Military to Civilian Thesaurus
The following terms are organized by service, and only intended for civilian (non-government) resumes. This listing is also intended to be inclusive of the National Guard and Merchant Marines. It draws from the DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms and related references from the respective services.
This list is intended only to suggest possible translations. Please use it as a guide. It is not intended to indicate mandatory translations or suggest applicability in all instances. The user must interpolate appropriate application given the specific nature of that individual’s unique circumstances. A ‘one size fits all’ approach does not apply to resumes.
Finally, this list admittedly only scratches the surface when it comes to military terminology. Please provide additional suggestions via the form at the bottom of this page.
Legend: (adj) = adjective (adv) = adverb (n) = noun (v) = verb
Military Term | Translated Civilian Term |
---|---|
About face | Turn around |
Action Officer | Analyst |
Aide-de-camp | Executive assistant |
All hands | Everyone in the organization |
Armorer | Weapons specialist |
Asymmetric | Dissimilar |
Aviator | Pilot |
Barracks | Living quarters |
Basic load | Initial allocation |
Billet | Role or job |
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front) | Main Point |
Budgeting and programming | Budgeting |
Buffer zone | Safety zone |
Bulk cargo | Cargo |
Bulk petroleum product | Petroleum |
Bulk storage | Storage |
Chain of command | Organizational hierarchy |
Chief | Principal |
Civil | Civilian |
Civilian vendors | Suppliers |
Class I | Food |
Class II | Clothing |
Class III | Fuel |
Class IV | Construction materials |
Class IX | Repair parts |
Class V | Ammunition |
Class VIII | Medical items |
Combat or war | Conflict |
Combat load | Required allocation |
Combat power | Disruptive force |
Combat service support | Sustainment |
Combat support | Assistance |
Combatant command | Major division (of the enterprise) |
Combined arms | Integrated |
Command (n) | Organization |
Command (v) | Direct or order |
Command and control | Authority and direction |
Command authority | Authority |
Command structure | Hierarchy |
Commander, Commanding Officer | Supervisor, leader, chief operations officer |
Commander’s estimate | Assessment |
Commander’s intent | Purpose |
Common item | Equipment |
Concept of operations | Plan |
Contingency operations | Operations |
Course of action | Plan or option |
Cover | Headgear or protection |
Dependents | Spouse and/or children |
Deploy | Move |
Direct support | Support |
Displaced person | Evacuee or refugee |
Drop zone | Landing area |
Dummy | Decoy |
Economy of force | Efficient distribution |
Electronic reconnaissance | Reconnaissance |
Employment (v) | Use |
Essential task | Task |
Explosive ordnance disposal | Ordnance disposal |
External audience | Public |
Females | Women |
Fire support | Weapon support |
Fires | Weapons |
Fixed wing aircraft | Plane |
Force management | Organization management |
Force structure | Organizational structure |
Forward area | Near combat zone |
General support | Support |
Higher headquarters | Leadership |
High-payoff target | Critical target |
Honor graduate | Valedictorian |
Human intelligence | Intelligence |
Implied task | Task |
Instructor | Facilitator, professor, teacher |
Interorganizational cooperation | Cooperation |
Joint (adj) | Coordinated or multi-service |
J-1 | Personnel |
J-2 | Intelligence |
J-3 | Operations |
J-4 | Logistics |
J-5 | Business plans |
J-6 | Communications |
J-7 | Engineering |
J-8 | Financial management |
J-9 | Public Affairs |
Lock it up | Be quiet |
Males | Men |
Materiel | Equipment |
Medical treatment facility | Hospital or clinic |
Message (v) | Communicate |
Meteorological and oceanographic environment | Global environment |
Military equipment | Equipment |
Military Experience | Professional Experience |
Military Sealift Command | Transportation organization |
Military van | Container |
Mission | Task or duty |
Mission-oriented protective posture gear | Protective equipment |
Morale, welfare, and recreation | Recreation |
Mutual support | Support |
No-strike list | Protected objects |
Non-commissioned officer (NCO) | Manager, supervisor |
Officer of the deck | Designated supervisor |
Officer-in-charge (OIC) / Non-commissioned Officer-in-charge (NCOIC) | Supervisor |
Operation | Action or activity |
Operation [Code Name], Task Force [Code Name] | Military operation, exercise |
Operation order | Directive |
Operation plan | Plan |
Operational control | Control |
Operational environment | Conditions or circumstances |
Operational readiness | Capability |
Operations security | Security |
Order of battle | Disposition |
Outcompete | Beat |
Partner nation | Ally |
Pass-in-review | Military parade |
Permanent Change of Station (PCS) | Relocation |
Plans Officer | Operational Planner |
Positive control | Control |
Precision-guided munition | Smart weapon or laser-guided weapon |
Priority intelligence requirement | Information need |
Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) | Vehicle or car or truck |
Program Objective Memorandum (POM) | Budget allocation |
Rack | Bunk, Bed |
Reconnaissance | Data collection, analysis |
Red team (n) | Competitive intelligence team |
Red team (v) | Contingency planning |
Regulations | Guidance, policies, instructions |
Rotary wing aircraft | Helicopter |
Scheme of maneuver | Plan |
Serial | Group |
Service members | Employees, staff, personnel |
Situation report | Update |
Spearheaded | Led, enabled, directed, ran, controlled, managed, initiated |
Special operations | Covert operations |
Specified task | Task |
Spot report | Report |
Staging | Assembling |
Stovepipe | Silo, hierarchical organizational structure |
Subordinates | Employees, staff |
Synchronization | Coordination |
Theater of operations | Operational area |
Temporary Duty (TDY) | Business Travel |
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) | Military law |
Unit | Organization |
Unity of command | Single authority |
Warning order | Warning |
v/r | Respectfully, Very respectfully |
Weapon system | Weapon or equipment |
Winning hearts and minds | Social sentiment analysis, branding, stakeholder analysis |
Submit Thesaurus Recommendation
See: “Joint Publication 1-02, DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms,” Defense Technical Information Center, July 2017, accessed August 5, 2017, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/new_pubs/dictionary.pdf.
See: “ADRP 1-02 TERMS AND MILITARY SYMBOLS,” HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, September 2013, accessed August 5, 2017, http://usacac.army.mil/sites/default/files/misc/doctrine/CDG/cdg_resources/manuals/adrp/adrp1_02.pdf.
See: “Marine Corps Supplement to the Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms; MCRP 1-10.2,” US Marine Corps, August 19, 2013, accessed November 2, 2017, http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCRP%201-10.2%20(Formerly%20MCRP%205-12C).pdf?ver=2016-06-23-085133-250.
See: “NAVY SUPPLEMENT TO THE DOD DICTIONARY OF MILITARY AND ASSOCIATED TERMS NTRP 1-02,” Defense Technical Information Center, June 2012, accessed August 5, 2017, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf&AD=ADA562336.
See: “AIR FORCE SUPPLEMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE DICTIONARY OF MILITARY AND ASSOCIATED TERMS, Air Force Doctrine Document 1-02 Change 1,” LeMay Center for Doctrine Development and Education, January 6, 2012, accessed August 5, 2017, https://fas.org/irp/doddir/usaf/afdd1-2.pdf.
See: “Glossary of Bridge Terms,” US Coast Guard, accessed August 5, 2017, http://www.dco.uscg.mil/Portals/9/DCO%20Documents/5pw/Office%20of%20Bridge%20Programs/GLOSSARY.pdf. See also: “List of Commonly Used Coast Guard Acronyms,” United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Ninth Coast Guard District – Central Region, June 2005, accessed August 19, 2017, http://www.central.districtnine.org/docs/AcronymsList.pdf. See also: “US Coast Guard Publication 1: Doctrine for the US Coast Guard,” US Coast Guard, February 2014, 95-99, accessed August 20, 2017, http://www.overview.uscg.mil/Portals/6/Documents/PDF/CGPub_1-0_Doctrine.pdf?ver=2016-10-20-094949-363.