Canadian Military Terminology
An ongoing, regularly-updated list of terms and slang used by the Canadian Military.
- AAR – after action review
- AK – AK-47, Kalashnikov, automatic rifle
- ANA – Afghan National Army
- arid – (or tans) sandy coloured camouflage, boots etc. for desert environment
- AWOL – absent without leave
- backfills – troops brought over in small numbers mid-tour to replace soldiers going on leave.
- BATs – Big Ass Tents, huge canvas barracks
- bird – helicopter (air force or army), a satellite (to a signaler)
- black cadillacs – standard issue black army boots
- blue rocket – blue coloured portable toilet
- CADPAT – CAnadian Disruptive PATtern – digital camouflage pattern
- CMTC – Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre
- Col. – Colonel
- CO – Commanding Officer
- comms – communications
- cooker – celebration, sometimes a bbq
- Coy. – company
- Cpl. – Corporal
- Cpt. – Captain
- DAGged – (from Deployment Assistant Group), getting documents, inoculations, last will and testament, banking etc. in order for deployment
- dip – chewing tobacco
- dog – refers to the type meat served at dinner at KAF (not literally, just a commonly held opinion)
- Ex – military exercises
- F18s – fighter jets
- flying kitchen – mobile kitchen
- FOB – forward operating base
- haybox – meal delivered in the field
- IED – improvised explosive device
- IMP – Individual Meal Plan (rations)
- ISAF – International Security Assistance Force
- jack up – to reprimand someone
- KAF – Kandahar Air Field
- LAV – light armoured vehicle
- leaguer – ring formation of vehicles
- Lt. – Lieutenant (pronounced “luftenant”)
- Lt.-Col. – Lieutenant Colonel
- Maj. – Major
- matériel – hardware, equipment
- MCpl. – Master Corporal
- MNVGs – monocular night vision goggles
- MP – military police
- Mr. Pen – the name given soldiers by Afghan children because soldiers give out much prized pens
- no duff – from military exercise, means the situation is real and not ex. e.g., a no duff injury is a real medical emergency vrs. a simulated training injury
- Op – military operation
- OPSEC – operational security
- PTSD – post traumatic stress disorder
- net – radio network
- outside the wire – outside the fortress
- ramp ceremony – part of repatriation ceremony of the dead
- rats – rations
- recce – reconnaissance
- roto – rotation, where entire battlegroup takes over
- RPG – rocket propelled grenade
- sapper – combat engineer
- Sgt. – Sergeant
- Sgt. Maj. – Sergeant Major
- tans – (or arid) colour of camouflage, boots etc. for desert environment
- temperates – (temperate woodland) forest coloured camouflage, boots etc. for temporate enviroment
- TIC – Troops In Contact, synonym for firefight
- VSA – vital signs absent, dead
- W.O. – Warrant Officer
- WOG – WithOut Guns, derogatory term for non-combat personnel
For more Canadian military terminology see:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Canadian_military_slang
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/4_7.asp?keywords=canadian
http://army.ca/words/?function=showall