-
UA :
-
Unauthorized Absence; see AWOL, STRAGGLER, ROMPER; compare
DESERTER, TRAITOR, TURNCOAT. Also, designates Unassigned Area,
being those zones not actively covered by military elements,
having the lowest priority of responsibility; compare AO, TO,
AOR, MOA, OA, TAOR, CHOP LINE. Also, abbreviation for Uniform
Allowance.
-
UAV :
-
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, commonly called a DRONE or BOT, used
variously to observe or attack enemy movements or positions by
remote control; including PIONEER, PREDATOR, Pointer, Raven, FIRE
SCOUT, and the waterproof Aqua Puma.
-
UCGC :
-
Marine acronym for "Unit, Corps, God, Country" representing
worthwhile values; equivalent to official "Duty, Honor, Country".
The GI philosophy opposed to such noble altruism is "Me, Myself,
and I" or "Taking Care of Number One". See SEMPER FI, KEEP THE
FAITH, ESPRIT DE CORPS.
-
UCMJ :
-
Uniform Code of Military Justice; the laws governing conduct of
military personnel (and persons under military control), with
applicable penalties for violations, codified in 1951 (revised
1968) from former "Manual of Courts Martial", "Manual of Martial
Law", and "Articles of War" (the so-called laws of land / sea
warfare, or "jus belli"). MIL-PERS who committed civil crimes
were also subject to military punishment for related offenses
(eg: disorderly in town also earned an UA/AWOL charge).
Transgressions against "good order and discipline" are processed
by either an ARTICLE 15 (non-judicial punishment) or courts
martial (ie: general, special, summary). Although MIL-PERS are
exempt from the Fifth Amendment protection against self
incrimination, and the First Amendment right of free speech, they
are protected under ARTICLE 31 from the abuse of authority by
those of higher RANK. See CAPTAIN'S MAST, ROCKS 'n' SHOALS, BLUE
BOOK, OFFICE HOURS, JAG, PM, DRUMHEAD, PISO'S JUSTICE, ADY, DUTY
ROSTER, GI PARTY, SHIT LIST, DUE DILIGENCE, UA, AWOL, DESERTER,
TRAITOR, TREASON, TURNCOAT, RIOT ACT, MUTINEER, PETITION, SILENT
INSOLENCE, SOFA, FINDING, CHARGE, YELLOW SHEET, DEAD-TIME, BAD
TIME, FIRING SQUAD, TWIST IN THE WIND, BRIG, THE CASTLE,
STOCKADE, HOT HOUSE, CLUB FED, CROSSBAR HOTEL, CHL, STERILE,
BLOODY SHIRT, JUST WAR, CROSS THE RUBICON, HAGUE TRIBUNAL, LAWS
OF WAR, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE), WAR CRIMES TRIAL, ICC, IMT,
IMTFE, UNWCC, WAR POWERS ACT, POSSE COMITATUS, COMMANDEER, WE
DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' BADGES.
[v: mittimus; misfeasance; misprision; casus belli] [v: UCMJ Punitive Articles]
-
UD :
-
Undesirable Discharge, as for unsuitability; see SECTION EIGHT,
DISCHARGE. [nb: during the 19th century, a "bobtail" discharge
was slang for both a curtailed term of service, and for a
certificate with its character cutoff so as to obscure or conceal
the type of discharge ... always "other than honorable"]
-
UDT :
-
Underwater Demolitions Team, or Underwater Demolitions Training;
similar to Army EOD, this was the Navy specialty for explosives
and mines, which originated with WWII volunteers from the SEABEES
(Construction Battalion) engineers trained as FROGMEN for
Operation Torch into north Africa in the Spring of 1943. UDTs
were organized into "Navy Combat Demolition Units" and "Combat
Swimmer Reconnaissance Units"; the requirement for PARACHUTE
qualification was added later. UDTs were operational in both
Atlantic and Pacific regions during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. It
was still a skill rating, like DIVER qualifications, separate
from the rest of SEAL training throughout the Vietnam-era. In
1983, existing UDTs were re-designated as SEAL teams or as SEAL
Delivery Vehicle Teams, transferring the underwater demolition
and hydrographic reconnaissance missions to SEALs. The UDT badge
originated as a specialty rating worn as a sleeve insignia during
WWII, becoming a breast decoration after the KOREAN WAR,
initially partitioned silver for EM/NCO and gold for OFFICER,
being worn beside the SEAL "Trident" or a DIVER skill rating
badge during the VIETNAM WAR, and then was declared obsolete in
1975. The UDT badge forms the central motif of the U.S. Navy
Special Warfare Badge (BUDWEISER), which has superseded it.
Trainee FROGMEN are informally called TADPOLEs. See NCDU, BUDS,
DIVER, SCUBA, Q-COURSE; compare PUP, POLLYWOG. [nb: Vietnamese
term: Thuy Cong]
-
UFU :
-
literally Ultimate Fuck Up, or more euphemistically as "ultimate
foul up"; see FUCK-UP, FUCKED-UP, CLUSTER FUCK, WTFO, SOL,
BOHICA.
-
UGLY AMERICAN :
-
taken from the title of the popular 1958 novel by William Julius
Lederer (Eugene Burdick), being a stereotypically bumptious and
tactless character, in contrast to the "beautiful people" who
always have the "right" answers for everything. This archetypical
jingoist is perceived as careless of foreign traditions and
insensitive to the social values of an alien milieu ... cast as
the graceless beast who wrecks things in his narrow-minded
enthusiasm to help others. The UGLY AMERICAN's impatience is
interpreted as disrespect. What's omitted from these assessments,
and clearly depicted in the book, is the fact that the UGLY
AMERICAN is both naive and optimistic; so without his reckless
disregard for conventions, there would be little change and less
progress. The UGLY AMERICAN is therefore the essential catalyst
for international advancement, for technological improvement, and
for societal amelioration.
[nb: the UGLY AMERICAN is sometimes confused with the nihilistic
character in Graham Greene's existential novel "The Quiet
American", which is also set in Asia]
-
UHF :
-
UltraHigh Frequency; radio signal spectrum between 300 and 3000
megahertz (MHz). See RADIO WAVE, RADIO.
-
UITG-FANK :
-
U.S. Army Individual Training Group (FANK-UITG); see FANK
TRAINING COMMAND.
-
UMBRELLA :
-
overhead protection provided by Combat Air Patrol (CAP) flying
high-cover (HIGH 'n' DRY) "on station" in an oval RACETRACK or
circular ORBIT pattern in case of action. Also, an aerial
platform surveilling and supporting ground forces below station;
see CROW'S NEST, ABNCP, C&C, AWACS, VATLS.
-
U MINH FOREST :
-
forest area used as VC sanctuary; see HO BO WOODS, SEVEN
MOUNTAINS.
-
UN :
-
United Nations, also abbreviated "U.N.", being a worldwide
multinational organization, formed in 1945 for cooperation,
security, and peace, as the successor to the LEAGUE OF NATIONS;
situated on a 17-acre plot near Turtle Bay in New York City,
donated by John D. Rockefeller, and operating as a self-governing
community with diplomatic immunity. Compare COMMONWEALTH OF
NATIONS, NATO, G8, G10, G15, G20, G24, G77, ARAB LEAGUE, NAM,
ASEAN, SEATO, PENTALATERAL AGREEMENT, ANZUS, KANZUS, HAGUE
TRIBUNAL, LAWS OF WAR, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE), WAR CRIMES
TRIAL, NGO, QUANGO, GOCO, OGA, BELTWAY BANDIT [nb: initially
conceived as a superior assembly, with its flag flown above its
member nations, this "superiority" was amended during the KOREAN
WAR].
Also, the ALLY nations that signed a joint declaration in 1942
which pledged to employ their full resources against the Axis
powers [cf: dissolution date of the LEAGUE OF NATIONS].
-
UNC :
-
United Nations Command; used since 1950 for multinational
peacekeeping missions.
-
UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE :
-
formulated by W.K. Heisenberg during the Vietnam-era, it was
known by the WHIZ KIDS and other strategic consultants to have an
effect on security and surveillance methodologies. The Heisenberg
UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE essentially posits that the study of any
related phenomena (eg: position and momentum, energy and time)
alters their aspect; and further, that the observer is / becomes
a participating factor in the study. Observers tend to define
reality by the experimental delimitation of possibilities, such
as the paradox of Schrodinger's cat, and eliminating potential
alternatives. See McNAMARA LINE, LAW OF AVERAGES, BOYDLOOP, LEAST
RESISTANCE, PRINCIPLE OF LEAST FORCE, LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS,
LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
-
UNCLAS :
-
unclassified documents or other materials, usually designated as
white in color code, as in WHITE PAPER; see NEED TO KNOW, OPSEC,
EYES ONLY, FOUO, NOFORN, NEED TO KNOW, COMPARTMENTALIZATION.
-
UNCLE HO :
-
paternalistic NICKNAME for the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh
(1890-1969), meaning "bringer of enlightenment"; first used by Vo
Nguyen Giap, the designation of "uncle" in Asia denotes respect.
Ostensibly born as Nguyen Sinh Cung; other pseudonyms were
adopted at various stages of his political development, including
Nguyen Tat Thanh ("he who will succeed"), Nguyen Van Ba ("third
child" working as steward), Nguyen Ai Quoc ("The Patriot" pen
name), Tran Dan Tien ([auto]biographer), Ly Thuy (translator for
Mikhail Borodin), Comrade Vuong (recruiter), Mr Tran (travelr).
He recruited for the Vietnam Nationalist Movement (Vietnam Thanh
Nien), established the Vietnam Revolutionary Youth Association
(Cach Menh Dong Chi Hoi), and later founded the League for
Vietnam Independence (Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi), commonly
known as the VIET MINH, in May 1941 during the Indochina
Communist Party Plenum. UNCLE HO, being Soviet trained and
supported, emulated the tyrannical rule of his namesake, UNCLE
JOE Stalin, and whose political ambitions place him among the
most vicious executioners of history. Compare MOUSY DUNG, UNCLE
SAM.
-
UNCLE JOE :
-
paternalistic NICKNAME of Joseph V. Stalin, which was an alias
for Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, who was the premier of
communist Russia (USSR) from 1941-53; see BIG BROTHER, GULAG,
BRAINWASHING, POW, COLD WAR, FIFTH COLUMN; compare MOUSY DUNG,
UNCLE HO, UNCLE SAM.
[nb: "During the Viet Nam decade a whole American generation of
journalists and intellectuals unlearned the experience of
Stalinist society – its incomparable inefficiency; its
thick-headed, dogmatic compounding of error and miscalculation;
and, not least (so obvious in Eastern Europe and the U.S.S.R.),
its intolerable burden of a costly military machine superimposed
on an old-fashioned, hard-pressed, 'underdeveloped' economy." by
Robert Elegant, "How to Lose A War: The Press And Viet Nam" pp
73-90 in Encounter (vol LVII no 2, August 1981)]
-
UNCLE SAM :
-
by extension of the initials "U.S.", meaning United States, a
personification of the government or the people of the USA;
proposed as an official symbol in 1813; also called "Uncle Sugar"
or "Uncle Scam", and identified in the pre-Revolutionary era as
"Brother Jonathan" (v: Jonathan Trumbull), being equivalent to
"John Bull" of England. See YANKEE, POLITICIAN, PORK BARREL,
BELTWAY BANDIT, THE G, FOGGY BOTTOM, THE NATIONAL JOKE FACTORY,
ACT OF CONGRESS, UGLY AMERICAN, CIVILIAN; compare MOUSY DUNG,
UNCLE HO, UNCLE JOE.
-
UNDER LOCK 'n' KEY :
-
the protection of documents or other sensitive materials that are
placed in a secure container or other fastened location; this
idiomatic expression would probably be more clearly and
accurately represented as "under lock and latch" or "under lock
and bolt". See NEED TO KNOW, COMPARTMENTALIZATION, CLASSIFIED.
-
UNDER THE GUN :
-
an obligation to conform to a DEADLINE, to perform within rigid
restrictions, as of time or place or practice; being derived from
the death-threat implied by a pointing firearm.
-
UNDER THE RADAR :
-
informal expression referring to movement, maneuver, INFIL /
EXFIL, or operations conducted without detection, especially
CONTOUR FLYING down in the GRASS; although a primary referent for
technical surveillance, such usage is not exclusive, since it
also implies covert or clandestine acts, legal or extralegal,
that should not be detected, including BACK CHANNEL, BAMBOO
TELEGRAPH, RUMOR, BAYONET SHEET, CUMSHAW, BEGGING BOWL, SCROUNGE,
MIDNIGHT REQUISITION, SHADOW / SHADOW WARRIOR, HIDE, SHROUD, and
other underhanded practices.
-
UNIFORM :
-
an identifying outfit worn in a consistent style signifying
membership in a profession or organization; prescribed standard
attire that's varied only by individual or unit blazons; as
derived from "one mold" or "one sort". Such an invariable
ensemble exhibits the rank or status of the wearer while
representing an authoritative or trustworthy role. A "costume"
differs from a UNIFORM in that the wearer is not eligible or
qualified for membership, its wear is temporary or occasional,
and its intent is either fanciful or fraudulent. See DRESS;
compare MUFTI, PARTY SUIT, CIVVIES, FEATHERS, T-SHIRT, SKIVVIES.
Also, the word assigned to represent the letter "U" in the
international phonetic alphabet; at various times in different
spelling schemes, it has also been acrophonetically represented
as Unit and Uncle. See ALPHABET SOUP, PHONETIC ALPHABET. [v: Alphabet Codes &
Signal Flags]
-
UNIT CITATION :
-
an award or commendation presented to an entire unit for its
collective achievement or accomplishment, and remaining as a
distinctive honor in the unit's heraldic lineage; for those
MIL-PERS assigned or attached at the time of the award, the UNIT
CITATION becomes an individual decoration. See PUC, VUA, DUC,
MUC, JMUA, OUA, SUA, COG, STREAMER, GONG; compare IMPACT AWARD.
-
UNK :
-
abbreviation for UNKnown.
-
UNLIMBER :
-
to make ready for use or action, as to detach a gun from its
carrier, or to set a limbered gun into battery; compare LIMBER,
see IN-BATTERY, ARTY. Also, to prepare for action, as to unsling
or unshoulder infantry arms; see COMBAT LOADED, LOCK 'n' LOAD, OP
TEMPO, MISSION READY, GOOD TO GO, SADDLE-UP, MOVE OUT,
BATTAILOUS.
-
UNODIR :
-
UNless Otherwise DIRected, a contingent order. See OFF THE
RESERVATION, WIGGLE ROOM, VFR DIRECT, CHECKING THE DICTIONARY,
SCRIPTURES, ORDER, COMBAT EFFECTIVE.
-
UNPFK / UNPIK :
-
abbreviation for United Nations Partisan Forces Korea, or United
Nations Partisan Infantry Korea, being a unit comprised of
INDIGenous personnel with international military ADVISORs (US
personnel assigned under 8240th Army Unit and 8242nd Army Unit,
from February 1951 to February 1954) during the KOREAN WAR;
formerly known as Combined Command for Reconnaissance Activities
Korea (CCRAK). The covert techniques established by OSS, enhanced
by UNPFK and JACK, were inherited by SOG, and have since been
passed to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and US Special
Operations Command (USSOC). Compare MGF, MSF, MIKE FORCE; see
SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
-
UNWCC :
-
(u-n-w-c-c) United Nations War Crimes Commission for WWII; see
WAR CRIMES TRIAL, ICC, IMT, IMTFE, HAGUE TRIBUNAL, LAWS OF WAR,
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (ROE).
[nb: a similar body, the Commission on the Responsibility of the
Authors of the War and the Enforcement of Penalties, was setup
after WWI as a condition of the 1919 Versailles treaty, but the
accused were never brought to trial to answer charges]
-
UP CHECK :
-
formal clearance or approval by an Instructor Pilot (IP) or
flight supervisor for a student or PETER PILOT to continue a
course lesson or performance procedure, or to advance to the next
stage or sequence of training difficulty or aircraft complexity,
usually written as a RATING into a log or record book following a
CHECK RIDE. Compare NICKEL RIDE.
-
UP-CLOSE 'n' PERSONAL :
-
a euphemistic catch-phrase for intimate knowledge, thorough or
privileged, with particular reference to a familiarity with
"close combat"; stipulating the experience of chaotic combat more
than hand-to-hand battle or heroism. This slang phrase derives
from the titles of a series of popular (and often imitated)
pornographic magazines of the Vietnam-era that featured tightly
focused and extremely enlarged gynecologic images (often called
"beaver shots"). See STROKE BOOK, DOG 'n' PONY SHOW, CQB, AT
CLOSE QUARTERS, BEARD THE LION, DOGFIGHT, FIREFIGHT, GABRIEL, JAP
SLAPPER; compare BTDT, THE NAM.
-
UPHILL BATTLE :
-
a relentless or fatiguing difficulty, as of soldiers charging up
a slope; also known as an "uphill struggle". Based upon the fact,
more than simply conquering inertia, that dispossessing the
advantageous high ground from its entrenched occupation is
considered to be ten times harder than defending that same
position, whereas fighting on a "level playing field" is
considered mostly equivalent. See TOOTH AND NAIL, ALL'S FAIR IN
LOVE AND WAR. [nb: "My God, if we cannot hold the top of a hill
then we certainly cannot hold the bottom!" by George Gordon Meade
at Chancellorsville in 1863]
-
UP OR OUT :
-
catch-phrase representing the modern military practice of systems
management techniques which have replaced the old fashioned mode
of LOYALTY UP - LOYALTY DOWN and CREED oriented MIL-CRAFTmanship;
also called "musical chairs" or "round robin", with the objective
of exposing everyone to an idealized preparation for maximum
efficiency during each phase of their developmental promotion.
Under the now (supposedly) discredited "cadre system", the best
people were sought to fill their appropriate positions in the
hierarchy, offering both expertise and continuity to the
ever-changing external influences that mandate action. While
promotions for Enlisted Men (EM) and Non-commissioned Officers
(NCO) were relatively "local" at one time, they are now like
officer promotions, scheduled and approved at branch level, which
tends to place more emphasis on documentation than on personal
performance; making the phrasing of efficiency reports (EER, OER)
crucial. All servicemembers eligible for promotion are
simultaneously scheduled for review, resulting in FAST TRACK
individuals being promoted first ("above the zone"), then the
standard increase, and finally the last qualified ("below the
zone") ... each process reducing the competition by the fewer
number of available assignments, such that anyone promoted "below
the zone" will not be advanced in the next review cycle. While
purporting to benefit the military, this doctrine has actually
proved to be most beneficial to raw and ruthless ambition,
careless of secondary consequences and side-effects, creating
dissention and discouragement by their arrogant disregard of
subordinates, which has spawned a military correlative to the
cynical civilian maxim of "Don't trust anyone over 30!": "Don't
trust anyone above the rank of buck sergeant!" In the past, the
intercession of actual wars interfered with such pretty
management practices, requiring leaders to actually lead, instead
of posture, and troops to perform, instead of parade, but
technology has substituted for combat since the VIETNAM WAR, so
bureaucracy is now the rule under all conditions. See DUTY, HONOR
CODE, COMBAT EFFECTIVE, LPC, SHAKE 'n' BAKE, NCOA, SMA, OCS,
CADET, MISTER, RING-KNOCKER, TRADE SCHOOL, BOAT SCHOOL, HUDSON
HIGH, ROTC, BOOTSTRAP, NESEP, CONAP, ACASP, DEP, USAFI, SOC,
MILICRAT, HIGHER, TICKET-PUNCHER, VULCANIZE, FAST MOVER, BOOMER,
HOT SHOT, HARD CHARGER, GOLDEN BOY, BOY WONDER, DEEP DIP, KHAKI
MAFIA, BRASS HAT.
[nb: every MILICRAT knows that the most dangerous people in the
military are not HEROes, but are disgruntled MIL-PERS who are
frustrated by MICKEY MOUSE and CHICKEN SHIT, by SNOW and RED
TAPE, and having been passed over twice for promotion, are
serving their terminal assignment, and because they are honorable
men who have not STACKed ARMS, they know that there is nothing
that the TICKET-PUNCHERs and RING-KNOCKERs of the KHAKI MAFIA can
do to them!]
-
UPSHOT :
-
the conclusion or result, the final issue; the consequence,
outgrowth, aftereffect; this term originally meant the final shot
in an archery match, hence its figurative sense. Also, the gist
of an argument or thesis. See TRUCE, TREATY, PEACE, APPEASE,
NEUTRALIZE, DETENTE, ENTENTE, RAPPROCHEMENT, DEFEAT, DIKTAT,
CARTE BLANCHE, COUP D'ETAT, LAWS OF WAR, SABER-RATTLING,
GUNPOINT, WARNING SHOT, BLOODY SHIRT, JUST WAR, ALL'S FAIR IN
LOVE AND WAR, CROSS THE RUBICON, WAR, VICTORY.
-
UP THE HAWSEPIPE :
-
a Naval expression for learning the proper methods from the
bottom to the top, in imitation of the HAWSEPIPE channeling the
anchor chain; see OJT, trng, CROSS-TRAINING, MOS, MUSTANG.
[nb: until recently, an OFFICER was simultaneously designated a
"gentleman" when appointed by an ACT OF CONGRESS, which not only
inspired further intellectual development but also encouraged
cultural sophistication, which refinements were mocked as being
'suave and debonair' (deliberately mispronounced as "soo-wave"
and "dee-boner"); v: BRASS HAT, BLUE BLOOD, OFFICER'S COUNTRY,
TALLY-HO, TACT; cf: HARD-ASS, MACHO]
-
URBAN WARFARE :
-
also known as "urban combat" or "house-to-house fighting"; see
MOUT, FIBUA, BREACHER, STACK, MOUSE HOLE, HOUSEWARMING, KILL
HOUSE.
-
URGENCY :
-
a PSYOPS deception project developed from actual
PARADISE ISLAND contacts that simulated a maritime agent network
in NVN; see SOG.
-
URGENT FURY :
-
the multinational INCURSION on Grenada from 24 Oct to 3 Nov 1983
to intervene in political restoration, the protection of lives
and property after a breakdown of civil order, at the request of
the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States for this independent
island (since 1974) in the West Indies. The URGENT FURY operation
captured communist weapons and stores, evacuated 599 Americans
and 80 foreign nationals, rescued the Governor General held
hostage, and enabled the restoration of the constitution
(suspended 1979) and formation of a representative government at
a loss of 18 KIA and 116 WIA American casualties. The allied
force was almost double the size of its opposition, which
comprised Soviet, Cuban, North Korean, East German, Bulgarian,
Libyan, as well as Grenadian elements. This is probably the first
time that close air support (CAS) was obtained by a telephone
call from the battlefield that was placed to the parent unit in
the USA and relayed by satellite back to the operational area
when direct communication could not be established; such remote
linking for command and control of tactical assets became
commonplace during GULF WAR II. Compare SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR.
-
USA :
-
abbreviation for the United States of America, often shortened to
US, with or without periods; a constitutional republic formed in
North America by a revolutionary declaration of independence and
sustained by democratic representation, embodied in the national
motto "e pluribus unum" (Latin: out of many, one); see UNCLE SAM,
YANKEE, UGLY AMERICAN, THE G. Also, the conventional abbreviation
for the United States Army, but is properly designated as the
Army of the United States (AUS); which distinction was codified
in the 1920 National Defense Act. Vietnam-era RANKs: E-1 Private,
PVT; E-2 Private, PVT / Private First Class, PFC; E-3 Private
First Class, PFC / Lance Corporal, LCPL; E-4 Corporal, CPL /
Specialist 4th Class, SP4; E-5 Sergeant, SGT / Specialist 5th
Class, SP5; E-6 Staff Sergeant, SSG / Spec 6th Class, SP6; E-7
Sergeant First Class, SFC / Spec 7th Cl, SP7; E-8 Master Sergeant
MSG / First Sergeant, FSG; E-9 Sergeant Major, SGM / Command
Sergeant Major, CSGM; E-10 Sergeant Major of the Army, SMA; W-1
Warrant Officer 1st Class, WO1; W-2 Warrant Off 2nd Class, WO2;
W-3 Chief Warrant Off 3rd Class, CW3; W-4 Chief Warrant Off 4th
Class, CW4; W-5 Master Warrant Off, MW5; O-1 Second Lieutenant,
2LT; O-2 First Lieutenant, 1LT; O-3 Captain, CPT; O-4 Major, MAJ;
O-5 Lieutenant Colonel, LTC; O-6 Colonel, COL; O-7 Brigadier
General, BG; O-8 Major General, MG; O-9 Lieutenant Gen, LTG; O-10
General, GEN. Army officers: O-1 - O-3 = company grade; O-4 - O-6
= field grade; O-7 - O-10 = general. See DA, DOGFACE, GRUNT, GI.
-
USAAC :
-
the United States Army Air Corps was first established as the
United States Army Air Service in 1917, being so named on 2 July
1926 by an ACT OF CONGRESS, making the Army's aerial element
equivalent to the Navy's ground (Marine) element. Re-designated
the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 20 June 1941, it was
separated from the Army in September 1947 as a distinct branch:
the United States Air Force (USAF). Also, the new (1987)
designation for the Army's aviation branch, which is responsible
for organizing, training, equiping, and operating the light
aircraft assets and components for ground forces by providing
surveillance, transport, close air support (CAS), and evacuation
services. The Key West Agreement regulates the division of air
assets and their employment among the service branches, such that
the Army is precluded from operating jet aircraft, while neither
the Navy nor Air Force is prohibited from operating helicopters.
See USAF, BIRDMAN, ZOOMIE, FLYING TIGERS, "Flying Sergeants" at
OFFICER.
-
USAECV :
-
U.S. Army Engineer Command Vietnam.
-
USAF :
-
United States Air Force; established in 1947 from the U.S. Army
Air Force, and earlier Army Air Corps. Vietnam-era RANKs: E-1
Airman Basic, AB; E-2 Airman 3rd Class, A3C; E-3 Airman 2nd
Class, A2C; E-4 Airman 1st Class, A1C / Sergeant, Sgt; E-5 Staff
Sgt, SSgt; E-6 Technical Sgt, TSgt; E-7 Master Sgt, MSgt; E-8
Senior Master Sgt, SMSgt; E-9 Chief Master Sgt, CMSgt; W-1
Warrant Officer 1st Class, WO1; W-2 Warrant Off 2nd Class, WO2;
W-3 Chief Warrant Off 3rd Class, CWO3; W-4 Chief Warrant Off 4th
Class, CWO4; O-1 Second Lieutenant, 2Lt; O-2 First Lieutenant,
1Lt; O-3 Captain, Capt; O-4 Major, Maj; O-5 Lieutenant Colonel,
LtCol; O-6 Colonel, Col; O-7 Brigadier General, BGen; O-8 Major
General, MajGen; O-9 Lieutenant General, LtGen; O-10 General,
Gen. See USAAC, BIRDMAN, ZOOMIE, GI.
[nb: the USAF phased-out the Warrant Officer grades from 1959-91
to reduce management, improve flexibility, and concentrate
technical expertise]
-
USAFFE :
-
(u-safe) United States Army Forces in the Far East, a corps-sized
element organized 26 July 1941 in preparation for WWII, placing
all ground and air forces in the Far East under the command of
Douglas MacArthur, excepting the Asiatic Fleet of the U.S. Navy.
-
USAFI :
-
(yu-sah-fee) United States Armed Forces Institute, a vast program
of extension or correspondence courses offered for military
career development at education centers on worldwide bases and
posts under the auspices of participating accredited schools
(such as the University of Maryland, University of Omaha, etc).
In return for a further commitment, the military would grant
select NCOs and officers a (sabbatical) LEAVE of absence to
complete their studies on a full-time basis. The newer
Servicemember's Opportunity College (SOC) is where college
courses can be taken at posts around the world. See BOOTSTRAP,
RE-UP, CONAP, ACASP, DEP, NESEP, ROTC.
-
USAFSOC :
-
U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command; see AIR COMMANDO, PJ,
SOF, USSOC, SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
-
USAFTAWC :
-
United States Air Force Tactical Air Warfare Center; see RED
FLAG.
-
USAHAC :
-
United States Army Headquarters Area Command.
-
USAID :
-
abbreviation for U.S. Agency for International Development.
-
USAJFKSWC&S :
-
the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School,
or more commonly referred to as just the Special Warfare Center
and School (SWC&S / SWCS); being the complex of Special
Warfare, Psychological Warfare, and Civil Affairs schools at Fort
Bragg that were unified on 21 July 1983, redesignated from the
Institute for Military Assistance; it is sardonically called JOHN
WAYNE HIGH SCHOOL. See SFTG, PSYOPS, GABRIEL, SF; compare Joint
Special Operations University at USSOC, MSOS.
-
USAMRIID :
-
(yew-sam-rid) United States Army Medical Research Institute for
Infectious Diseases, being the military equivalent of the Centers
for Disease Control (CDC); see BONE CUTTER, SAWBONES, BAND-AID,
CHOP SHOP, HOSPITAL, FEST, AFIP, SGO.
[cf: Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS, 1951), which studied
polio, small pox, malaria, tuberculosis, etc, as part of the US
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)]
-
USAR :
-
United States Army Reserve; compare AUS, USA.
-
USARMYFMR :
-
U.S. Army Forces Military Region.
-
USARPAC :
-
United States Army, Pacific. See CINCUSARPAC.
-
USARV :
-
(yew-sarv or uze-ar-vee) United States ARmy Vietnam; established
20 July 1965. [nb: after Feb 1971, cover assignments for SOG
ADVISORs (TF1AE and TF2AE) were processed by USARV]
-
USASOC :
-
U.S. Army Special Operations Command; also represented as
"USARSOC", and formerly known as ARSOC. See SOCOM, USSOC, SPECIAL
OPERATIONS.
-
USASTRATCOM :
-
U.S. Army Strategic Communications Command; compare STRATCOM.
-
USATC :
-
U.S. Army Training Center, often particularized (eg: USATC-Arm or
USATC-Inf).
-
USCG :
-
United States Coast Guard, formerly a branch of the Department of
Transportation (DoT), since transferred into the sphere of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during peacetime, but
during wartime, at the direction of the president, is under the
jurisdiction of the U.S. Navy. The motto of the Coast Guard is
"Always Ready" (Semper Paratus), and its members are commonly
called COASTIES. The Coast Guard Academy at New London CT, which
was known as the "United States Revenue Cutter Service School of
Instruction" until 1915, is unlike the military service academies
in that it does not require congressional appointment. The RATING
system of the USCG was brought into conformity with the U.S. Navy
RANK structure during WWI. Compare MERCHANT MARINE; see USN,
TRADE SCHOOL, SPAR at SKIRT.
-
USDAO :
-
(U S D A O) US Defense Attaché Office, Department of
State; military ADVISORs to diplomats and Foreign Service
Officers (FSO). See DA, L&L, LO, ADV, CT, DIP CO; compare
KMAG, MAAG.
-
USDB :
-
United States Disciplinary Barracks, being the federal prison at
Fort Leavenworth Kansas, commonly known as "Leavenworth Prison"
or HOT HOUSE. Compare THE CASTLE; see BRIG, CROSSBAR HOTEL,
DEADLOCK, CHL, STOCKADE, DEADLINE, CLUB FED.
-
USGPO :
-
(U S G P O) US Government Printing Office, under the direction of
the Superintendent of Documents, responsible for publishing all
military forms, regulations, manuals, pamphlets, etc.
-
USGS :
-
(U S G S) United States Geological Survey, being the source for
public information on geophysics and topography under the aegis
of the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) program,
and in cooperation with NASA and NOAA. The resources for military
mapping were transferred in October 1996 to the National Imaging
and Mapping Agency (NIMA) due to downlink satellite profiles,
which was later renamed National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
(NGA); the unclassified public domain data [such as Digital
Terrain Elevation Data (DTED)] from Shuttle Radar Topography
Mapping (SRTM) missions has been passed to USGS for documentary
updating. See TOPO, MOSAIC MAP, MAP, COMICS, CHART, UTM, INS,
AIS, GPS, LORAN.
[nb: the Army Corps of Engineers was assigned the responsibility
for surveying America's borders and features in 1831, resulting
in a separate Topographic Corps in 1838]
-
USIA :
-
(U S I A) U.S. Information Agency, Department of State.
-
USIS :
-
(U S I S) U.S. Information Service; see DOS, compare VIS.
-
USJFCOM :
-
(yew-ess-jay-eff-kom) United States Joint Forces COMmand; see
KEYSTONE, CAPSTONE, PINNACLE.
-
USMA :
-
(yew-ess-em-ay) United States Military Academy, West Point, NY;
see HUDSON HIGH, CADET, TRADE SCHOOL, RING-KNOCKER.
-
USMACTHAI :
-
(yew-ess-mack-tie) United States Military Assistance Command
THAIland; also abbreviated as MACTHAI.
-
USMACV :
-
(yew-ess-mack-vee) United States Military Assistance Command
Vietnam; see MACV, COMUSMACV.
-
USMC :
-
United States Marine Corps; Naval infantry. Vietnam-era RANKs:
E-1 Private; E-2 Private First Class; E-3 Lance Corporal; E-4
Corporal; E-5 Sergeant; E-6 Staff Sergeant; E-7 Gunnery Sergeant;
E-8 First Sergeant / Master Sergeant; E-9 Sergeant Major / Master
Gunnery Sergeant; W-1 Warrant Officer 1st Class, WO1; W-2 Warrant
Off 2nd Class, WO2; W-3 Chief Warrant Off 3rd Class, CWO3; W-4
Chief Warrant Off 4th Class, CWO4; O-1 Second Lieutenant, 2Lt;
O-2 First Lieutenant, 1Lt; O-3 Captain, Capt; O-4 Major, Maj; O-5
Lieutenant Colonel, LtCol; O-6 Colonel, Col; O-7 Brigadier
General, BGen; O-8 Major General, MajGen; O-9 Lieutenant General,
LtGen; O-10 General, Gen. The USMC is also called "The Corps",
THE CROTCH, "Uncle Sam's Misguided Children", and "Unlimited Shit
and Mass Confusion"; the word Marine has been converted into an
acronym meaning: Muscles Are Required, Intelligence Not
Essential. See GUNNY, SNUFFY, GI (GIrine/GYRENE), RAIDER, FORCE
RECON, AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT, CHINA MARINE, SEAGOING MARINE,
JARHEAD, HORSE MARINE, MAMELUKE SWORD, TELL IT TO THE MARINES.
[nb: the doctrine of amphibious assault by waterborne forces was
developed by John Archer Lejeune (LTG USMC) after studying the
Gallipoli Peninsula landing in WWI, and this specialization
prevented the Marine Corps from being disbanded between the World
Wars; Marines then taught amphibious doctrine during 1941-2 to
soldiers of the Army's 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions at both New
River NC and Cape Henry VA in preparation for the North African
landing]
[nb: President Harry S. Truman planned to abolish the Marine
Corps after WWII because "the Navy does not need its own army",
but the Marines' conduct as a FIRE BRIGADE in the Pusan Perimeter
during the KOREAN WAR persuaded him that they should be retained;
however, the Supreme Allied Commander Douglas ("El Supremo")
MacArthur refused to approve a Presidential Unit Citation for the
Marines, saying that "they have enough medals", when every other
unit was so recognized]
-
USMM :
-
United States Merchant Marine; see MERCHANT MARINE; compare USMS,
COASTIES, USCG, USN, TRADE SCHOOL.
-
USMS :
-
(forthcoming); United States Maritime Service.
See MERCHANT MARINE, USMM; compare COASTIES, USCG, USN, TRADE
SCHOOL.
-
USN :
-
United States Navy. Vietnam-era RANKs: E-1 Seaman Recruit,
SR; E-2 Able Seaman, AS; E-3 Seaman, SN; E-4 Petty Officer 3rd
Class, PO3; E-5 Petty Off 2nd Class, PO2; E-6 Petty Off 1st Cl,
PO1; E-7 Chief Petty Officer, CPO; E-8 Senior Chief Petty
Officer, SCPO; E-9 Master Chief Petty Officer, MCPO; W-1 Warrant
Officer 1st Class, WO1; W-2 Warrant Off 2nd Class, WO2; W-3 Chief
Warrant Off 3rd Class, CWO3; W-4 Chief Warrant Off 4th Class,
CWO4; O-1 Ensign, ENS; O-2 Lieutenant Junior Grade, LTJG; O-3
Lieutenant, LT; O-4 Lieutenant Commander, LCDR; O-5 Commander,
CDR; O-6 Captain, CAPT; O-7 Rear Admiral Lower-Half, RADML; O-8
Rear Admiral Upper-Half, RADM; O-9 Vice Admiral, VADM; O-10
Admiral, ADM. Naval EMs/NCOs are properly addressed by their
specialty and rating (eg: Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class, BM2;
Gunner's Mate 1st Class, GM1; Hospitalman 3rd Class, HM3; Chief
Quartermaster, QMC; Aviation Machinist's Mate 2nd Class, AMM2;
etc) instead of their rank. Naval officers: O-1 - O-4 = junior
grade; O-5 - O-6 = senior grade; O-7 - O-10 = flag. See SWABBY,
SQUID, SAILOR, GI.
[nb: the U.S. Navy, established 1775, was disbanded from 1786 to
1794]
-
USNA :
-
(yew-ess-en-ay) United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD; see
BOAT SCHOOL, CADET, TRADE SCHOOL, RING-KNOCKER.
-
USO :
-
United Service Organization, established in February 1941 by an
interfaith movement to build morale by providing recreation and
entertainment to military servicemembers; formed as a coalition
from the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Young Women's
Christian Association (YWCA), National Catholic Community
Services, National Jewish Welfare Board, Traveler's Aid
Association, and the Salvation Army. See SALLY.
[nb: civilians go 'abroad' while soldiers go 'overseas']
-
USS :
-
abbreviation for United States Ship and United States Steamship;
see BOOMER, SUBMARINE, LANDING CRAFT, BOAT, WARSHIP [cf: Steam
Ship (SS), Motor Ship (MS)]. Also, abbreviation for United States
Senate; see ACT OF CONGRESS, THE NATIONAL JOKE FACTORY,
POLITICIAN.
-
USSF :
-
abbreviation for United States [Army] Special Forces, often
truncated to "SF"; the SF Regiment is organized into the U.S.
Army Special Forces Command (USASFC) under the U.S. Army Special
Operations Command (USASOC). See SPECIAL FORCES, SNEAKY PETE,
SNAKE-EATER, BLANKET HEAD, GREEN BERET, ELECTRIC BUTTERKNIFE, THE
GREEKS, A TEAM, DOOR KICKING, SOF, SPECIAL OPERATIONS.
[nb: The Rangers of World War II and Korea had been designed as
light-infantry shock troops; their mission was to hit hard, hit
fast, then get out so larger and more heavily armed units could
follow through. Special Forces, on the other hand, were designed
to spend months, even years, deep within hostile territory. They
would have to be self-sustaining, without extensive resupply from
the outside. They would have to speak the language and know the
customs of their target area.]
[nb: six A TEAMs or ODAs comprise a company (CO), three SF
Companies comprise a battalion (BN), and four SF Battalions
comprise a group (effective 2007); each active duty SF Group
specializes in the languages and cultures of a particular region
(ie: 1st SFGA in East Asia; 3rd SFGA in Africa, Mid-East, and
Central Asia; 5th SFGA in Mid-East and Central Asia; 7th SFGA in
South America; and 10th SFGA in Europe)]
-
USSOC :
-
United States Special Operations Command, sometimes abbreviated
as "USSOCOM", established by the Goldwater-Nichols Department of
Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 and the Nunn-Cohen Amendment
to the act in 1987; which interservice command includes the
Center for Special Operations (CSO), the Joint Task Force, the
Special Operations Joint Interagency Collaboration Center, and
the Joint Special Operations University. See SPECIAL OPERATIONS,
SOF, SMU, JSOC, SF, SEAL, FORCE RECON, RANGER, AIR COMMANDO;
compare SOCOM.
-
USSR :
-
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (cccp = SSSR), being a former
federal union of 15 constituent republics, in eastern Europe and
northern Asia, comprising the larger part of the earlier Russian
Empire: founded in 1917 and dissolved in 1991; also known as
"Soviet Union", and since organized as the Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS). See IVAN, BULLSHITVIK, BAD GUYS.
[nb: when President Ronald W. Reagan characterized the Soviet
Union as the "Evil Empire" in 1983, journalists immediately
associated it with the fictitious galactic power in the 1977 film
"Star Wars", but it was actually a reference to biblical
prophesies in Ezekiel; v: Gog and Magog]
-
USSS :
-
United States Secret Service; being a law enforcement agency of
the Treasury Department that was established (1860) to protect
American currency and securities, and to prevent counterfeiting;
its role was extended to executive protection after the
assassination of William McKinley (1901), and now includes
bodyguarding of presidents and vice presidents, presidents-elect
and vice presidents-elect, presidential candidates, former
presidents, their families, widows and dependent children. See
POTUS, VP, BODYGUARD, PDS, PSD, SHELL GAME, POLICE.
-
UTE :
-
Beechcraft U-21, U-22 aircraft.
-
UTI / UTC :
-
Universal Time International is the former designation for the
current Universal Time Coordinated, both of which are identical
to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or ZULU time; also called "universal
time". In response to rapid transportation, Congress enacted the
Standard Time Act in 1883, which became crucial for scheduling
during WWII. The Uniform Time Act was enacted in 1966 and amended
in 1986 to standardize Daylight Savings Time. The convention for
adopting GMT as the prime meridian was approved 1884. See TIME.
-
UTILITIES :
-
Marine term for FATIGUES, the work/combat uniform that bore a
stencil of the USMC emblem on the chest pocket. Compare MARPAT,
see DRESS.
-
UTILITY BUILDING :
-
a larger (40' X 100') version of the QUONSET HUT that evolved
over time, and could be adapted to tropical climates with the
addition of specialized components; more than 11,800 UTILITY
BUILDINGs were fabricated by the end of WWII. A single unit could
be erected by a team of ten unskilled men in 300 man-hours, and
could be shipped in twenty-three crates. This structure was
sometimes called ELEPHANT HUT. See DEPOT, GODOWN, STEELDROME,
BLDG, BILLET. [v: British Nissen hut]
-
UTM :
-
Universal Transverse Mercator, a naval navigation reference which
dispenses with latitude and longitude in favor of digital metric
coordinates that are accurate to within 100m; see DEAD-RECKONING,
"mercator projection", "rhumb line", compare GRID COORDINATES,
GRID LINES, INS, GPS, SRTM.
[nb: around AD 1000, the Chinese invented a 28 division star
chart based upon lunar movements around the polar axis; which was
later adopted by Europe]
-
UW :
-
(yew-w) Unconventional Warfare, also called "unorthodox warfare";
the use of military/PARAMILITARY, police, political, economic,
psychological, and civic actions (CA) by a government to defeat
subversion, insurgency, and terrorism in enemy-controlled or
politically sensitive areas. A broad spectrum of low-visibility
military and PARAMILITARY operations, normally of long duration,
predominantly conducted through, with, or by INDIGenous or
surrogate forces who are organized, trained, equipped, supported,
and directed in varying degrees by an external source. It
includes, but is not limited to, GUERRILLA WARFARE, subversion,
SABOTAGE, INTEL activities, escape and evasion (E&E), and
unconventional assisted recovery. See INSURGENT, GUERRILLA,
TERRORIST, COUNTERINSURGENCY, COUNTER-GUERRILLA, ANTI-TERRORISM,
PROVOCATEUR, IRREGULARS, CAP, SPECIAL OPERATIONS, SOF, STAY
BEHIND, DA, DOOR KICKING, FID, PSYOPS, CA, SF, SOF, SEAL,
ASYMMETRIC WARFARE GROUP, OSS, POSSE COMITATUS, CONSTABULARY.
[nb: Army Chief of Staff GEN George H. Decker was forcibly
retired for noting that the United States could not win a
conventional war in Southeast Asia (SEA); and, in a post-war
interview, GEN William C. Westmoreland confessed his ignorance of
the potential utility of special operations forces (SOF), so he
did not fully develop their VIETNAM WAR role]
Also, abbreviation for Urban Warfare; see MOUT, FIBUA,
HOUSEWARMING, MOUSE HOLE, KILL HOUSE.
-
UWT :
-
UnderWater Telephone, commonly known as GERTRUDE, being a
sound-powered wireless telephonic communication system of voice
or whistle signals that's used between submerged SUBMARINEs;
because sound travels faster in water (52mi/min) than in air
(12mi/min; 1mi/5sec; 1087ft/sec at sea level), this technique has
an insecure but clear utility ranging from 1,000-3,000 yards. See
TELEPHONE, compare RADIO, ELF, SONAR, ASDIC, MACH.
[nb: the velocity and distance that sound travels in either air
or water depends upon atmospheric pressure, medium temperature,
molecular density, and turbulence; such that under equivalent
conditions, sound moves faster in salt water than in fresh,
faster in fresh water than in air. The audible range of sound
wave frequencies for humans is 20 - 20,000 Hz; above which
ultrasonic waves may be felt, instead of heard.] [cf: ultrasound]
-
UXO :
-
(yew-ecks-oh) UneXploded Ordnance or Unexploded eXplosive
Ordnance, being live AMMO or other active MUNITIONS remaining on
the battlefield after combat that pose a hazard to noncombatants;
see EOD, DEACTIVATE, EXPLOSIVE.
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