evolution or decision that should require absolutely no significant intellectual capabilities beyond that of a paramecium.
Nomex Fire-resistant fabric used to make 'shirts.' See shirts.
NSA National Security Agency. Primarily responsible for evaluating electronic intercepts and sensitive intelligence.
OOD Officer of the Day, in charge of the safe handling and maneuvering of the ship. Supervises the conning officer and other underway watchstanders. Ashore, the OOD may be responsible for a shore station after normal working hours.
operations specialist Formerly radar operators, back in the old days.
Enlisted technician who operates combat detection, tracking, and engagement systems, except for sonar. Abbreviated OS.
OTH Over the horizon, usually used to refer to shooting something you can't see. Targeting data may be provided to the shooter by an aircraft, satellite, or ground forces in the area.
P-3s Shore-based antisubmarine warfare and surface surveillance long-range aircraft. The closest you can get to being in the Air Force while still being in the Navy.
Phoenix Long-range antiair missile carried by U.S. fighters.
Pipeline Navy term used to describe a series of training commands, schools, or necessary education for a particular speciality. The fighter pipeline, for example, includes Basic Flight then fighter training at the RAG (Replacement Air Group), a training squadron.
punching out Ejecting from an aircraft.
purple shirts See shirts.
PXO Prospective Executive Officer-the officer ordered into a command as the relief for the current XO. In most squadrons, the XO eventually 'fleets up' to become the commanding officer of the squadron, an excellent system that maintains continuity within an operational command ? and a system the surface Navy does not use.
rack A bed. A rack-monster is a sailor who sports pillow burns and spends entirely too much time asleep while his or her shipmates are working.
red shirts See shirts.
RHIP Rank Hath Its Privileges. See collar count.
RIO Radar Intercept Officer. See NFO.
RTB Return to base.
S-3 Command and control aircraft sold to the Navy as an antisubmarine aircraft. Good at that, too. Within the last several years, redesignated as 'sea control' aircraft, with individual squadrons referred to as torpedo-bombers. Ah, the search for a mission goes on.
But still a damned fine aircraft.
SAM Surface-to-Air Missile (e. g., the Standard missile fired by most cruisers). Also indicates a land-based site.
SAR Sea-Air Rescue.
SCIF Specifically Compartmented Information. Onboard a carrier, used to designate the highly classified compartment immediately next to TFCC.
Seawolf Newest version of Navy fast-attack submarine.
SERE Survival, Evasion, Rescue, Escape; required school in pipeline for aviators.
shirts Color-coded Nomex pullovers used by flight deck and aviation personnel for rapid identification of a sailors job. Green maintenance technicians. Brown plane captains. White safety and medical. Red ordnance. Purple fuel. Yellow flight deck supervisors and handlers.
shoe A black shoe, slang for a surface sailor or officer. Modernly, hard to say since the day that brown shoes were authorized for wear by black shoes. No one knows why. Wing envy is the best guess.
Sidewinder Short-range IR-guided antiair missile carried by U.S. fighters.
Sierra A subsurface contact.
sonobuoys Acoustic listening devices dropped in the water by ASW or USW aircraft.
Sparrow Medium-range radar-guided antiair missile carried by U.S. fighters.
Spetznaz The Russian version of SEALS, although the term encompasses a number of different specialties.
spooks Slang for intelligence officers and enlisted sailors working in highly classified areas.
SUBLANT Administrative command of all Atlantic submarine forces. On the west coast, SUBPAC.
sweet When used in reference to a sonobuoy, indicates that the buoy is functioning properly, although not necessarily holding any contacts.
When used in reference to bug juice served on the mess decks, it's redundant.
TACCO Tactical Control Officer The NFO in an S-3.
tactical circuit A term used in these books that encompasses a wide range of actual circuits used onboard a carrier. There are a variety of CR circuits (coordination and reporting), and occasionally for simplicity sake and to avoid classified material, I just use the word tactical.
tanked, tanker Navy aircraft have the ability to refuel from a tanker, either Air Force or Navy, while airborne. One of the most terrifying routine evolutions a pilot performs.
TAO Tactical Action Officer. A watch officer with complete authority to fight the ship, including authority to release weapons without consulting the captain of the ship.
TFCC Tactical Flag Command Carrier. A compartment in flag spaces from which the CVBG controls the battle. Located immediately forward of the carrier's CDC.
Tombstone Nickname given to Magruder.
Top Gun Advanced fighter training command.
Undersea Warfare Commander In a CVBG, normally the DESRON embarked on the carrier. Formerly called the ASW commander.
VDL Video Downlink. Transmission of targeting data from an aircraft to a submarine with OTH capabilities.
VF-95 Fighter squadron assigned to Air Wing 14, normally embarked on USS Jefferson. The first two letters of a squadron designation reflect the type of aircraft flown. VF = fighters. VFA = Hornets. VS = S-3, etc.
Victor Aging Russian fast-attack submarine, still a potent threat.
VS-29 S-3 squadron assigned to Air Wing 14, embarked on USS Jefferson.
The VS-29 Vikings were the first S-3 squadron to transition to the S-3B, known as the B bird. Best squadron around.
VX-1 Test pilot squadron that develops envelopes after Pax River evaluates aerodynamic characteristics of new aircraft. See envelope.
white shirt See shirts. wilco Short for Will Comply. Used only by the aviator in command of the mission.
Winchester In aviation, means out of weapons. A Winchester aircraft must normally RTB.
XO Executive Officer, the second in command.
yellow shirt See shirts.
