Acronyms

The following is a list of acronyms that will be found on this blog that most people may not be familiar with, as well as their meanings:

AO - Area of Operation (The physical area in which an event takes place)
AQI - Al Qaeda in Iraq
CENTCOM - US Military Central Command (Responsible for operations in the Middle East and Central Asia)
CIA - Central Intelligence Agency (Head US intel agency in charge of, you know, spying)
CT - Counterterrorism
DCI - Director of Central Intelligence (CIA Director)
DDI - Deputy Director (Intelligence) (The head of the CIA's intelligence department)
DDO - Deputy Director (Operations) (The head of the CIA's operations department)
DOD - Department of Defense (Runs the US military)
EOD - Explosive Ordnance Disposal (Getting rid of UXO by blowing it up)
GMLRS - Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (Like the normal MLRS, but GPS-guided)
GPS - Global Positioning System (A satellite-based locating system used by hikers and smart bombs)
GWOT - Global War on Terror (Also known as World War IV)
HUMINT - Human Intelligence (Intel gathered by actual human beings)
IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency (UN organization tasked with countering nuclear proliferation)
IED - Improvised Explosive Device (A cheap bomb usually made from UXO)
IOTW - Idiot(s) of the Week (The special Sunday posts of this blog. Check them out here.)
ISF - Iraqi Security Forces
JDAM - Joint Direct Attack Munition (A GPS-guided bomb)
JF - Jamaat ul-Fuqra (A radical Islamist terrorist organization with several compounds in the US)
LCS - Littoral Combat Ship (Future US Navy vessel that will specialize in close-to-shore operations)
MANPAD - Man Portable Air Defense (A shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile, such as the Stinger or SA-7)
MSM - Mainstream Media (Newspapers, news radio, network and cable news)
NCO - non-commissioned officer (i.e. a corporal or sergeant)
NSA - National Security Agency (In charge of US SIGINT and cryptography)
OEF(A) - Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
OEF(P) - Operation Enduring Freedom (Phillipines)
OIF - Operation Iraqi Freedom
OSINT - Open Source Intelligence (Intel gathered through public means, such as the internet or TV news)
SAM - Surface-to-air missile (Can be a MANPAD or a vehicle-launched variety)
SF - US Army Special Forces (AKA The Green Berets, but don't call them that. Not to be confused with SOF)
SFS - Saturday Featured Story (The special Saturday posts of this blog. Check them out here.)
SIGINT - Signals Intelligence (Intel gathered by electronic means, usually communications intercepts and the like)
SOF - Special Operations Forces (The generic term for all types of elite soldiers. Not to be confused with SF)
VBIED - Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (A car bomb)
UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Such as the Predator, Global Hawk, or Dragon Eye)
UCAV - Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (A UAV with weapons)
USMC - United States Marine Corps
UXO - Unexploded Ordnance
WP - White Phosphorus (An chemical composition used for incendiary weapons, flares, and smoke screens)
WW4 or WWIV - World War IV (AKA the War on Terrorism, GWOT)

This post will be continually updated as time progresses and new acronyms are used.