire whose data are worked out in advance, so it lands quickly when called.
- close air support
- Aircraft attacking enemy forces close to friendly troops.
- HE
- High explosive: a round that does its damage by blast and fragments.
- FSCL
- Fire support coordination line: beyond it, targets can be hit without further coordination with ground units.
- no-fire area
- An area that is not to be fired on without clearance.
- composite battalion
- A battalion put together in a hurry from the remains of several units.
- airborne
- Troops who arrive by parachute, helicopter or transport aircraft.
- CLS
- Combat lifesaver: a soldier trained in first aid who treats the wounded until a medic arrives.
- KMAG
- Korean Military Advisory Group: US advisers attached to ROK Army units, who also linked them with US forces.
- ROK
- Republic of Korea; the ROK Army is the South Korean army.
- NK
- North Korean (forces).
- CCF
- Chinese Communist Forces: the US name at the time for China's troops in Korea.
- CPV
- Chinese People's Volunteers: the official name of China's forces in the Korean War.
- VDV
- Russia's airborne forces.
- MANPADS
- Man-portable air-defence system: a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile.
- APC
- Armoured personnel carrier: an armoured vehicle that carries infantry.
- TOW
- A US wire-guided anti-tank missile.
- UAV
- Uncrewed aircraft: a drone.
- AT
- Anti-tank.
- MG
- Machine gun.
- PIR
- Priority intelligence requirement: what the commander most needs to know about the enemy and ground to decide.
- FFIR
- Friendly force information requirement: what the commander needs to know about own forces.
- ECOA
- Enemy course of action: what the enemy might do.
- OSINT
- Open-source intelligence, drawn from material anyone can see, such as news and social media.