List of U.S. Navy acronyms and expressions

Look up Appendix:U.S. Navy slang in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The U.S. Navy, like any bureaucratic organization, produces its own acronyms, which often come to have meaning beyond their bare expansions. Servicemembers sometimes refer to this as NAVSpeak. Like other organizational slang, its use often creates or reinforces a sense of esprit and closeness within the organization.

Official acronyms

For a comprehensive list of unit organizations in the US Navy, see List of units of the United States Navy.

• 3M - Maintenance and Material Management (3M System)
• 3MC - Maintenance Material Management Coordinator

A

• AAW - Anti-aircraft warfare
• AFFF - Aqueous fire fighting foam
• AIMD - Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (or Detachment)
• AOW - Auxilliaryman of the Watch
• AUTEC - Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center
• ASAU - Air Search and Attack Unit
• ASUW - Anti-surface warfare
• ASW - Anti-submarine warfare
• ASWO - Anti-Submarine Warfare Officers
• ASW - Auxiliary SeaWater system
• AUXO - Auxiliaries Officer
• AWOL - Absent without official leave^[1]

B

• BB - Battleship
• BMOW - Boatswain's Mate of the Watch
• BUMED - Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
• BUPERS - Bureau of Naval Personnel

C

• CA - Heavy Cruiser (outdated)
• CAG - Guided Missile Heavy Cruiser (outdated)
• CAG - Carrier Air Group (outdated, see CVW) (CAG is still used as a nickname for the Air Wing Commander, and DCAG for his/her Deputy Commander.)
• CAGMO - Carrier Air Wing Maintenance Officer
• CAP - Combat Air Patrol
• CICO - Combat Information Center Officer
• CARBATGRU - CARrier BATtle GRoUp (see CVBG)
• CB - Construction Battalion (pronounced Seabees)
• C4I - Command Control Communications Computers & Intelligence
• CG - Guided Missile Cruiser
• CGN - Nuclear Powered Guided Missile Cruiser
• CHENG - CHief ENGineer (pronounced "Chang")
• CIC - Combat Information Center
• CICO - Combat Information Center Officer (pronounced "Sikko")
• CINC - Commander in Chief (President of the United States)
• CINCLANTFLT - Commander-In-Chief, us atLANTic FLeeT (see COMLANTFLT)
• CINCPACFLT - Commander-In-Chief, us PACific FLeeT (see COMPACFLT)
• CINCUSNAVEUR - Commander-In-Chief, US NAVal forces EURope
• CIWS - Close-In Weapons System (pronounced sea-whiz)
• CL Light Cruiser
• CLG Guided Missile Light Cruiser
• CLGN Nuclear powered Guided Missile Light Cruiser
• CMC - Command Master Chief
• CMDMC - Command Master Chief
• CNATT(U) - Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (Unit)
• CNET - Chief of Naval Education and Training
• CNO - Chief of Naval Operations
• CO - Commanding Officer^[1]
• COB - Chief Of the Boat (traditionally found only on submarines). Can also be used for "close of business."
• COMLANTFLT - COMmander, u.s. atLANTic FLeeT (see CINCLANTFLT)
• COMEX - Commence Exercise
• COMMO - COMMunications Officer
• COMNAVAIRFOR - COMmander, NAVal AIR FORces
• COMNAVAIRLANT - COMmander, NAVal AIR forces, atLANTic
• COMNAVAIRPAC - COMmander, NAVal AIR forces, PACific
• COMNAVSEASYSCOM - COMmander, NAValy SEA SYStems COMmand
• COMNAVSECGRU - COMmander, NAVal SECurity GRoUp
• COMPACFLT - COMmander, PACific FLeeT (formerly CINCPACFLT)
• COMPTUEX - COMPosite Training Unit EXercise
• COMSEC - COMmunications SECurity
• COMSUBLANT - COMmander, SUBmarine force AtLANTtic
• COMSUBPAC - COMmander, SUBmarine force PAcific
• CPO - Chief Petty Officer
• CQ - Carrier Qualification
• CTG - Coolant Turbine Generator
• CV - Aircraft Carrier (outdated)
• CVN - Aircraft Carrier, Nuclear Powered
• CZ - Aircraft Carrier (Lighter-than-air) (No longer in use)

D

• DD - Destroyer
• DDG - Guided Missile Destroyer
• DDR - Radar Picket Destroyer
• DE - Destroyer Escort
• DL - Destroyer Leader
• DLGN - Nuclear powered Guided Missile Destroyer Leader
• DESDIV - DESstroyer DIVision
• DEVGRU - Naval Special Warfare DEVelopment GRoUp
• CRUDESRON - CRUiser DEStroyer squadRON
• CVBG - Carrier Battle Group (V comes from ship designation CV/CVN)
• CVW - Carrier air Wing (V from carrier's CV designation)
• DAPA - Drug and Alcohol Programs Advisor
• DCA - Damage Control Assistant
• DCO - Direct Commission Officer
• DCAG - Deputy Air Wing Commander (see CAG)
• DCC - Damage Control Central
• DESRON - DEStroyer squadRON
• DIRNSA - DIRector of the National Security Agency
• DM - Destroyer Minelayer
• DOD - Department Of Defense
• DON - Department Of the Navy

E

• EAOS - End of Active Obligated Service
• ECMO - Electronic CounterMeasures Operators
• EDO - Engineering Duty Officer
• EOOW - Engineering Offier Of the Watch
• ERS - Engineroom Supervisor
• EWS - Engineering Watch Supervisor

F

• FAC - Forward Air Controller
• FAC/A - Forward Air Controller/Airborne
• FDO - Flight Deck Officer
• F/MC - Fleet (or Force) Master Chief
• FOD - Foreign Object Damage (Debris and Detection also used in some cases)
• FRS - Fleet Replacement Squadron (Formerly RAG)
• FTN - Forget The Navy (Polite Form)

I

• IMF - Intermediate Maintenance Facility

J

• JAG - Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy
• JBD - Jet Blast Deflector (carriers)
• JTF - Joint Task Force
• JTFEX - Joint Task Force Exercise
• FSO - Food Service Officer

L

• LCPO - Leading Chief Petty Officer
• LDO - Limited Duty Officer
• LES - Leave and Earnings Statement
• LPO - Leading Petty Officer
• LSO - Landing Signal Officer

M

• MCPO - Master Chief Petty Officer
• MCPON (pronounced "Mick Pon") - Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
• MPA - Main Propulsion Assistant
• MO - (pronounced "Moe") Maintenance Officer
• MM - Machinist's Mate
• MSW - Main Seawater System

N

• NAVAIR - Naval Air Systems Command
• NAWCAD - Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division
• NAVCOMP - Comptroller of the Navy
• NAVEDTRA - Chief of Navy Education and Training
• NAVFLIGHTDEMRON - Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels)
• NAVMAT - Naval Material Command
• NAVMILPERSCOM - Navy Military Personnel Command
• NAVSEA - Naval Sea Systems Command
• NAVSECGRUACT - Naval Security Group Activity
• NAVSUP - Naval Supply Systems Command
• NAVTRA - Chief of Naval Training
• NAWCWD - Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (now Pacific Missile Test Center)
• NBSD - Naval Base San Diego
• NCDU - Navy Combat Demolition Unit
• NCTAMS - Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station
• NCTS - Naval Computer Telecommunications Station
• NeL - Navy eLearning
• NEX - Navy Exchange
• NFO - Naval Flight Officer / Normal Fuel Oil
• NKO - Navy Knowledge Online
• NMCI - Navy/Marine Corps Intranet
• NNSY - Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• NROTC - Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps
• NJROTC - Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
• NSAWC - Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
• SSES - Ships Signal Exploitation Space
• NSGA - Naval Security Group Activity
• NSWG - Naval Special Warfare Group
• NSWC - Naval Surface Warfare Center
• NUWC - Naval Undersea Warfare Center

O

• OCS - Officer Candidate School, located at Naval Station Newport
• OOD - Officer of the Deck
• OPSO - Operations officer
• OPNAV - Office of the Chief of Naval Operations

P

• POD - Plan of the Day
• POW - Plan of the Week
• PSNS and IMF - Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility
• PWD - Public Works Department

R

• RAG - Replacement Air Group, now known as Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS)
• RIO - Radar Intercept Officer
• RL - Restricted Line Officer
• RT - Radiotelephone (voice radio)
• RTC - Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois

S

• SAG - Surface Action Group
• SAM - Surface-to-air missile^[1]
• SAU - Search and Attack Unit
• SCAT - Small Craft Attack Team
• SEALs - United States Navy SEALs (stands for SEa, Air, Land)
• SECDEF - United States Secretary of Defense
• SECNAV - United States Secretary of the Navy
• SCBA - Self-contained breathing apparatus
• SCPO - Senior Chief Petty Officer
• SCW - Seabee Combat Warfare Specialist insignia
• SICLOS - Shift Inspect Clean Lube Oil Strainers
• SLBM - Submarine-launched ballistic missile
• SOPA - Senior Officer Present Afloat
• SOP(A) - Senior Officer Present (Ashore)
• SPAWAR - Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command
• SRW - Shutdown Roving Watch
• SS - Submarine or submersible ship
• SSBN (Boomers) - Hull classification symbol for ballistic missile submarine. The SS denotes submarine, the B denotes ballistic missiles, and the N denotes nuclear-powered.
• SSGN - Hull classification symbol for cruise missile submarine. The SS denotes submarine, the G denotes guided missile, and the N denotes nuclear-powered.
• SSN - Hull classification symbol for general-purpose fast attack submarines. The SS denotes submarine, while N denotes nuclear-powered.
• SSTG - Ships Service Turbine Generator
• STREAM - Standard Tension REplenishment Alongside Method
• SUBRON - SUBmarine squadRON
• SWO - Surface Warfare Officer

T

• TE - Task Element
• TF - Task Force
• TG - Task Group
• TU - Task Unit

U

• UA - Unauthorized absence, equivalent to Army absent without leave
• UAS - Unmanned Aerial System
• UAV - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
• UCMJ - Uniform Code of Military Justice
• UDT - Underwater Demolition Team
• UNREP - Underway replenishment
• UNMC - United States Marine Corps, organized under the United States Department of the Navy)
• USN - United States Navy
• URL - Unrestricted line officer
• USNA - United States Naval Academy (Annapolis)
• UWT - Underwater telephone

V

• VERTREP - Vertical replenishment
• VCNO - Vice Chief of Naval Operations
• VAQ - Fixed Wing Electronic Warfare Squadron
• VAW - Fixed Wing Early Warning Squadron
• VFA - Fixed Wing Fighter Attack Squadron
• VP - Fixed Wing Patrol Squadron
• VTU - Volunteer Training Unit

W

• WSO (Wizzo) - Weapon Systems Operator/Naval Flight Officer

X

• XO - Executive officer

See also

United States Navy portal

• List of acronyms
• List of government and military acronyms
• List of U.S. Marine Corps acronyms and expressions
• List of U.S. Army acronyms and expressions
• List of U.S. Air Force acronyms and expressions
• Glossary of nautical terms

Notes and references

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Navy Acronyms and Navy Abbreviations