My writings involve a lot of abbreviations and acronyms. It’s a habit long ingrained from my service in America’s military and intelligence services, plus it’s a space-saver, particularly online.
However, I regularly get asked, “What the hell does XYZ stand for?” — it’s easy to forget that to normals it’s all an impenetrable alphabet soup — so here’s a list of some of the mysterious letter combinations you’ll frequently encounter here. Hope this helps!
AFRICOM = US Africa Command
ASD = Australian Signals Directorate (i.e. Oz’s NSA)
ASIO = Australian Security Intelligence Organization (i.e. domestic intelligence)
ASIS = Australian Secret Intelligence Service (Down Under’s UK SIS equivalent)
BfV = German Domestic Intelligence Service [1]
BLUF = Bottom Line Up Front
BND = German Federal Intelligence Service (their CIA + NSA) [2]
CENTCOM = US Central Command (i.e. the Pentagon’s Middle East HQ)
CI = Counterintelligence
CIA = Central Intelligence Agency (AKA Christians in Action)
COMSEC = Communications Security
CONUS = Continental United States
COS = Chief of Station (CIA)
CSEC = Communications Security Establishment Canada (i.e. their NSA)
CSIS = Canadian Security Intelligence Service (i.e. domestic intelligence)
CYBERCOM = US Cyber Command (its commander is dual-hatted as DIRNSA)
DEVGRU = US Naval Special Warfare Development Group (“SEAL Team SIX”)
DGSE = French Foreign Intelligence Service (their CIA + NSA) [3]
DGSI = French Domestic Intelligence Service [4]
DIA = Defense Intelligence Agency (AKA Do It Again)
DIRNSA = Director, NSA
DNI = Director of National Intelligence (USA)
DoD = Department of Defense (AKA The Pentagon, The Five Sided Funny Farm)
DoS = Department of State (AKA Foggy Bottom)
EUCOM = US European Command
FBI = Federal Bureau of Investigation (AKA The Bureau, The Feebs)
FCI = Foreign Counterintelligence
FIS = Foreign Intelligence Service
FSB = Russian Federal Security Service (i.e. domestic intelligence) [5]
FVEY = Five Eyes (i.e. the US+UK+CAN+AUS+NZ SIGINT Alliance)
GCHQ = Government Communications Headquarters (i.e. UK’s NSA)
GCSB = Government Communications Security Bureau (i.e. New Zealand’s NSA)
GRU = Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate (i.e. MI) [6]
HoIS = Hostile Intelligence Service
HMG = Her Majesty’s Government (UK)
HUMINT = Human Intelligence
IMINT = Imagery Intelligence
INFOSEC = Information Security
INR = Bureau of Intelligence & Research (DoS)
IRGC = Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (AKA Pasdaran)
JSOC = Joint Special Operations Command (the spooky part of SOCOM)
KGB = Soviet State Security Committee [7]
KOS = Yugoslav (Communist) Military Counterintelligence Service [8]
MFA = Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MI = Military Intelligence
MoD = Ministry of Defense
MOIS = Iranian Ministry of Intelligence & Security (AKA VEVAK)
NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NGA = National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
NIC = National Intelligence Council
NIO = National Intelligence Officer (the folks who mostly staff the NIC)
NOC = Non-Official Cover
NODISSEM = Not for Dissemination
NOFORN = Not for Dissemination to Foreigners
NRO = National Reconnaissance Office
NSA = National Security Agency (AKA No Such Agency)
NSOC = National Security Operations Center (NSA)
OCONUS = Outside CONUS
OFCO = Offensive Counterintelligence
PACOM = US Pacific Command
POTUS = President of the United States
RUMINT = Rumor Intelligence (i.e. information of dubious reliability)
SAD = CIA Special Activities Division (i.e. paramilitary ops)
SAP = Special Access Program
SCI = Sensitive Compartmented Information
SCIF = Sensitive Compartmented Information facility
SECDEF = Secretary of Defense
SECSTATE = Secretary of State
SIGINT = Signals Intelligence
SIS = UK Secret Intelligence Service (AKA MI6)
SITREP = Situation Report
SOCOM = US Special Operations Command
SOF = Special Operations Forces
SOUTHCOM = US Southern Command (i.e. the Pentagon’s Latin America HQ)
SPETSNAZ = Russian SOF, subordinate to GRU [9]
SSBI = Single Scope Background Investigation
SSO = Staff Security Officer
SVR = Russian Foreign Intelligence Service [10]
TAO = NSA Tailored Access Operations (i.e. NSA’s hacking org)
UDBA = Yugoslav (Communist) State Security [11]
USG = United States Government
BREAKOUTS
[1] Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz
[2] Bundesnachrichtendienst
[3] Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure
[4] Direction générale de la sécurité intérieure
[5] Федеральная служба безопасности
[6] Главное разведывательное управление
[7] Комитет государственной безопасности
[8] Kontraobaveštajna služba
[9] Derived from Войска специального назначения
[10] Служба внешней разведки
[11] Uprava državne bezbednosti
The XX Committee 