Afghan War Glossary


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Afghan War News > Afghan War Glossary > W

The military community uses a multitude and variety of terms, phrases, and expressions in its vocabulary. This is especially true in the Afghan theater of operations. Some terms, phases, and words are formal in nature while others are derived from common usage. This glossary is intended to assist those new to the Afghan theater or others unfamiliar with terminology or slang used by those working or serving in Afghanistan.

To search for the term, acronym or phrase
click on the first letter of the word below.

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W


WAC.  Weapons Authorization Card.

WAC. Women's Army Corps. Not sure they are still around.

Wadi. Dry river bed.

WAN. Wide Area Network.

Warfighting Function. A group of tasks and systems (people, organizations, information, and processes) united by a common purpose that commanders use to accomplish missions and training objectives (FM 3-0).

Warlords. The presence of warlords in Afghanistan complicates Afghanistans history, politics, and security environment. Afghanistan has a rich, long history of warlords even to the present day. Currently, there are several warlords holding political office in Afghanistan to include the well-known General Dostrum and Marshal Fahim.

WARNO. Warning Order.

WB. World Bank.

WBK. Wehrbereichskommando.

WBO. World Bank Organization.

WCO. World Customs Organization.

W/D. Wheels down, meaning an aircraft has landed.

WDPA. World Development Program for Afghanistan.

WEU. Western European Union.

WEZ. Weapon Engagement Zone.

WFF. War fighting function.

WFP. World Food Program.

WGS. World Geodetic System.

WFZ. Weapons Free Zone.

WG. Working Group.

WGS. Wideband Global Satellite.

WGS. World Geodetic / Grid System.

What The F*** (WTF). Could mean almost anything.

"Where are my sweets?". A typical question from an Afghan government official who is requested to provide a service by an Afghan citizen. He doesn't mean a box of chocolates; he is looking for his usual bribe. In the West we call it corruption, in Afghanistan it is business as usual.

White Eagle. Named for a Polish task force working in Ghazni province in Regional Command East.

WHO. ?

WHO. World Health Organization.

WMD. Weapons of Mass Destruction.

WMT. Wireless Message Terminal.

WIA. Wounded in Action.

Willy Pete. White Phosphorus. Not to be used against people as it really burns; primary purpose is to light up the night; fired from mortar or artillery tube.

Winchester. CAS aircraft out of ammunition.

WOE. Weight of Effort.

W/U. Wheels up, meaning an aircraft has taken off.

Wolfhound System. A low-level voice intercept system used to monitor enemy communications in Afghanistan. The Wolfhound Handheld Threat Warning System is a handheld, radio frequency, threat warning and direction finding system. Read more about the Wolfhound in this U.S. Army news release describing its capabilities. Low level voice intercept operators - some from Combined Task Force Dragoon - operate the Wolfhound.

Wolsei Jirga. The "People's House"; Afghanistan's lower chamber of Parliament.

World Wide Language Resources. World Wide Language Recources provides interpreters and support to military overseas operations. See www.wwlr.com/

"Woobie". A nickname used by infantrymen for the U.S. Army's issued poncho liner. The poncho liner was first fielded during the Vietnam War but the term "Woobie" came into usage during the 1990s. SF Soldiers never call their poncho liner a "Woobie" unless they spent some time in a conventional unit. Learn "Why The Woobie Is The Greatest Military Invention Ever Fielded", Task & Purpose, August 18, 2015.

WPS. Worldwide Protective Services. The WPS contract provides the Department of State with static guard services, protective movement security services, and other specialized emergency services for diplomatic missions worldwide, primarily in high threat areas.

WTF. See What The F*** above.

WWLR. See World Wide Language Resources.

WWTP. Waste Water Treatment Plant.

WP. White phosphorus (sometimes called Willy Pete).

WP. Withdraw under Pressure.

WRT. With Regard To.

WS. Work Strand. Associated with the "4-Year ANDSF Roadmap" for professionalizing the Afghan National Defense and Security  Forces (ANDSF) and defeating the Taliban.

WTA. Warrior Training Alliance.

WVI. World Vision International.

WVM. Wheeled Vehicle Maintenance.

WX. Weather.

W/X. Weather.

 

 


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The definitions provided in this Afghan War Glossary are from many different sources to include publications, documents, and personal knowledge. In some instances, there are several definitions or meanings to a word or phrase.

To suggest additional terms for the glossary or to correct any inaccuracies or broken links send an email to staff@afghanwarnews.info. All external sites open up in an new window. 


 

Afghan War News > Afghan War Glossary > W