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Glossary

Command/location abbreviations and titles

  • AFMED: Allied Forces Mediterranean (NATO)
  • AFSOUTH: Allied Forces Southern Europe (NATO)
  • ALUSNA: American Litigation, U.S. Naval Attache
  • AIG: Address Indicating Group
  • AMCON: American Consulate
  • AMCONSULT: American Consulate
  • AMEG: Aeromedical Evacuation Group
  • AMEMBASSY: American Embassy
  • BUMED: Bureau of Naval Medicine
  • BUPERS: Bureau of Naval Personnel
  • CHINFO: Chief of Naval Information
  • CHMAAG: Chief, Military Assistance Group
  • CINCAFMED: Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Mediterranean (NATO)
  • CINCLANT: Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic
  • CINCLANTFLT: Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet
  • CINCMEAFSA: Commander-in-Chief, Middle East, Africa, and South Asia
  • CINCSOUTH: Commander-in-Chief, Allied Forces Southern Europe (NATO)
  • CINCSTRIKE: Commander-in-Chief, Strike Command
  • CINCUSAFE: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Air Force Europe
  • CINCUSAREUR: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Army Europe
  • CINCUSNAVEUR: Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces Europe
  • CMC: Commandant Marine Corps
  • CNO: Chief of Naval Operations
  • COMCARDIV: Commander, Carrier Division
  • COMCRUDESLANT: Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Force Atlantic
  • COMDESRON: Commander, Destroyer Squadron
  • COMEIGHT: Commandant, Eight Naval District, New Orleans, LA
  • COMELEVEN: Commandant, Eleventh Naval District, San Diego, CA
  • COMFAIRMED: Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean
  • COMFIVE: Commandant, Fifth Naval District, Norfolk, VA
  • COMFOUR: Commandant, Fourth Naval District, Philadelphia, PA
  • COMIDEASTFOR: Commander, Middle East Force
  • COMONE: Commandant, First Naval District, Boston, MA
  • COMNAVDIST WASHDC: Commandant, Naval District, Washington, D.C.
  • COMNAVSOUTH: Commader, Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe (NATO)
  • COMNINE: Commandant, Ninth Naval District, Great Lakes, IL
  • COMSERVFORSIXTHFLT: Commander, Service Force Sixth Fleet
  • COMSERVLANT: Commander, Service Force Atlantic
  • COMSERVRON: Commander, Service Squadron
  • COMSIX: Commandant, Sixth Naval District, Charleston, SC
  • COMSIXTHFLT: Commander, Sixth Fleet
  • COMTHREE: Commandant, Third Naval District, New York, NY
  • CTF: Commander, Task Force
  • CTF 60: Sixth Fleet Carrier Strike Force
  • CTF 61: Sixth Fleet Amphibious Assault Force
  • CTF 62: Sixth Fleet Marine Expeditionary Force
  • CTF 63: Sixth Fleet Service Force
  • CTF 67: Sixth Fleet Land-Based Maritime Patrol Force
  • CTG: Commander, Task Group (a sub-component of any task force)
  • CTU: Commander, Task Unit (a sub-component of any task group)
  • DCA: Defense Communications Agency
  • DIA: Defense Intelligence Agency
  • DIRNAVSECGRU: Director, Naval Security Group
  • DIRNSA: Director, National Security Agency
  • DIRNSG: Director, Naval Security Group
  • DOS: Department of State
  • DTG: Date-Time-Group
  • EUCOM: European Command (short designation for USCINCEUR)
  • FPO: Fleet Post Office
  • HAFMED: Headquarters, Allied foreces Mediterranean (NATO)
  • JCS: Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • JRC: Joint Reconnaissance Center (part of JCS with representation in other major commands)
  • MRO: Movement Report Office
  • NAF: Naval Aviation Facility
  • NALCOEURREP: Naval Aviation Logistics Control Office European Representative
  • NAVCOMMSTA: Naval Communication Station
  • NAVEUR: Naval Forces Europe (short designation for CINCUSNAVEUR)
  • NAVFINCEN CLEVE: Naval Finance Center, Cleveland, Ohio
  • NAVSCIENTECHINTELCEN: Naval Scientific and Technical Intelligence Center
  • NAVSECGRUACT: Naval Security Group Activity
  • NAVSECSTA: Naval Security Station
  • NAVSHIPSSYSCOM: Naval Ships System Command
  • NAVSOUTH: Allied Naval Forces Southern Europe (NATO)
  • NAVSTA: Naval Station
  • NAVSTA ANNA: Naval Station Anacostia
  • NAVSUPPACT: Naval Support Activity
  • NCS: Naval Communication Station
  • NFOIO: Naval Field Operational Intelligence Office
  • NLO: Navy Liaison Officer
  • NNSY: Norfolk Naval Ship Yard
  • NORVA: Norfolk, Virginia
  • NSA: National Security Agency or Naval Support Activity
  • NSG: Naval Security Group
  • OASD(PA): office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
  • OASD(ISA): office of Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Affairs)
  • OPA: unknown NSA designation/location
  • RPIO: Register Publication Issuing Office
  • SECDEF: Secretary of Defense
  • SECNAV: Secretary of the Navy
  • SECSTATE: Secretary of State
  • SENAV: senior naval aviator
  • STAHOSP: Station Hospital
  • TUSLOG: The United States Logistics Group
  • TUSLOG DET 28: Naval Security Group Activity, Karamursel AB, Izmit, Turkey
  • TUSLOG DET 115: most likely a DCA post located in Turkey
  • USAH LANDSTUHL: U.S. Army Hospital, Landstuhl, Germany
  • USASTRATCOMFAC: U.S. Army Stratosphere Communications Facility
  • USCINCEUR: U.S. Commander-in-Chief, Europe
  • USCINCMEAFSA: see CINCMEAFSA
  • USDAO: U.S. Defense Attache Office
  • USDOCOSOUTH: U.S. Documents officer, Allied Forces, Southern Europe (NATO)
  • USEUCOM: U.S. European Command (short for USCINCEUR)
  • USN-855: Designation of the Signals Intellignce unit assigned to USS Liberty
  • USNATREP: U.S. National Representative
  • USNAVRESTRACEN: U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center
  • USNRTC: U.S. Naval Reserve Training Center
  • USS: United States Ship
  • USS America: one of two aircraft carriers; flagship to Commander, Task Force 60 who also was Commander, Carrier Division 4 (as his permanent billet) as well as Commander, Task Group 60.1 when not operating with the second aircraft carrier
  • USS Atapaka: fleet tug assigned to signal intelligence duty
  • USS Davis: one of two destroyers sent to render aid to USS Liberty; flagship to Commander, Destroyer Squadron 12 and Commander, Task Group 60.5 (same individual)
  • USS Fred T. Berry: destroyer
  • USS Intrepid: aircraft carrier in transit to Southeast Asia via the Suez Canal
  • USS Liberty: intelligence-collector attacked by Israeli armed forces
  • USS Little Rock: guided missile cruiser and Sixth Fleet flagship
  • USS Massey: one of two destroyers sent to render aid to USS Liberty
  • USS Mattabesset: fleet oiler
  • USS Papago: fleet tug sent to render aid to USS Liberty
  • USS Saratoga: one of two aircraft carriers; operated as Task Group 60.2 when steaming independent of Task Force 60
  • USS Sylvania: fleet combat store ship
  • USS Tidewater: tender berthed at Soudha Bay, Crete

Message text abbreviations

  • ADDEE: addressee
  • ALCON: all concerned
  • ASAP: as soon as possible
  • ASD: Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • AUB: American University, Beirut
  • AUTHGRA: authority granted
  • BOM: by other means
  • (C): confidential (normally associated with a subject and/or paragraph)
  • CACP: casualty assistance calls program
  • CAMS: communication area master station
  • CAPT: captain
  • CFMD: Commander, Fleet Air Mediterranean
  • CHOP: change of operational control
  • CLNC: clearance
  • COD: carrier onboard delivery
  • COMINT: communications intelligence
  • CONUS: continental U.S.
  • CPA: closest point of approach
  • CUS: course
  • DC: damage control
  • DERLAUTH: direct liaison of authority
  • DIW: dead in water
  • DOD: Department of Defense
  • DR: dead reckoning
  • DTG: date-time-group (expression of date and GMT time combined as ddhhmmz mmm yy)
  • EFTO: encryption for transmission only
  • ENR: enroute
  • ETA: estimated time of arrival
  • FFT: for further transfer
  • FLO: Foreign Liaison Office
  • FONECON: telephone conversation
  • FONOFF: foreign office
  • FORAC: for action (shorthand for use with "take for action")
  • GOI: government of Israel
  • GOM: governament of Malta
  • GP-1: Group 1 (highest declassification schedule status)
  • GP-2: Group 2 (a declassification schedule status)
  • GP-3: Group 3 (a declassification schedule status)
  • GP-4: Group 4 (lowest declassification schedule status)
  • HF: high frequency
  • HI COM: High Command; non-secure HF voice net utilized by CINCUSNAVEUR and others
  • IAW: in accordance with
  • IDF: Israel Defense Force
  • KIA: killed in action
  • LIMDIS: limited distribution
  • MIDN: midshipmen
  • MOPIX: motion picture
  • MOVORD: movement orders
  • MOVREP: movement report
  • MWB: motor whale boat
  • NFC: Naval Finance Center
  • NIB: not-to interfere basis
  • NLT: no later than
  • NMN: no middle name
  • NOFORN: not for foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) dissemination
  • NOK: next of kin
  • NOTAL: not held by all addresses
  • O/A: on or about
  • OASD: office of Assistant Secretary of Defense
  • OBOE: pre-1957 phonetic word for letter O; replaced by OSCAR
  • OPCON: operational control
  • OPORD: operations order
  • ORESTES: code word for a devise allowing encrypted teletype communications
  • O/W: order wire
  • PA: public affairs
  • PARA: paragraph
  • PAO: public affairs office/officer/official
  • PASEP: passed separately
  • PAX: passenger
  • PHC: Chief Photographer's Mate (a Navy rating)
  • PHONCON: phone conversion
  • PIM: position/point of intended movement
  • PNOK: primary next of kin
  • PNT: patient
  • POLAD: political advisor
  • PUBS: publications
  • RADM: rear admiral
  • RDUV: rendezvous
  • RETEL: referenced telegram
  • REQ: request
  • REQD: required
  • RFS: ready for sea
  • RHN: Royal Hellenic Navy
  • RPT: repeat
  • (S): secret (normally associated with a subject and/or paragraph)
  • SAR: search and rescue
  • SFC: surface
  • SITREPS: situation reports
  • SKED: schedule
  • SNOK: secondary next of kin
  • SOA: speed of advance
  • SOPA: senior officer present afloat
  • TAD: temporary attached duty
  • TAV: tender availability
  • TELCON/TELECON: telephone/teletype conference/conversation
  • TEMADD: temporary attached duty
  • THISTA: this station
  • TOR: time of receipt
  • TOT: time of transmission
  • TRF: transfer
  • (TS): top secret (normally associated with a subject and/or paragraph)
  • (U): unclassified (normally associated with a subject and/or paragraph)
  • UAR: United Arab Republic (i.e., Egypt)
  • UNOADV: unless otherwise advised
  • UNODIR: unless otherwise directed
  • UNREP: underway replenishment
  • UNTSO: United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
  • USG: United States government
  • VADM: vice admiral
  • VIC: vicinity
  • VOCOM: voice communication (i.e. telephone usually)
  • WIRENOTE: inserted to differentiate a command-level message from a personal message

Voice callsigns

  • ATLAS: USS Intrepid
  • BELMONT: CINCUSNAVEUR
  • BIG DIPPER: USS Massey
  • BLUE CAT (or CAP): Naval Security Group Department, NCS Morocco
  • CACTUS PETE: NAVCOMMSTA Greece
  • COURAGE: USS America
  • DEPUTY: USS Fiske
  • DERAIL: CTF 60/CTG 60.1
  • EMPRESS DOROTHY: CTG 60.5
  • FANFARE: NAVCOMMSTA Morocco
  • FAST CHARGER: COMSIXTHFLT
  • GAYTIME GOLF: COMDESRON TWELVE
  • MATADOR: USS Davis
  • PAWNEE: NAVCOMMSTA Spain
  • ROCKSTAR: USS Liberty
  • SCHEMATIC: CTU 60.2.9 (embarked aboard USS Saratoga)
  • STEEL JAW: VAW-122 (E-2A squadron embarked in USS America)
  • TOP HAND: CNO

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