AAA

Anti-aircraft artillery

ABM

Anti-ballistic missile

ACDA

Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

ADI

Air defense initiative

AGARD

NATO Advisory Group for Aerospace Research and Development

ALCM

Air-launched cruise missile

ALPS

Accidental launch protection system

AOS

Airborne optical system

APS

American Physical Society

ASAT

Anti-satellite weapon

ATB

Advanced technology bomber, also known as B-2 and Stealth bomber

ATBM

Anti-tactical ballistic missile

AWACS

Airborne Warning and Control System

BAMBI

Ballistic missile boost intercept

BM/C³

Battle management/command, control, and communication

BMD

Ballistic missile defense

BMEWS

Ballistic Missile Early Warning System

BSTS

Boost Surveillance and Tracking System

C³ I

Command, control, communication, and intelligence

CEP

Council on Economic Priorities

CIA

Central Intelligence Agency

COCOM

Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls

CONUS

Continental United States

DARPA

U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

DDRE

Director of defense research and engineering

DEW

Directed-energy weapon

DEW Line

Distant Early-Warning Line

DIVAD

Division air defense

DOD

U.S. Department of Defense

DOE

U.S. Department of Energy

DOT

Designated Optical Tracker

DSP

Defense Support Program

EHF

Extremely High Frequency

ERIS

Exoatmospheric Reentry Vehicle Interceptor System

ESPRIT

European Strategic Program of Research in Information Technology

EUREKA

European Research and Coordinating Agency

FALCON

Fission-activated light concept

FAS

Federation of American Scientists

FEL

Free-electron laser

FFRDC

Federally funded research and development center

FOBS

Fractional Orbital Bombardment System

FOC

Full operating capability

GAC

General Advisory Committee to the Atomic Energy Commission

GBMD

Global Ballistic Missile Defense (plan proposed by High Frontier organization)

GEO

Geosynchronous earth orbit

HEDI

High Endoatmospheric Defense Interceptor

HF/DF Laser

Hydrogen-flouride/deuterium flouride laser

HIBEX

High-Acceleration Boost Experiment

HIBREL

High Brightness Relay

HOE

Homing Overlay Experiment

ICBM

Intercontinental ballistic missile

INF

Intermediate nuclear forces

IOC

Initial operating capability

IRBM

Intermediate-range ballistic missile

JCS

Joint Chiefs of Staff

KEW

Kinetic-energy weapon

KKV

Kinetic kill vehicle

LEDI

Low Endoatmospheric Defense Interceptor

LEO

Low earth orbit

LODE

Large Optical Demonstration Experiment

LPAR

Large phased-array radar

LWIR

Long Wave Length Infrared

MAD

Mutual Assured Destruction

MAS

Mutual Assured Survival

MHV

Miniature Homing Vehicle

MIRACL

Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser

MIRV

Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle

MRBM

Medium-range ballistic missile

NADGE

NATO air defense ground environment

NATO

North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NORAD

North American Aerospace Defense Command

NPB

Neutral particle beam

NSC

National Security Council

NSDM

National Security Decision Memorandum

NTM

National technical means (nonintrusive systems for verifying compliance with arms-control treaties)

OSTP

Office of Science and Technology Policy

OTA

Office of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress

PBV

Post-boost vehicle

PSAC

President's Science Advisory Committee

PVO

Protivovozdushnaya Oborona Strany (Soviet National Air Defense Forces)

RACE

Research in Advanced Communication in Europe

RDT&E

Research, development, testing, and evaluation

RF linac

Radio frequency linear accelerator

RFP

Request for proposals (used in government contracting)

RV

Reentry vehicle

SAGE

Semi-automatic ground environment

SAINT

Satellite interceptor

SALT

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks

SAM

Surface-to-air missile

SAMOS

Satellite and Missile Observation System

SATKA

Surveillance, acquisition, tracking, and kill assessment

SBAMS

Space-based anti-missile systems

SBI

Space-based interceptor (also referred to as space-based kinetic kill vehicle)

SBKKV

Space-based kinetic kill vehicle (see SBI)

SCC

Standing Consultative Commission (U.S.–Soviet)

SEWS

Satellite Early Warning System

SLBM

Submarine-launched ballistic missile

SP-100

Space power-100 kw

SPADATS

Space Detection and Tracking Systems

SRAM

Short-range attack missile

SSTS

Space Surveillance and Tracking System

START

Strategic Arms Reduction Talks

TBM

Tactical ballistic missile

TIR

Terminal imaging radar

UCS

Union of Concerned Scientists

USAF

U.S. Air Force

USDR&E

Undersecretary of Defense, Research and Engineering

VHSIC

Very High Speed Integrated Circuitry