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GLOSSARYDEFENSE ACQUISITIONACRONYMS AND TERMSSixteenth EditionSeptember 2015Department of DefenseDefense Acquisition UniversityLearning Capabilities Integration CenterCenter for Acquisition and Program ManagementFort Belvoir, VirginiaPUBLISHED BY THEDEFENSE ACQUISITION UNIVERSITY PRESSFORT BELVOIR, VIRGINIA 22060-5565

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe authors appreciate the assistance of the staff and faculty of the Defense AcquisitionUniversity (DAU) in providing acronyms and definitions for consideration in this SixteenthEdition of the Glossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms and offer our special thanksto members of the DAU Visual Arts and Press staff, Benjamin Tyree for editing, and especiallyDebbie Gonzalez, for her expert proofreading and innovative cover design.iii

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PREFACEThis is the Sixteenth Edition of theGlossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms.The Glossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms, contains most acronyms,abbreviations, and terms commonly used in the systems acquisition process within theDepartment of Defense (DoD) and defense industries. It focuses on terms with generic DoDapplication but also includes some Service-unique terms. It has been extensively revised toreflect current acquisition initiatives and policies, the issuance on January 7, 2015 of an updatedversion of DoD Instruction (DoDI) 5000.02, and significant changes in the Joint CapabilitiesIntegration and Development System (JCIDS) Manual and related instructions in January andFebruary of 2015.Appendix A contains a listing of common abbreviations and acronyms. Appendix B containsdefinitions of terms used throughout the DoD acquisition community, including terms that havecommonality between U.S. and Allied acquisition programs.While the Glossary identifies and highlights many terms, it is not all-inclusive, particularlyregarding the military Services, defense agencies and other organizationally unique terms. Forthose, the reader must turn to publications issued by those organizations.The Glossary is published for use by students of the Defense Acquisition University (DAU),and others working on defense acquisition matters, including congressional staffs, Pentagon andother headquarters (HQ) staffs, program managers and requirements managers of the DoD, anddefense contractors.Acronyms and abbreviations generally are capitalized for ease of reference. That does notimply they are capitalized in general usage. Readers should follow the style used by their ownorganizations.Readers’ feedback and input is invited. Please use the form at the end of this publication, andsend feedback to the Director, Center for Acquisition and Program Management, LearningCapabilities Integration Center, DAU, 9820 Belvoir Road, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5565.William ParkerDirector, Center for Acquisitionand Program ManagementGary HaganDepartment ChairProgram Management DepartmentLawrence LeggettPerformance Learning DirectorPM Certification Coursesv

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DISCLAIMERThe Glossary: Defense Acquisition Acronyms and Terms provides an extensive list ofAcronyms and Abbreviations (Appendix A) and Glossary of Terms (Appendix B) commonlyused in the systems acquisition process within the Department of Defense (DoD) and defenseindustries. Many of the terms in the Glossary may be defined in other documents in a differentfashion. For example, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) contains upwards of 600definitions of words and terms. Definitions that are applicable to all parts of the FAR arecontained in FAR Part 2, Definitions of Words and Terms, which contains close to 250definitions. Other words and terms may be defined for a particular part, subpart or section. Someterms, such as “United States,” have multiple definitions. United States is defined 11 differentways in the FAR, due to how it is defined in various pieces of legislation. Some of thosedefinitions differ from the ones contained in the Glossary.The reader may want to use definitions that are provided in the Glossary in solicitations andresulting contracts to help clarify the government’s requirement. In doing so, keep in mind theFAR requires that all solicitations and contracts exceeding the simplified acquisition thresholdincorporate the definitions in FAR 2.101 Definitions. See FAR 52.202-1, Definitions, for theappropriate clause.vii

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APPENDIX AACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONSNOTE: The following acronyms and abbreviations are used by systems acquisition managerswithin the Department of Defense (DoD). The majority of those dealing primarily with themanagement of the acquisition process are defined in Appendix B, Glossary of Terms. Thosethat refer to Service-unique titles and organizations are not further MCACNOACOACRNACSACSAACSNACWPADAADMADPADPEAchieved AvailabilityAcquisition and Advisory ServicesArmy Audit AgencyAir Armament Center (Air Force) (Obsolete—See LCMC [Life CycleManagement Center] [Air Force])Army Acquisition e ComponentAcquisition CategoryAcquisition Community Connection; Air Combat Command (Air Force)Advanced Component Development and Prototypes (Budget Activity[BA] 4)Acquisition Center of ExcellenceAllocated Configuration IdentificationAssistant Commandant of the Marine CorpsAssistant Chief of Naval OperationsAdministrative Contracting OfficerAccounting Classification Reference NumberAssistant Chief of StaffAcquisition and Cross-Servicing AgreementAdvance Change Study NoticeActual Cost of Work PerformedAnti-Deficiency ActAcquisition Decision MemorandumAutomated Data ProcessingAutomated Data Processing EquipmentA-1

CALOALTAMAlternate Dispute Resolution; Alternative Dispute ResolutionAtomic Energy Act (of 1954)Arms Export Control Act (1976)Arms Export Control BoardAir Force Acquisition ExecutiveAir Force Air Logistics ComplexArmy Federal Acquisition Regulation SupplementAir Force Cost Analysis AgencyAir Force Federal Acquisition Regulation SupplementAir Force InstructionAir Force Institute of TechnologyAir Force Materiel CommandAir Force Nuclear Weapons CenterAir Force Operational Test and Evaluation CenterAir Force Policy DirectiveAir Force Review BoardAir Force Research LaboratoryAir Force Requirements Oversight CouncilAir Force Sustainment CenterAir Force Test CenterArtificial IntelligenceInherent AvailabilityAutomated Information SystemAdministrative and Logistics Delay TimeArmy Logistics Management CollegeAuthorized Level of Organization (Army)Administrative Lead TimeMateriel N/AFAir Mobility Command; Army Materiel CommandAviation and Missile Command (Army)Army Materiel Systems Analysis AgencyAcquisition Management Systems Data ListAmerican National Standards InstituteOperational AvailabilityAnalysis of AlternativesAssessment of Operational Test ReadinessAcquisition Plan; Advance ProcurementAircraft Procurement (Appropriation), Army/Navy/Air ForceA-2

SRASTMATATCATDAdditional Performance AttributeAcquisition Program BaselineAcquisition Program Baseline AgreementAppropriationAverage Procurement Unit Cost (also see AUPC [Average UnitProcurement Cost])Allied Quality Assurance ProvisionAcceptable Quality LevelArmy RegulationArmy Capabilities Integration CenterArmy Research LaboratoryAcquisition Requirements Roadmap Tool (Services)Acquisition StrategyAssistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, andTechnology)Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition)Army Systems Acquisition Review CouncilArmed Services Board of Contract AppealsAeronautical Systems Center (Air Force) (Obsolete—See LCMC [LifeCycle Management Center] [Air Force])Assistant Secretary of Defense (Acquisition)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Legislative Affairs)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Nuclear, Chemical and BiologicalDefense)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Operational Energy Plans andPrograms)Assistant Secretary of Defense (Research and Engineering)Army Stock FundAssistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development andAcquisition)Acquisition Strategy Panel (Air Force)Acquisition Strategy Report; Alternative Systems ReviewAmerican Society for Testing and MaterialsAnti-Tampering; Acceptance Trials (Navy)Air Training CommandAdvanced Technology Demonstration (or Development)A-3

ATEATECATOATPATPSATSDAUPCAVAWACSAWEAutomatic Test EquipmentArmy Test and Evaluation CommandAuthorization to OperateAcceptance Test ProceduresAutomated Test Planning SystemAssistant to the Secretary of DefenseAverage Unit Procurement Cost (also see APUC [Average ProcurementUnit Cost])All ViewpointAirborne Warning and Control System (Air Force)Advanced Warfighting BCWSBEBESBFMBIOSBITBITEBLRIPBLSBMABMDBOABid and ProposalBattlespace Awareness; Budget Activity; Budget AuthorityBroad Agency Announcement; Buy American ActBudget at CompletionBest and Final OfferBetter Buying PowerBoard of Contract Appeals; Business Case AnalysisBudget Classification CodeBaseline Cost Estimate (Army)Business, Cost Estimating, and Financial ManagementBaseline Comparison SystemBudgeted Cost of Work PerformedBudgeted Cost of Work ScheduledBaseline EstimateBudget Estimate SubmissionBusiness and Financial ManagerBasic Input/Output SystemBinary Digit; Built-In TestBuilt-In Test EquipmentBeyond Low-Rate Initial ProductionBureau of Labor StatisticsBusiness Mission AreaBallistic Missile DefenseBasic Ordering AgreementA-4

BODBOIPBOSCBPABPChBPRBRACBRPBTBYBeneficial Occupancy DateBasis of Issue Plan (Army)Base Operating Support ContractBlanket Purchase AgreementBest Practices ClearinghouseBusiness Process Re-engineeringBase Realignment and ClosureBasic Research PlanBuilder’s Trial (Navy)Base Year; Budget AMCAOCAPCAPECARCommand and ControlCommand, Control, Communications, and IntelligenceCommand, Control, Communication, Intelligence, Surveillance, andReconnaissanceCommand, Control, Communications, and ComputersCommand, Control, Communications, Computers, and IntelligenceCommand, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence,Surveillance, and ReconnaissanceCertification Authority; Competition Advocate; Contract Award;Control AccountCivilian Agency Acquisition CouncilCapabilities and Acquisition Division (J-8–Joint Staff [JS]); ComputerAided DesignComputer-Aided Design and DraftingComponent Acquisition Executive; Computer-Aided EngineeringCost As an Independent VariableComputer-Aided Acquisition and Logistics Support; ContinuousAcquisition and Life Cycle SupportComputer-Aided Manufacturing; Control Account ManagerContract Administration OfficeContractor Acquired Property; Critical Acquisition PositionCost Assessment and Program Evaluation (Office of the Secretary ofDefense–Director, CAPE)Command Assessment Review (Air Force); Component AppointedRepresentatives (JCIDS); Configuration Audit ReviewA-5