Acronym Hell
By Lee Russ
Tuesday, July 18, 2006 at 05:25 PM
If you've served in the military, worked for the military, or watched any black comedies about the military you know that acronyms are a way of military life. But shouldn't there be a limit?
From the 7/14/06 DoD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Blum from the Pentagon (with reference to a colored map visible to the press corps in attendance):
Now, this mission on the Southwest border does not reduce our capability to provide Army and Air Guardsmen to the combatant commanders for the GWOT. That does in no way diminish our capability in that regard. At the same time, it does not diminish the equipment or the troops available in the pale blue states, which are the hurricane-threatened states.
What's a GWOT? Not a lot. Seriously, it's the newest acronym to assault human cognitive abilities and stands for Global War on Terror. Is it just me, or does calling it GWOT reduce the entire concept to a triviality?
It doesn't matter; around the government and military, acronyms are everything (AAE). For example, you'd be hard put to make it through your life without some FF&V, which is procurement-speak for fresh fruits and vegetables.
Administration of federal programs is enhanced (probably; you never know) by making all records comply with FIPS (federal information processing standards).
And if you need help conducting your war, don't fear, call "SPAWAR" (Space and Naval Warfare Systems).