The United States Navy, like any organization, produces its own acronyms and abbreviations, which often come to have meaning beyond their bare expansions. United States Navy personnel sometimes colloquially refer to these as NAVSpeak. Like other organizational colloquialisms, their 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 United States Navy, see List of units of the United States Navy.

#

  • 1MC – 1 Main Circuit, shipboard public address system
  • 2MC – 2 Main Circuit, same as 1MC, but limited to the engine room
  • 3M – Maintenance and Material Management (3M System)
  • 3MA – Maintenance and Material Management Assistant
  • 3MC – Maintenance and Material Management Coordinator
  • 3MI – Maintenance and Material Management Inspection
  • 5MC – 5 Main Circuit, Carrier Flight Deck address system
  • 27MC – Battle Stations Main Circuit: Control Room, Sonar Room, Radio Room, and Fire Control address system

A

  • A-STRIKE – Assistant STRIKE Operations Officer (Carrier Scheduler/Planner)
  • AA – Airman Apprentice (E-2)
  • AAW – Anti-Air Warfare
  • AB – Aviation Boatswain's Mate
  • AG – Aerographer's Mate
  • AR – Auxiliary, Repair, class/type of ship. A repair ship
  • AR – Airman Recruit (E-1)

B

  • B/N – Bombardier/Navigator; NFO in A-3B Skywarrior, A-5A Vigilante and A-6 Intruder attack aircraft (no longer used)
  • BAM – Bad Ass Marine ("Broad Ass Marine" if used in reference to a female)
  • BB – Battleship
  • BCD – Bad Conduct Discharge (also colloquially known as "Big Chicken Dinner")
  • BCGs – Birth Control Glasses
  • BCM – Beyond Capable Maintenance. Equipment status that indicates the item cannot be repaired and must be sent out for rework or disposed.
  • BEQ – Bachelor Enlisted Quarters
  • BESS – Basic Enlisted Submarine School
  • BJOQ – Blue Jacket of the Quarter
  • BJOY – Blue Jacket of the Year
  • BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front
  • BM – Boatswain's Mate
  • BT – Boiler Technician
  • BU – Builder
  • BUPERS – Bureau of Naval Personnel
  • BUSANDA – Bureau of Supplies and Accounts
  • BUWEPS – Bureau of Naval Weapons
  • BZ – Bravo Zulu (meaning well done)

C

  • CA – Construction Apprentice
  • COB – Chief of the Boat (traditionally found only on submarines; pronounced "cob"). Can also be used for "close of business" (pronounced "C-O-B").
  • COD – Carrier Onboard Delivery
  • COMCVW – Commander, Carrier Air Wing
  • COMDESGRU – Commander, Destroyer Group
  • COMDESRON – Commander, Destroyer Squadron
  • COMEX – Commence Exercise
  • COMLANTFLT – Commander, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
  • COMMO – Communications Officer
  • COMNAVAIRES – Commander, Naval Air Force, Reserve
  • COMNAVAIRFOR (also CNAF) – Commander, Naval Air Forces
  • COMNAVAIRLANT (also CNAL) – Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic
  • COMNAVAIRPAC – Commander, Naval Air Force Pacific
  • COMNAVRESFOR – Commander, Navy Reserve Forces
  • COMNAVSEASYSCOM – Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command
  • COMNAVSECGRU – Commander, Naval Security Group
  • COMPACFLT – Commander, Pacific Fleet (formerly CINCPACFLT)
  • COMPATRECONGRU – Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Group
  • COMPATRECONWING – Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing
  • COMPTUEX – Composite Training Unit Exercise
  • COMSEC – Communications Security
  • COMSUBFOR – Commander, Submarine Forces
  • COMSUBLANT – Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic
  • COMSUBPAC – Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet
  • COMTACGRU – Commander, Tactical Air Control Group
  • COMTRAWING – Commander, Training Air Wing
  • CORTRAMID – Career Orientation and Training for Midshipmen
  • COS (also CoS) – Flag Officer's Chief of Staff
  • CPO – Chief Petty Officer
  • CPOM – Chief Petty Officer's Mess
  • CR – Construction Recruit
  • CVW – Carrier Air Wing
  • CWO – Chief Warrant Officer

D

• D1-R – 3M periodicity code or a shower (slang for daily, once, or as required)

  • DAPA – Drug and Alcohol Programs Advisor
  • DC – Damage Controlman

E

  • EAOS – End of Active Obligated Service
  • EAWS – Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist
  • ECRC – Expeditionary Combat Readiness Center
  • EDMC – Engineering Department Master Chief (Submarines)
  • EDO – Engineering Duty Officer
  • EEBD – Emergency Escape Breathing Device
  • EIDWS – Enlisted Information Dominance Warfare Specialist
  • EISM-Electronic Information Security Manager
  • ELECTRO - Electrical Officer
  • EM – Electrician's Mate
  • HEDSUPPACTLANT – Headquarters, Support Activity Atlantic
  • HELO – Helicopter
  • HM – Hospital Corpsman
  • NAS – Naval Air Station
  • NAS JRB – Naval Air Station / Joint Reserve Base
  • NATOPS – Naval Air Training and Operational Procedure Standardization
  • NAVAIR – Naval Air Systems Command
  • NAVCOMP – Comptroller of the Navy
  • NAVEDTRA – Chief of Navy Education and Training
  • NAVFAC – Naval Facilities Engineering Command
  • 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
  • NAVSTA – Naval Station
  • NAVSUBASE – Naval Submarine Base
  • NAVSUP – Naval Supply Systems Command
  • NAVTRA – Chief of Naval Training
  • NAWCAD – Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division
  • NAWCWD – Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division (formerly Pacific Missile Test Center)
  • NBSD – Naval Base San Diego
  • NC – Navy Counselor
  • NCDU – Navy Combat Demolition Unit
  • NCF – Naval Construction Force (Seabees)
  • NCIS – Naval Criminal Investigative Service
  • NCM – Navy Commendation Medal
  • NCTAMS – Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station
  • NCTS – Naval Computer Telecommunications Station
  • NECC – Navy Expeditionary Combat Command
  • NeL – Navy eLearning
  • NEX – Navy Exchange
  • NFAAS – Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System
  • NFO – Naval Flight Officer
  • NFO – Normal Fuel Oil
  • NIWC – Naval Information Warfare Center (pronounced "nie-wik")
  • NJROTC – Navy Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
  • NKO – Navy Knowledge Online
  • NMCB – Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Seabees
  • NMCI – Navy/Marine Corps Intranet
  • NMPS – Navy Mobilization and Processing Site
  • NMTI – Navy Military Training Instructor
  • NNPTU – Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit
  • NNSY – Norfolk Naval Shipyard
  • NOSC – Navy Operational Support Center (a U.S. Navy Reserve shore command)
  • NOSR – Network On-Site Representative
  • NPC – Navy Personnel Command
  • OOD – Officer of the Deck
  • OOMA – Optimized Organizational Maintenance Activity
  • OPCON – Operational control
  • OPNAV – Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
  • OPS-O – Operations Officer
  • OPSEC – Operations security
  • OSA – Overseas Contingency Operation Support Assignments
  • OTSR – Optimal Track Ship Routing

P

  • PACOM – Pacific Command
  • PAPERCLIP – People Against People Ever Reenlisting Civilian Life Is Preferred
  • PAX – Passengers
  • PCO – Prospective Commanding Officer
  • PCS – Permanent Change of Station
  • PDHA – Post-Deployment Health Assessment
  • PDHRA – Post-Deployment Health Re-Assessment
  • PFA – Physical Fitness Assessment
  • PHA – Physical Health Assessment
  • PHRA – Physical Health Re-Assessment
  • PLD – Permanent Limited Duty
  • PIR – Pass in Review
  • PMS – Planned Maintenance System
  • PO(3/2/1) – Petty Officer (Third/Second/First Class)
  • POC – Point of Contact
  • POD – Plan of the Day
  • POM – Plan of the Month
  • POM - Prior to Overseas Movement
  • POOW – Petty Officer of the Watch
  • POTUS – President of the United States
  • POW – Plan of the Week
  • POW – Prisoner of War
  • PRD – Projected Rotation Date
  • PRIFLY – Primary Flight Control (carriers)
  • PRT – Physical Readiness Test
  • PSNS and IMF – Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility
  • PT – Physical Training
  • PTS – Perform to Serve
  • PWD – Public Works Department
  • PXO – Prospective Executive Officer

Q

  • QAWTD/QAWTH – Quick Acting Water Tight Door/Quick Acting Water Tight Hatch
  • QM – Quartermaster
  • TM – Torpedoman's mate