A guide to the acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms used in The Drone Papers. We defer to definitions provided in the source text where available; other interpretations are based on open source material.
A
- ABI
- Activity-Based Intelligence
- ADNI/SRA
- Asst. Director of National Intelligence for Systems and Resource Analyses
- AF/AFG
- Afghanistan
- AFO
- Advance Force Operations
- AFRICOM
- U.S. Africa Command
- ANSF
- Afghan National Security Forces
- AO
- Area of Operations
- AOR
- Area of Responsibility
- AQ
- Al Qaeda
- AQ FAC
- Al Qaeda Facilitator
- AQIM
- Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb
- AQSL
- Al Qaeda Senior Leadership
- AP
- Arabian Peninsula
- APG
- Aerial Precision Geolocation
- AUMF
- Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001)
B
- BBC
- Baseball Card
- BDA
- Battle Damage Assessment
- BDL
- Bed-Down Location
C
- CAOC
- Combined Air and Space Operations Center
- CAP
- Combat Air Patrol
- CAPE
- Department of Defense Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation
- CCMD
- Combatant Command
- CDE
- Collateral Damage Environment
- CELLEX
- Cellular Exploitation
- CF
- Coalition Forces
- CIVCAS
- Civilian Casualties
- CJSOTF
- Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force
- C-LRA
- Counter-Lord’s Resistance Army
- CNO
- Computer Network Operations
- CoM
- Chief of Mission (Ambassador)
- COMINT
- Communications Intelligence
- CONOP
- Concept of Operations
- CoS
- Chief of Station (CIA)
- CT
- Counterterrorism
D
- DNR COMINT
- Dial Number Recognition Communications Intelligence
- DOD
- Department of Defense
- DOMEX
- Document and Media Exploitation
E
- EA
- East Africa
- EKIA
- Enemy Killed in Action
- EWIA
- Enemy Wounded in Action
F
- F3EA
- Find, Fix, Finish, Exploit/Analyze
- FFF
- Find, Fix, Finish
- FMV or HD FMV
- Full Motion Video or High Definition Full Motion Video
- FOB
- Forward Operating Base
- FS
- Fire Scout (unmanned helicopter)
- FVEY
- Five Eyes
G
- GCC
- Geographic Combatant Command
- GOCO
- Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated
- GSM
- Global System for Mobile Communication
H
- HN
- Host Nation
- HOA
- Horn of Africa
- HUJI
- Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami
- HUMINT or HI
- Human Intelligence
- HVI
- High-Value Individual
I
- IC
- Intelligence Community
- IED
- Improvised Explosive Device
- IIR
- Intelligence Information Report
- IMINT
- Imagery Intelligence
- ISAF
- International Security Assistance Force
- IPB
- Intelligence Preparation of the Battlespace
- IPOE
- Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment
- ISR
- Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
- IZ
- Iraq
J
- J2
- Intelligence Directorate of a Joint Staff
- J5
- Plans Directorate of a Joint Staff
- JP
- Jackpot
- JTL
- Joint Target List
- JWICS
- Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System
- JPEL
- Joint Prioritized Effects List
L
- LeT
- Lashkar-e-Taiba
M
- MAM
- Military-Age Male
- MARSOC
- Marine Corps Special Operations Command
- MC-12
- Manned surveillance aircraft
- MEDEX
- Media Exploitation
- MFW
- Medium Fixed-Wing (manned aircraft)
- MQ-1
- General Atomics Predator drone
- MQ-9
- General Atomics Reaper drone
N
- NAI
- Named Area of Interest
- NAVAF
- U.S. Naval Forces Africa
- NSB
- Yemeni National Security Bureau
O
- OEF
- Operation Enduring Freedom
- OIF
- Operation Iraqi Freedom
- OBJ
- Objective
- ODTAAC
- Outside a Defined Theater of Active Armed Conflict
- OPTEMPO
- Operational Tempo
- OPSEC
- Operations Security
- OSD
- Office of Secretary of Defense
P
- PACOM
- U.S. Pacific Command
- PAX
- Passengers
- PDC/PC
- Principals’ Deputies Committee / Principals Committee
- P-3
- P-3 Orion (manned surveillance plane)
- PID
- Positive Identification
- PKM
- Machine gun
- PTT COMINT
- Push-to-Talk Communications Intelligence
- POL
- Pattern of Life
- POTUS
- President of the United States
R
- ROE
- Rules of Engagement
- ROYG
- Republic of Yemen Government
- RPA
- Remotely Piloted Aircraft (drone)
S
- SE
- Scan Eagle (surveillance drone)
- SECDEF
- Secretary of Defense
- SIGINT or SI
- Signals Intelligence
- SITREP
- Situation Report
- SME
- Subject Matter Expert
- SNA
- Social Network Analysis
- SOCOM
- U.S. Special Operations Command
- SRA
- See ADNI/SRA
T
- TADS
- Terror Attack Disruption Strikes
- TB
- Taliban
- TF
- Task Force
- TIR
- Tactical Interrogation Report
- TTP
- Tactics, Techniques, Procedures; Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan
U
- U-28
- Manned surveillance plane
V
- VBIED
- Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device
- VEO
- Violent Extremist Organization
- VID
- Voice ID