Private Wars

Article Five

Referring to NATO signatories; Article Five declares that an attack against any one of the member nations is an attack against all of the signatories; further, that member nations shall, in the instance of such attack, render assistance and aid to fellow members.

BOX

Used to refer to the Security Services, more commonly known as MI-5 (U.K.)

C

Head of SIS; also Chief of Service

CAO

Cultural Affairs Officer

CENTCOM

United States Central Command, oversees U.S. security interests in 25 Middle Eastern and Arab nations

Chancery

The principal office of an Embassy, housing the Ambassador’s office

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency (U.S.)

CIS

Confederacy of Independent States

COB

“Close of Business”

COM

Chief of Mission (U.S. State Department); generally refers to the Ambassador

conops

Concept of Operations—official document describing parameters and goals assigned to a prospective operation, and securing necessary permissions to pursue the undertaking

COS

Chief of Station (CIA)

CQC

Close Quarters Combat

D

Deputy Secretary of State (U.S.)

D-Int

Director of Operations (SIS); sometimes Director Intelligence

D-Ops

Director of Operations (SIS); sometimes Director Operations

DC

Deputy Chief of Service (SIS); also Deputy Chief

DCM

Deputy Chief of Mission (U.S. State Department)

DOO

Duty Operations Officer

DPM

Deputy Prime Minister, DPMs plural

EIJ

Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Al-Jihad al-Islami; founded late 1970s, merged with al- Qaeda in June 2001. Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri one of its founders.

FCO

Foreign and Commonwealth Office (U.K.)

FSB

Forward Support Base (U.K. Military)

FSO

Foreign Service Officer (also FO); indicates a career State Department Officer (U.S. State Department)

GSPC

Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et la Combat (The Salafist Group for Call and Combat); violent religious extremist group based in Algeria

GWOT

Global War on Terror

Hizb-ut-Tahir

The Islamic Party of Liberation, a banned Uzbek opposition party seeking greater religious freedom in Uzbekistan

HOS

Head of Station; also Station Number One (SIS)

IMU

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan; terrorist organization with ties to al-Qaeda, responsible for terror attacks in Uzbekistan. Often confused with Hizb-ut-Tahir

JI

Jemaah Islamiyah (Islamic Community); extremist terror organization operating in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. Has ties to al-Qaeda.

JIC

Joint Intelligence Committee (U.K.)

LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas

LS

Landing site

MANPAD

Man-portable air defense system; a surface-to-air missile capable of being launched by a lone individual

MCO

Mission Control Officer (SIS); Ops Room post responsible for oversight of actual mission execution; also Main Communications Officer (SIS); responsible for recording and coordinating communications between the Ops Room and the field

Mission

Generic term used interchangeably with “post” or “embassy,” referring to the entirety of the official representation made to a host country (U.S. State Department)

MOD

Ministry of Defense (U.K.)

NCTC

National Center for Counterterrorism (U.S.)

NVG

Night-vision goggles

PA

Personal Assistant