GROUND UNITS:

Squad: The smallest military unit, made up of 10 privates, a staff sergeant and a corporal

Platoon: Military unit made up of two or more squads and a headquarters.

Company: Military unit made up of two or three platoons and a headquarters.

Battalion: Military unit made up of two or more companies and a headquarters.

Group: Military unit made up of two or more battalions and a headquarters.

Regiment: Military unit made up of two or more battalions, a headquarters and supporting units.

Brigade: Military unit made up of two or more regiments and a headquarters.

Division: Military unit, larger than a brigade and smaller than a corps

Corps: Military unit made up of two or more divisions.

AIR UNITS:

Flight: Basic unit consisting of two or more aircraft.

Squadron: Military unit made up of two or more flights.

Group: Military unit made up of two or more squadrons.

BATTLEFIELD TERMS:

Airborne: Troops especially trained to effect an assault from aircraft, either by parachuting or touchdown.

Air assault: The movement of forces by rotary-wing aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain.

Airburst: An explosion of a bomb or projectile above the surface as distinguished from an explosion on contact with the surface or after penetration.

Air mobility: The rapid movement of personnel, materiel and forces to and from or within a theater by air. This includes both airlift and air refueling.

Air superiority: That degree of dominance in the air battle of one force over another which permits the conduct of operations by the former without interference by the opposing force.

Air support: All forms of support given by air forces on land or sea.

Attrition: The reduction of the effectiveness of a force caused by loss of personnel and materiel.

Battery: All guns, torpedo tubes, searchlights, or missile launchers of the same size or caliber either installed in one ship or otherwise operating as an entity.

Battle damage assessment: The timely and accurate estimate of damage resulting from the application of military force.

Carpet bombing: The progressive distribution of a mass bomb load upon an area defined by designated boundaries, in such manner as to inflict damage to all portions thereof.

Carrier battle group: A standing naval task group consisting of a carrier, surface combatants, and submarines.

Cavalry: Motorized infantry units, such as tanks, as well as aircraft units using helicopter gunships.

Close air support: Air action by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces.

Collateral damage: Unintentional or incidental injury or damage to persons or objects that would not be lawful military targets in the circumstances ruling at the time.

Command and control: The exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission.

Conventional weapon: A weapon which is neither nuclear, biological, nor chemical.

Expeditionary force: An armed force organized to accomplish a specific objective in a foreign country.

Field artillery: Equipment, supplies, ammunition, and personnel involved in the use of cannon, rocket, or surface-to-surface missile launchers.

Forward air controller: An officer who, from a forward ground or airborne position, controls aircraft in close air support of ground troops.

Friendly fire: Mistaken or accidental attack by friendly forces upon other friendly forces actively engaged with the enemy.

Infantry: Soldiers who fight on their feet.

Intermediate-range bomber aircraft: A bomber designed for a tactical operating radius of between 1,000 to 2,500 nautical miles.

Logistics: The science of planning and carrying out the movement and maintenance of forces.

Materiel: All items necessary to equip, operate, maintain, and support military activities.

Ordnance: Explosives, chemicals, pyrotechnics, and similar stores, e.g., bombs, guns and ammunition, flares, smoke, or napalm

Rangers: Rapidly deployable airborne light infantry organized and trained to conduct highly complex operations in coordination with or in support of other special operations units of all Services.

Reconnaissance: A mission undertaken to obtain, by visual observation or other detection methods, information about the activities and resources of an enemy.

Sortie: In air operations, an operational flight by one aircraft.

Task force: A temporary grouping of units, under one commander, formed for the purpose of carrying out a specific operation or mission.

WEAPONS:

Ballistic missile: Any missile which does not rely upon aerodynamic surfaces to produce lift and consequently follows a ballistic trajectory when thrust is terminated.

Biological weapon: A weapon containing a microorganism that causes disease in personnel, plants, or animals or causes the deterioration of materiel.

Chemical weapon: A munition or device specifically designed to cause death or other harm through toxic properties of the chemicals contained in it, such as mustard gas and nerve gas.

Cruise missile: Guided missile, the major portion of whose flight path to its target is conducted at approximately constant velocity; depends on the dynamic reaction of air for lift and upon propulsion forces to balance drag.

Drone: A land, sea, or air vehicle that is remotely or automatically controlled.

Howitzer: A cannon. The howitzer delivers projectiles with medium velocities, either by low or high trajectories.

Mortar: A muzzle-loading cannon. It usually has a shorter range than a howitzer

Precision-guided munitions: A weapon which detects electromagnetic energy reflected from a target or reference point and is then guided to the target by a control system.

Radiological weapon: A weapon designed to carry and release radioactive contamination, without a nuclear explosion.

Small arms: Man portable, individual weapon systems used mainly against personnel and lightly armored or unarmored equipment. Rifles and grenades are examples.

Weapons of mass destruction: Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:

Air sovereignty: A nation's inherent right to exercise absolute control and authority over the airspace above its territory.

Armistice: In international law, a suspension or temporary cessation of hostilities by agreement between belligerent powers.

Unilateral measure: A course of action taken by a nation without any compensating concession being required of other nations.

OTHER:

Stealth: A mix of materials and technologies designed to reduce the ability of the opposition to detect, track and attack an aircraft or warship. Examples of U.S. warplanes using stealth technology are the F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft, the B-2 Spirit bomber, and the F-22 Raptor fighter.

CENTCOM: U.S. Central Command. Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, CENTCOM is one of nine groups which have operational control of U.S. combat forces. CENTCOM's area of responsibility stretches from the Horn of Africa to Central Asia.

Propaganda: Any form of communication in support of national objectives designed to influence the opinions, emotions, attitudes, or behavior of any group in order to benefit the sponsor.

Source: U.S. Department of Defense