Military Dictionary – Letter M

Military Dictionary Letter MHere are the DOD Dictionary terms beginning with the letter M and organized alphabetically. Browse terms from the official DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms that start with M and view definitions. Read on for military definitions that begin with M such as main operating base, military deception, mine countermeasures, munition and more.


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LETTER M – TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

magnetic mine — A mine that responds to the magnetic field of a target.

mail embargo — A temporary shutdown or redirection of mail flow to or from a specific location.

main operating base — A facility outside the United States and its territories with permanently stationed operating forces and robust infrastructure. Also called MOB. See also cooperative security location; forward operating site.

main supply route — The route or routes designated within an operational area upon which the bulk  of  traffic  flows  in  support  of  military  operations.  Also  called  MSR.

maintenance — 1. All action, including inspection, testing, servicing, classification as to serviceability, repair, rebuilding, and reclamation, taken to retain materiel in a serviceable condition or to restore it to serviceability. 2. All supply and repair action taken to keep a force in condition to carry out its mission. 3. The routine recurring work required to keep a facility in such condition that it may be continuously used at its original or designed capacity and efficiency for its intended purpose.

major force — A military organization comprised of major combat elements and associated combat support, combat service support, and sustainment increments.

major operation — 1. A series of tactical actions (battles, engagements, strikes) conducted by combat forces, coordinated in time and place, to achieve strategic or operational objectives in an operational area. 2. For noncombat operations, a reference to the relative size and scope of a military operation. See also operation.

maneuver — 1. A movement to place ships, aircraft, or land forces in a position of advantage over the enemy. 2. A tactical exercise carried out at sea, in the air, on the ground, or on a map in imitation of war. 3. The operation of a ship, aircraft, or vehicle to cause it to perform desired movements. 4. Employment of forces in the operational area, through movement in combination with fires and information, to achieve a position of advantage in respect to the enemy. See also mission; operation.

manpower management — The means of manpower control to ensure the most efficient and economical use of available manpower.

manpower requirements Human resources needed to accomplish specified work loads of organizations.

Marine air command and control system — A system that provides the aviation combat element commander with the means to command, coordinate, and control all air operations within an assigned sector and to coordinate air operations with other Services. Also called MACCS. See also direct air support center; tactical air operations center.

Marine Corps special operations forces — Those Active Component Marine Corps forces designated by the Secretary of Defense that are specifically organized, trained, and equipped to conduct and support special operations. Also called MARSOF.

Maritime Administration Ready Reserve Force — The surge sealift assets owned and operated by the United States Department of Transportation/Maritime Administration and Military Sealift Command (in contingency), crewed by civilian mariners. Also called MARAD RRF. See also National Defense Reserve Fleet.

maritime domain — The oceans, seas, bays, estuaries, islands, coastal areas, and the airspace above these, including the littorals.

maritime domain awareness — The effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of a nation. Also called MDA.

maritime environment — The environment corresponding to the oceans, seas, bays, estuaries, islands, coastal areas, including the littorals and their sub-surface features, and interfaces and interactions with the atmosphere.

maritime forces — Forces that operate on, under, or above the sea to gain or exploit command of the sea, sea control, or sea denial and/or to project power from the sea.

maritime interception operations — Efforts to monitor, query, and board merchant vessels in international waters to enforce sanctions against other nations such as those in support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions and/or prevent the transport of restricted goods. Also called MIO.

maritime power projection — Power projection in and from the maritime environment, including a broad spectrum of offensive military operations to destroy enemy forces or logistic support or to prevent enemy forces from approaching within enemy weapons’ range of friendly forces.

maritime pre-positioning force operation — A rapid deployment and assembly of a Marine expeditionary force in a secure area using a combination of intertheater airlift and forward-deployed maritime pre-positioning ships. Also called MPF operation. See also maritime pre-positioning ships.

maritime pre-positioning ships — Civilian-crewed, Military Sealift Command-chartered ships that are usually forward-deployed and loaded with pre-positioned equipment and up to 30 days of supplies to support Marine expeditionary brigades. Also called MPSs. See also Navy cargo handling battalion.

maritime security operations — Those operations to protect maritime sovereignty and resources and to counter maritime-related terrorism, weapons proliferation, transnational crime, piracy, environmental destruction, and illegal seaborne migration. Also called MSO.

Maritime Security Program — A program authorized in the Maritime Security Act of 2003 requiring the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to establish a fleet of active, commercially viable, militarily useful, privately-owned vessels to meet national defense and other security requirements. Also called MSP.

maritime superiority — That degree of dominance of one force over another that permits the conduct of maritime operations by the former and its related land, maritime, and air forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing force.

maritime supremacy — That degree of maritime superiority wherein an opposing force is incapable of effective interference.

maritime terminal — A facility for berthing ships simultaneously at piers, quays, and/or working anchorages. Also called water terminal.

marking — To maintain contact on a target from such a position that the marking unit has an immediate offensive capability.

marshalling — 1. The process by which units participating in an amphibious or airborne operation group together or assemble when feasible or move to temporary camps in the vicinity of embarkation points, complete preparations for combat, or prepare for loading. 2. The process of assembling, holding, and organizing supplies and/or equipment, especially vehicles of transportation, for onward movement. See also staging area.

marshalling area — A location in the vicinity of a reception terminal or pre-positioned equipment storage site where arriving unit personnel, equipment, materiel, and accompanying supplies are reassembled, returned to the control of the unit commander, and prepared for onward movement. See also marshalling.

mass atrocity response operations — Military activities conducted to prevent or halt mass atrocities. Also called MARO.

mass casualty — Any number of human casualties produced across a period of time that exceeds available medical support capabilities. See also casualty.

massed fire — 1. The fire of the batteries of two or more ships directed against a single target. 2. Fire from a number of weapons directed at a single target point or small area.

master — The commander of a United States Naval Ship, a commercial ship, or a government-owned general agency agreement ship operated for the Military Sealift Command by a civilian company to transport Department of Defense cargo.

master air attack plan — A plan that contains key information that forms the foundation of the joint air tasking order. Also called MAAP. See also target.

materials handling equipment Equipment used at air, ground, and sea ports to handle large cargo. Also called MHE.

materiel — All items necessary to equip, operate, maintain, and support military activities without distinction as to its application for administrative or combat purposes. See also equipment; personal property.

materiel inventory objective — The quantity of an item required to be on hand and on order on M-day in order to equip, provide a materiel pipeline, and sustain the approved United States force structure and those Allied forces designated for United States materiel support, through the period prescribed for war materiel planning purposes.

materiel planning — A subset of logistic planning consisting of the four-step process of: a. requirements definition. Requirements for significant items are calculated at item- level detail to support sustainability planning and analysis. b. apportionment. Items are apportioned to the combatant commanders based on a global scenario to avoid sourcing of items to multiple theaters. c. sourcing. Sourcing is the matching of available capabilities on a given date against item requirements to support sustainability analysis and the identification of locations to support transportation planning. d. documentation. Sourced item requirements are translated into movement requirements and documented in the Joint Operation Planning and Execution System database for transportation feasibility analysis.

materiel release order — An order issued by an accountable supply system manager directing a non-accountable activity within the same supply distribution complex to release and ship materiel. Also called MRO.

materiel requirements — Those quantities of items of equipment and supplies necessary to equip, provide a materiel pipeline, and sustain a Service, formation, organization, or unit in the fulfillment of its purposes or tasks during a specified period.

maximum ordinate — In artillery and naval gunfire support, the height of the highest point in the trajectory of a projectile above the horizontal plane passing through its origin. Also called vertex height and MAXORD.

measurement and signature intelligence — Information produced by quantitative and qualitative analysis of physical attributes of targets and events to characterize, locate, and identify targets and events, and derived from specialized, technically derived measurements of physical phenomenon intrinsic to an object or event. Also called MASINT. See also intelligence; scientific and technical intelligence.

Measurement and Signature Intelligence Requirements System — A system for the management of theater and national measurement and signature intelligence collection requirements, providing automated tools for users in support of submission, review, and validation of measurement and signature intelligence nominations of requirements to be tasked for national and Department of Defense measurement and signature intelligence collection, production, and exploitation resources. Also called MRS. See also measurement and signature intelligence.

measurement ton — The unit of volumetric measurement of equipment associated with surface-delivered cargo equal to the total cubic feet divided by 40. Also called MTON.

measure of effectiveness — An indicator used to measure a current system state, with change indicated by comparing multiple observations over time. Also called MOE. See also combat assessment; mission.

measure of performance — An indicator used to measure a friendly action that is tied to measuring task accomplishment. Also called MOP.

mechanical sweep — In naval mine warfare, any sweep used with the object of physically contacting the mine or its appendages.

media operations center — A facility established by the commander to serve as the focal point for the interface between the military and the media during the conduct of military operations. Also called MOC.

media pool — A limited number of news media who represent a larger number of news media organizations for purposes of news gathering and sharing of material during a specified activity. See also public affairs.

medical civil-military operations — All military health- and veterinary-related activities in support of a commander that establish, enhance, maintain or influence relations between the force and host nation, multinational governmental and nongovernmental civilian organizations and authorities, and the civilian populace to facilitate military operations, achieve United States operational objectives, and positively impact the health, agriculture, and economic sectors. Also called MCMO.

medical intelligence — That category of intelligence resulting from collection, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of foreign medical, bio-scientific, and environmental information that is of interest to strategic planning and to military medical planning and operations for the conservation of the fighting strength of friendly forces and the formation of assessments of foreign medical capabilities in both military and civilian sectors. Also called MEDINT. See also intelligence.

medical intelligence preparation of the operational environment — A systematic continuing process, used by the National Center for Medical Intelligence, that analyzes information on medical and disease threats, enemy capabilities, terrain, weather, local medical infrastructure, potential humanitarian and dislocated civilian situations, transportation issues, and political, religious and social issues for all types of operations. Also called MIPOE.

medical logistics support — Class VIII medical supplies (medical material to include medical peculiar repair parts used to sustain the health service support system), optical fabrication, medical equipment maintenance, blood storage and distribution, and medical gases. Also called MEDLOG support.

medical regulating The actions and coordination necessary to arrange for the movement of patients through the roles of care and to match patients with a medical treatment facility that has the necessary health service support capabilities and available bed space. See also health service support; medical treatment facility.

medical surveillance — The ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of data derived from instances of medical care or medical evaluation, and the reporting of population-based information for characterizing and countering threats to a population’s health, well-being, and performance. See also surveillance.

medical treatment facility — A facility established for the purpose of furnishing medical and/or dental care to eligible individuals. Also called MTF.

medical treatment protocol — Directive issued by competent military authority that delineate the circumstances and limitations under which United States medical forces will initiate medical care and support to those individuals that are not Department of Defense health care beneficiaries or designated eligible for care in a military medical treatment facility by the Secretary of Defense.

medium-range ballistic missile — A ballistic missile with a range capability from about 600 to 1,500 nautical miles. Also called MRBM.

mensuration — The process of measurement of a feature or location on the Earth to determine an absolute latitude, longitude, and elevation.

message — 1. Any thought or idea expressed briefly in a plain or secret language and prepared in a form suitable for transmission by any means of communication. 2. A narrowly focused communication directed at a specific audience to support a specific theme. Also called MSG.

meteorological and oceanographic — A term used to convey all environmental factors, from the sub-bottom of the Earth’s oceans through maritime, land areas, airspace, ionosphere, and outward into space. Also called METOC.

meteorological and oceanographic assessment — The assimilation of climatology, current and predictive meteorological and oceanographic conditions, and knowledge on limiting thresholds for friendly and adversary military capabilities; tactics, techniques, and procedures; mission profiles; and weapon systems into a tailored product for planning and decision-making processes.

meteorological and oceanographic data — Measurements or observations of meteorological and oceanographic variables.

meteorological and oceanographic information — Actionable information to include meteorological, climatological, oceanographic, and space environment observations, analyses, prognostic data or products, and meteorological and oceanographic effects.

meteorology — The study dealing with the phenomena of the atmosphere including the physics, chemistry, and dynamics extending to the effects of the atmosphere on the Earth’s surface and the oceans.

midcourse phase That portion of the flight of a ballistic missile between the boost phase and the terminal phase. See also boost phase; terminal phase.

migrant — A person who (1) belongs to a normally migratory culture who may cross national boundaries, or (2) has fled his or her native country for economic reasons rather than fear of political or ethnic persecution.

military assistance advisory group — A joint Service group, normally under the military command of a commander of a unified command and representing the Secretary of Defense, which primarily administers the United States military assistance planning and programming in the host nation.

military construction — Any construction, alteration, development, conversion, or extension of any kind carried out with respect to a military installation. Also called MILCON.

military deception — Actions executed to deliberately mislead adversary military, paramilitary, or violent extremist organization decision makers, thereby causing the adversary to take specific actions (or inactions) that will contribute to the accomplishment of the friendly mission. Also called MILDEC.

Military Department — One of the departments within the Department of Defense created by the National Security Act of 1947, which are the Department of the Army, the Department of the Navy, and the Department of the Air Force. Also called MILDEP. See also Department of the Air Force; Department of the Army; Department of the Navy.

military engagement — Routine contact and interaction between individuals or elements of the Armed Forces of the United States and those of another nation’s armed forces, or foreign and domestic civilian authorities or agencies to build trust and confidence, share information, coordinate mutual activities, and maintain influence.

military government — The supreme authority the military exercises by force or agreement over the lands, property, and indigenous populations and institutions of domestic, allied, neutral, or enemy territory, therefore, substituting sovereign authority under rule of law for the previously established government.

Military Health System — Provides direction, resources, health care providers, and other means necessary to foster, protect, sustain, and restore health to Service members and other beneficiaries. Also called MHS.

military information support operations — Planned operations to convey selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of foreign governments, organizations, groups, and individuals in a manner favorable to the originator’s objectives. Also called MISO.

Military Intelligence Board A decision-making forum which formulates Department of Defense intelligence policy and programming priorities. Also called MIB. See also intelligence.

military intervention — The deliberate act of a nation or a group of nations to introduce its military forces into the course of an existing controversy.

military occupation — A condition in which territory is under the effective control of a foreign armed force.

Military Postal Service — The command, organization, personnel, and facilities established to provide a means for the transmission of mail to and from the Department of Defense, members of the United States Armed Forces, and other authorized agencies and individuals. Also called MPS.

Military Postal Service Agency — The single manager operating agency established to manage the Military Postal Service. Also called MPSA.

military post office — A branch of a designated United States-based post office established by United States Postal Service authority and operated by one of the Services. Also called MPO.

Military Sealift Command — A major command of the United States Navy reporting to Commander Fleet Forces Command, and the United States Transportation Command’s component command responsible for designated common-user sealift transportation services to deploy, employ, sustain, and redeploy United States forces on a global basis. Also called MSC. See also transportation component command.

Military Sealift Command force — Common-user sealift consisting of three subsets: the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, common-user ocean transportation, and the special mission support force. See also common-user sealift; Military Sealift Command.

military source operations — The collection, from, by and/or via humans, of foreign and military and military-related intelligence.

military specification container — A container that meets specific written standards. Also called MILSPEC container.

military standard requisitioning and issue procedure — A uniform procedure established by the Department of Defense for use within the Department of Defense to govern requisition and issue of materiel within standardized priorities. Also called MILSTRIP.

military standard transportation and movement procedures — Uniform and standard transportation data, documentation, and control procedures applicable to all cargo movements in the Department of Defense transportation system. Also called MILSTAMP.

military technician — A Federal civilian employee providing full-time support to a National Guard, Reserve, or Active Component organization for administration, training, and maintenance of the Selected Reserve. Also  called  MILTECH.

mine — 1.In land mine warfare, a munition placed under, on or near the ground or other surface area and designed to be exploded by the presence, proximity or contact of a person or vehicle. 2. In naval mine warfare, an explosive device laid in the water with the intention of damaging or sinking ships or of deterring shipping from entering an area. See also mine warfare.

mine countermeasures — All methods for preventing or reducing damage or danger from mines. Also called MCM.

minefield — 1. In land warfare, an area of ground containing mines emplaced with or without a pattern. 2. In naval warfare, an area of water containing mines emplaced with or without a pattern. See also mine; mine warfare. 

minefield record — A complete written record of all pertinent information concerning a minefield, submitted on a standard form by the officer in charge of the emplacement operations.

minefield report — An oral, electronic, or written communication concerning mining activities (friendly or enemy) submitted in a standard format by the fastest secure means available.

minehunting — Employment of air, surface, or subsurface sensor and neutralization systems to locate and dispose of individual mines in a known field, or to verify the presence or absence of mines in a given area. See also minesweeping.

minesweeping — The technique of clearing mines using either mechanical sweeping to remove, disturb, or otherwise neutralize the mine; explosive sweeping to cause sympathetic detonations, damage, or displace the mine; or influence sweeping to produce either the acoustic or magnetic influence required to detonate the mine. See also minehunting.

mine warfare — The strategic, operational, and tactical use of mines and mine countermeasures either by emplacing mines to degrade the enemy’s capabilities to wage land, air, and maritime warfare or by countering of enemy-emplaced mines to permit friendly maneuver or use of selected land or sea areas. Also called MIW.

minimize — A condition wherein normal message and telephone traffic is drastically reduced in order that messages connected with an actual or simulated emergency shall not be delayed.

minimum force — Those minimum actions, including the use of armed force, sufficient to bring a situation under control or to defend against a hostile act or hostile intent, where the firing of weapons is to be considered as a means of last resort.

minimum-risk route — A temporary corridor of defined dimensions recommended for use by high-speed, fixed-wing aircraft that presents the minimum known hazards to low- flying aircraft transiting the combat zone. Also called MRR.

missile defense — Defensive measures designed to destroy attacking enemy missiles, or to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of such attack. Also called MD.

missile engagement zone — In air and missile defense, that airspace of defined dimensions within which the responsibility for engagement of air and missile threats normally rests with surface-to-air missile systems. Also called MEZ.

mission — 1. The task, together with the purpose, that clearly indicates the action to be taken and the reason therefore. 2. In common usage, especially when applied to lower military units, a duty assigned to an individual or unit; a task. 3. The dispatching of one or more aircraft to accomplish one particular task.

mission assignment — The vehicle used by the Department of Homeland Security/Emergency Preparedness and Response/Federal Emergency Management Agency to support federal operations in a declared Stafford Act major disaster or emergency declaration that orders immediate, short-term emergency response assistance when an applicable state or local government is overwhelmed by the event and lacks the capability to perform, or contract for, the necessary work.

mission command — The conduct of military operations through decentralized execution based upon mission-type orders.

mission-oriented protective posture — A flexible system of protection against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear contamination in which personnel are required to wear only that protective clothing and equipment appropriate to the threat level, work rate imposed by the mission, temperature, and humidity. Also called MOPP. See also mission-oriented protective posture gear.

mission-oriented protective posture gear — Military term for individual protective equipment, including suit, boots, gloves, mask with hood, first aid treatments, and decontamination kits, issued to authorized personnel. Also called MOPP gear. See also decontamination; mission-oriented protective posture.

mission statement — A short sentence or paragraph that describes the organization’s essential task(s), purpose, and action containing the elements of who, what, when, where, and why. See also mission.

mission type order — 1. An order issued to a lower unit that includes the accomplishment of the total mission assigned to the higher headquarters. 2. An order to a unit to perform a mission without specifying how it is to be accomplished.

mobile security force — A highly mobile and dedicated security force with the capability to defeat Level I and II threats in a joint security area. Also called MSF.

mobility — A quality or capability of military forces which permits them to move from place to place while retaining the ability to fulfill their primary mission.

mobility air forces — Air components and Service components that are assigned and/or routinely exercise command authority over mobility operations.  Also called  MAF.

mobility corridor — Areas that are relatively free of obstacles where a force will be canalized due to terrain restrictions allowing military forces to capitalize on the principles of mass and speed.

mobilization — 1. The process of assembling and organizing national resources to support national objectives in time of war or other emergencies. See also industrial mobilization. 2. The process by which the Armed Forces of the United States, or part of them, are brought to a state of readiness for war or other national emergency. Also called MOB.

mobilization base — The total of all resources available, or that can be made available, to meet foreseeable wartime needs.

mobilization site — The designated location where a Reserve Component unit or individual mobilizes or moves after mobilization for further processing, training, and employment. See also mobilization; mobilization station; Reserve Component.

mobilization station — The designated military installation to which a Reserve Component unit or individual is moved for further processing, organizing, equipping, training, and employment and from which the unit or individual may move to an aerial port of embarkation or seaport of embarkation. See also mobilization; mobilization site; Reserve Component.

mode of transport — One of, or a combination of, the following modes used for a movement: a. inland surface transportation (rail, road, and inland waterway); b. sea transport (coastal and ocean); c. air transportation; and d. pipelines.

Modernized Integrated Database — The national-level repository for the general military intelligence available to the entire Department of Defense Intelligence Information System community and, through Global Command and Control System integrated imagery and intelligence, to tactical units. Also called MIDB.

modified combined obstacle overlay — A joint intelligence preparation of the operational environment product used to portray the militarily significant aspects of the operational environment, such as obstacles restricting military movement, key geography, and military objectives. Also called MCOO. See also joint intelligence preparation of the operational environment.

moored mine — A contact or influence-operated mine of positive buoyancy held below the surface by a mooring attached to a sinker or anchor on the bottom.  See also mine.

morale, welfare, and recreation — The merging of multiple unconnected disciplines into programs that improve unit readiness, promote fitness, build unit morale and cohesion, enhance quality of life, and provide recreational, social, and other support services. Also called MWR.

mortuary affairs — Provides for the search, recovery, identification, preparation, and disposition of human remains of persons for whom the Services are responsible by status and executive  order.   Also called MA.   See also joint mortuary  affairs office.

mounting —1. All preparations made in anticipation of an operation, including assembly in the mounting area; preparation and maintenance within the mounting area; movement to loading points; and subsequent embarkation into ships, craft, or aircraft if applicable. 2. A carriage or stand upon which a weapon is placed.

mounting area — A general locality where assigned forces of an amphibious or airborne operation, with their equipment, are assembled, prepared, and loaded in ships and/or aircraft preparatory to an assault. See also embarkation area.

movement control The planning, routing, scheduling, and control of personnel and cargo movements over lines of communications; includes maintaining in-transit visibility of forces and material through the deployment and/or redeployment process. See also line of communications; movement control teams; non-unit cargo; non-unit-related personnel.

movement control team — An Army team used to decentralize the execution of movement responsibilities on an area basis or at key transportation nodes.  Also called MCT.

movement data — Those essential elements of information to schedule lift, obtain transportation assets, manage movement of forces, and report in-transit visibility of movements and associated forces (people, equipment, and supplies).

movement group — Those ships and embarked units that load out and proceed to rendezvous in the objective area.

movement phase In amphibious operations, the period during which various elements of the amphibious force move from points of embarkation or forward-deployed locations to the objective area. See also amphibious force; amphibious operation.

movement plan — In amphibious operations, the naval plan providing for the movement of the amphibious task force to the objective area. See also amphibious operation; amphibious task force.

movement requirement — A stated movement mode and time-phased need for the transport of units, personnel, and/or materiel from a specified origin to a specified destination.

movement schedule — A timetable developed to monitor or track the movement of a separate entity, whether it is a force requirement, cargo or personnel increment, or lift asset, that reflects the assignment of specific lift resources, shows a flow and workload at each location, and supports plan implementation.

movement table — A table giving detailed instructions or data for a move.

movement to contact — A form of the offense designed to develop the situation and to establish or regain contact.

multinational Between two or more forces or agencies of two or more nations or coalition partners. See also alliance.

multinational doctrine — The agreed upon fundamental principles that guide the employment of forces of two or more nations in coordinated action toward a common objective. See also joint doctrine.

multinational force A force composed of military elements of nations who have formed an alliance or coalition for some specific purpose. Also called MNF. See also multinational force commander; multinational operations.

multinational force commander A general term applied to a commander who exercises command authority over a military force composed of elements from two or more nations. Also called MNFC. See also multinational force.

multinational integrated logistic unit — An organization resulting when two or more nations agree to provide logistics assets to a multinational logistic force under the operational control of a multinational commander for the logistic support of a multinational     force.      Also   called   MILU.      See   also    multinational.

multinational logistics — Any coordinated logistic activity involving two or more nations supporting a multinational force conducting military operations under the auspices of an alliance or coalition, including those conducted under United Nations mandate. Also called MNL. See also logistics; multinational.

multinational operations — A collective term to describe military actions conducted by forces of two or more nations, usually undertaken within the structure of a coalition or alliance. See also alliance.

multinational staff — A staff composed of personnel of two or more nations within the structure of a coalition or alliance. See also integrated staff; joint staff.

multipoint refueling system — KC-135 aircraft equipped with external wing-mounted pods to conduct drogue air refueling, while still maintaining boom air refueling capability on the same mission. See also air refueling.

multi-Service publication — A publication containing principles, terms, tactics, techniques, and procedures used and approved by the forces of two or more Services to perform a common military function consistent with approved joint doctrine.

multispot ship — Those ships certified to have two or more adjacent landing areas. See also spot.

munition — A complete device charged with explosives; propellants; pyrotechnics; initiating composition; or chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear material for use in operations including demolitions.

munitions effectiveness assessment The assessment of the military force applied in terms of the weapon system and munitions effectiveness to determine and recommend any required changes to the methodology, tactics, weapon system, munitions, fusing, and/or weapon delivery parameters to increase force effectiveness. Also called MEA. See also assessment; battle damage assessment.

mutual support — That support which units render each other against an enemy, because of their assigned tasks, their position relative to each other and to the enemy, and their inherent capabilities. See also close support; direct support; support.


Military Dictionary A to Z

A B C D
E F G H
I J K L
M N O P
Q R S T
U V W XYZ

See also Official DOD Shortened Word Forms.

Source: Official DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms.