Everyone in the IZ speaks in letters rather than words.

A/C – Aircraft
AA – Anti-Aircraft
ABN – Airborne
ACCO – Anti Corruption Coordination Office
ACE – Air Combat Element
ACR – Armored Cavalry Regiment
ADA – Air Defense Artillery
AEW – Air Expeditionary Wing
AFP – Agence France-Presse
AFV – Armored Fighting Vehicle
AI – Ansar al-Islam
AIF – Anti-Iraqi Forces
ANSAC – Anbar Salvation Council (Dulaimi Tribal Leaders Union)
AO – Area of Operations
AOI – Area of Interest
AOR – Area of Responsibility
AP – Anti-Personnel; – Armor Piercing – Associated Press
AQ – Al Qaeda
AQIZ – Al Qaeda in Iraq
AQIZAM – Al Qaeda in Iraq Associated Movements
ARCENT – US Army Forces; US Central Command
AAS – Ansar al-Sunna
ARSC – Area Reconstruction Support Center
ASG – Area Support Group
ASR – Auxiliary Supply Route
ASSLT – Assault
AT – Anti-Tank

BCT – Brigade Combat Team
BDA – Battle Damage Assessment
BDE – Brigade
BIAP – Baghdad International Airport
BN – Battalion
BOLO – Be on the Lookout
BSP – Baghdad Security Plan

CA – Civil Affairs
CAC – Central Access Control (similar to ECP); – Common Access Card (DoD identification card)
CAS – Close Air Support
CASEVAC – Casualty Evacuation
CAV – Cavalry
CCIR – Commander’s Critical Information Requirements
CDR – Commander
CENTRIX – Combined Enterprise Regional Exchange System
CEXC – Combined Explosives Exploitation Cell
CFC – Combined Forces Command
CFLCC – Combined Forces Land Component Command
CG – Commanding General
CINU – Coalition for Iraq National Unity
CIRM – Collective Iraqi Revolutionaries Movement
C/JOA – Combined Joint Operations Area
CJSOTF-AP – Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula
CJTF – Combined Joint Task Force
CLA – United States, State Department, Bureau of Constitutional and Legal Affairs
CLC – Concerned Local Citizens
CLP – Combat Logistics Patrol
CM – Countermeasures
CMATT – Coalition Military Assistance Training Team
CMOC – Civil Military Operations Command
COIN – Counter-insurgency Operations
COMSEC – Council of Ministers Secretariat
CONUS – Continental US
COP – Combat Outpost – Chief of Party
CoR (also CR, ICR, IRC) – Council of Representatives (at present the only house of Parliament)
CP – Checkpoint
CPA – Coalition Provisional Authority (2003-2004)
CPATT – Coalition Police Assistance Training Team
CRSC – Command Reconstruction Support Center
CWIED – Command Wire IED

DBE – Department of Border Enforcement
DBIED – Deep-Buried Improvised Explosive Device
DBS – Drive-by Shooting
DDR – Disarm Demobilize and Reintegration
DIV – Division
DF – Direct Fire
DLA – Defense Logistics Agency
DoD – US Department of Defense
DoJ – US Department of Justice
DoS – US Department of State
DRL – United States, State Department, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

ECP – Entry Control Point
EEI – Essential Elements of Information
EFP – Explosively Formed Projectile (IED)
EOD – Explosive Ordinance Disposal

FDO – Foreign Disclosure Office
FOB – Forward Operating Base
FORSCOM – US Army Forces Command
FOUO – For Official Use Only
FP – Firing Point
FPCON – Force Protection Condition
FPS – Facility Protection Service
FRAGO – Fragmentation Order
FRE – Former Regime Elements
FRL – Former Regime Loyalists

GJPI – Global Justice Project: Iraq
GOI – Government of Iraq
GPS – Global Positioning System
GR – Grid Reference
GRC – Gulf Region Central
GRD – Gulf Region Division
GRN – Gulf Region North
GRS – Gulf Region South
GSW – Gun Shot Wound

HE – High Explosive
HEAT – High Explosive Anti-Tank
HET – Heavy Equipment Transporter
HF – High Frequency
HG – Hand Grenade
HJC – Higher Judicial Council
HLZ – Helicopter Landing Zone
HME – Home Made Explosive
HMMWV – Highly Mobile Multi Wheeled Vehicle (Humvee)
HPT – High Payoff Target
HQ – Headquarters
HUMINT – Human Intelligence
HVT – High Value Target

IA – Iraqi Army
IAI – Islamic Army of Iraq (AIF)
IBP – Iraqi Border Police
ICDC – Iraqi Civil Defense Corps
ICJI – International Committee on Judicial Independence
ICMP – International Commission on Missing Persons
ICRC – International Committee of the Red Cross
ID – Infantry Division
IDF – Indirect fire
IDP – Internally displaced person
IECI – Independent Electoral Commission in Iraq
IED – Improvised Explosive Device
IFES – International Foundation for Election Systems
IFRC – International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent
IFV – Infantry Fighting Vehicle
IG – Inspector General
IGC – Iraqi Governing Council (2003-2004)
IH-CAP – Iraq Higher Judicial Council-Court Administration Project
IHEC – Independent High Electoral Commission
IHRLI – International Human Rights Law Institute
IIF – Iraqi Interdiction Forces (Iraqi Special Forces)
IILHR – Iraqi Institute for Law and Human Rights
IIP – Iraqi Islamic Party
IIRL – International Institute for the Rule of Law
INC – Iraqi National Council – Iraqi National Congress
INF – Infantry
ING – Iraqi National Guard
INIS – Iraqi National Intelligence Service
INL – Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, US State Department – Iraqi National List
INTSUM – Intelligence Summary
IO – Intelligence Officer
IP – Iraqi Police
IPB – Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield
IPS – Iraqi Police Service
IRC – Iraqi Rail Company
IREX – International Research & Exchanges Board
IRGC – Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
IRL – Improvised Rocket Launcher
IRMO – Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office
ISI – Islamic State of Iraq
ISF – Iraqi Security Forces (police and military)
IVO – In the Vicinity Of
IVCP – Illegal Vehicle Checkpoint
IZ – International (‘Green’) Zone

JALEA – Justice and Law Enforcement Assistance Program (part of INL)
JAM – Jaish al-Mahdi (Mahdi Militia/Mahdi Army)
JASG – Joint Area Support Group
JCCI/A – Joint Contracting Command Iraq/Afghanistan
JEDI – Judicial Education and Development Institute (part of INL)

KBR – Kellogg-Brown and Root
KDP – Kurdish Democratic Party
KIA – Killed in Action (military personnel)
KIU – Kurdish Islamic Union

LAV – Light Armored Vehicle
LIMDIS – Limited Distribution
LMCC – Logistics Movement Coordination Cell
LN – Local National
LP/OP – Listening Post/Observation Post
LRCT – Long Range Cordless Telephone
LSA – Logistic Support Area
LSAA – Logistic Support Area Anaconda
LZ – Landing Zone

MA – Mujahedin Army
MAM – Military-aged Male
MANPAD – Man Portable Air Defense System
MARCENT – US Marines Central Command
MAS – Muqtada al-Sadr
MEDEVAC – Medical Evacuation
MEF – Marine Expeditionary Force
MEU – Marine Expeditionary Unit
MiTT – Military Transition Team
MLRS – Multiple Launch Rocket System
MM – Mahdi Militia (aka JAM)
MNCI – Multi-National Corps-Iraq
MND – Multi-National Division
MNFI – Multi-National Forces-Iraq
MNSTCI – Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq
MO – Modus Operandi
MOC – Ministry of Culture
MOD – Ministry of Defense
MOE – Ministry of Electricity
MOF – Ministry of Finance
MOH – Ministry of Health
MOHR – Ministry of Human Rights
MOI – Ministry of Interior
MOJ – Ministry of Justice
MOT – Ministry of Transportation
MOUT – Military Operations in Urban Terrain
MP – Member of Parliament (government); Military Police (Military)
MSC – Mujahedin Shura Council (Sunni Insurgency); – Major Subordinate Command (US Military)
MSR – Main Supply Route

NEC – New Embassy Compound
NGO – Non Governmental Organisation
NROC – National Reconstruction Operations Center
NSTR – Nothing Significant to Report

OFDA – U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster and Assistance

OIF – Operation Iraqi Freedom
OMS – Office of the Martyr al-Sadr
OOB – Out of Bounds
OP – Observation Post
OPCON – Operational Control
OPF – Oil Protection Forces (ISF unit subordinate to Ministry of Oil)
OPORD – Operations Order
OSD – Office of the Secretary of Defense

PAO – Public Affairs Office
PB – Patrol Base
PBIED – Pedestrian Bourne IED (vest or belt suicide bomb)
PID – Positive Identification
PIR – Priority Intelligence Requirements
PKK – Kurdistan Worker’s Party
POB – Public Order Battalion (ISF)
POC – Point of Contact
POGAR – Programme on Governance in the Arab Region (UNDP, RBAS))
POI – Point of Impact
POO – Point of Origin
PRT – Provincial Reconstruction Team
PSAF – Precision SAF (sniper-like attacks)
PSC – Private Security Company
PSD – Personal Security Detail
PUK – Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
PX – Post Exchange (a shop for people with the right badges)

QJBR – Qa’idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn (Al Qaida’s “Organization of Jihad Base in the Country of the Two Rivers”)
QRF – Quick Reaction Force

RBAS – Regional Bureau for Arab States (UNDP)
RCIED – Radio Controlled IED
RFI – Request for Information
RLT – Reconstruction Liaison Team
RIP – Relief in Place
ROC – Reconstruction Operations Center
ROE – Rules of Engagement
RPG – Rocket Propelled Grenade (i.e. Russian RPG-7a, Chinese Type 69)
RROC – Regional Reconstruction Operation Center

SAF – Small Arms Fire
SAFIRE – Surface-to-Air Fire
SAM – Surface-to-Air Missile (i.e. SA-7, Stinger Missile)
SBCT – Stryker Brigade Combat Team
SBF – Special Border Force
SCIRI – Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (a moderate Shi’a political
party)
SET – Security Escort Team
SIR – Serious Incident Report
SITREP – Situation Report
SOTF – Special Operations Task Force
SOI – Sons of Iraq
SOFA – State of Forces Agreement 17 Nov 2008
SPiTT – Special Police Transition Teams
SROC – Satellite Reconstruction Operations Center
SSM – Surface-to-Surface Missile
SVBIED – Suicide Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device
SVEST – Suicide Vest
SVIED – Suicide Vest Improvised Explosive Device
SWAT – Special Weapons and Tactics (police)

TBD – To Be Determined
TCP – Traffic Control Point – Temporary Checkpoint
TCN – Third Country National
TF – Task Force
TLB – Top London Barrister
TTP – Tactics, Techniques and Procedures
TWJ – Tawhid Wal Jihad (Monotheism and Holy-War; AMZ’s oganization went by this name before QJBR)

UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
UBE – Unknown Bulk Explosive
UNAMI – United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq
UNDP – United Nations Development Programme
UNODC – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNGC – United Nations Project Office on Governance
UNMOVIC – United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
USAID – US Agency for International Development
USG – United States Government
USIP – United States Institute for Peace
UVIED – Under Vehicle Improvised Explosive Device
UXO – Unexploded Ordinance

VBIED – Vehicle Borne IED (suicide car bomb)
VCIED – Vehicle Concealed IED (no driver or passengers, abandoned vehicle)
VOIED – Victim Operated IED
VRN – Vehicle Registration Number

WARNO – Warning Order
WMD – Weapons of Mass Destruction
WIA – Wounded in Action (military)