This book, first published in 1983, is a compilation of some 50,000 acronyms and abbreviations used by the British, American, German and Soviet military. It enables the researcher to understand the language of the Armed Forces, their armaments and the related technology, and to reach a greater understanding of the capabilities and duties of the Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. The Dictionary covers all the services and their technology, and is an indispensable reference work.

My first encoWlter with acronyms took place when I was ten years old and growing up in an occupied COWltry during the Second World War. My father proudly annoWlced one day that, despite the ban imposed by the occupying administration, he had managed to get a radio installed and could receive the BBC. (All acronyms used in this introduction are listed in this dictionary.) To me the meaning of"BBC" was that we would receive different information about the war than we got from the usual censored broadcasts. There was, of course, the well-known acronym associated with the nT, but at that time I did not realize that it meant more than the postal service, in those years a deteriorated service. Gradually the daily use of acronyms grew. Most of the newly acquired three-and four-letter abbreviations referred to organiza tions, such as the broadcasting corporations in The Netherlands and Belgium, and references to coWltries such as the USA, USSR, and UK. When attending high school (the HBS) after the war, my knowledge of acronyms grew slowly. Even during the ten years I spent in the Dutch Merchant Marine (the GHV), the number of acronyms was limited to ad vanced equipment that eventually became known as RADAR, LORAN, and DECCA.

Written for the professional and the layman, the book provides the meanings of important and interesting acronyms in the broad area of computing and information science and technology. The acronyms and abbreviations contained in this book were created by the men and women of the computer and information age to save time and space and eliminate unnecessary repetition and wordage. The book is of value to engineers, scientists, technologists, executives and managers in technical fields, programmers, systems analysts, writers, and computer owners or potential buyers.

This Dictionary covers information and communication technology (ICT), including hardware and software; information networks, including the Internet and the World Wide Web; automatic control; and ICT-related computer-aided fields. The Dictionary also lists abbreviated names of relevant organizations, conferences, symposia and workshops. This reference is important for all practitioners and users in the areas mentioned above, and those who consult or write technical material. This Second Edition contains 10,000 new entries, for a total of 33,000.

This dictionary is a collection of acronyms, abbreviations, symbolic names, identifiers, and initials being used throughout IT- and engineering-related activities. They are used in industries, institutes, organizations and universities, all too often without their meanings being defined. Areas covered by this dictionary include: Information Technology; Electronics; Electrical Engineering; Telecommunications; Information Networks, including the Internet and World Wide Web; Computer-Aided Applications; Administration and Accounting; Manufacturing; Logistics and Planning; Automatic Control; and other related subjects. As well as technical terms, the dictionary lists abbreviated names of organizations, conferences, symposia and workshops. With over 32,000 items listed, the Dictionary of Acronyms and Technical Abbreviations is the most comprehensive and up-to-date work of its kind.