observation platform
[aircraft, ship or vehicle considered as the carrier of a set of
observation devices, as distinct from an weapons platform]
see also: weapons platform
observation post; OP
[observation posts are permanently manned; they are allotted a
serial number or name, the designation identifying the type, the
sector etc.]
observer mission
[consists of unarmed officers, to man observation posts, to
monitor cease-fires and armistices]
see also: peace-keeping operation
operation(al) plan; OPLAN
[formal directives (in the same format as operation orders)
designed to meet a contingency which is expected but not yet
imminent]
see also: contingency plan; operational order; operational directive;
operational instruction
operational authority
[the authority granted to a commander ot use the operational
capabilities of assigned forces to undertake mandated missions
and tasks: there are three possible degrees of operational
authority: operational command, operational control, tactical
control]
see also: operational command; operational control; tactical control
operational command
[the authority granted to a commander to assign missions or
tasks to subordinate commanders to deploy units, reassign
forces, and to retain or delegate operational and tactical control;
it is the highest level of operational authority which can be given
to an appointed commander who is acting outside of his own
national chain of command, and is seldom authorized by
Member States]
see also: operational authority; operational control; tactical control
operational control; OPCON
[the authority granted to a commander to direct forces assigned
so that the commander may accomplish specific missions or
tasks which are usually limited by function, time or location by
troop-contributing countries in the Security Council
Resolution/mandate, to deploy units and retain or assign tactical
control of those units; it is a more restrictive level of authority
than operational command: a commander cannot change the
mission of those foreces or deploy them outside the area of
responsibility p[reviously agreed to by the troop-contributing
country without the prior consent of this country; further he
cannot separate contingents by assigning tasks to components
of the units concerned]
see also: operational authority; operational command; tactical control
operational order; OPORD
[orders laid down in a formal manner, issued by commanders to
subordinate commanders for the purpose of effecting the
coordinated execution of an operation]
see also: operation(al) plan;
operations other than war; OOTW
[military activities during peacetime and conflict that do not
necessarily involve armed clashes between two organized
forces]
order
[A communication -written, oral, or by signal- that conveys
instructions from a superior to a subordinate. In a broad sense,
the trems order and command are synonomous. However, an order implies discretion as to the details of execution whereas a
command does not.]
order of battle; ORBAT
[identification, strength, command structure and disposition of
the personnel, units and equipment of any military structure; the
order of battle is defined in tables of organization and
equipment]
see also: table of organization and equipment
out-survey; marching-out survey
[physical verification of all contingent owned stores, equipment
and vehicles and UN owned accountable items upon rotation of
a contingent of change in Commanding Officer; the actual
amount of the reimbursement for COE is based on the
'marching-in survey' (done when the contingent enters the
mission area), and on the 'marching-out survey' (in the case of
equipment/stores deployed for less than four years); these
surveys are carried out by the contingent as well as by UN
experts who assess the actual value of the equipment as it
enters and leaves the mission area and are used by the UN as a
basis for settlement of government claims for reimbursement]
see also: in-survey
over-the-horizon radar; OTH radar
[radar that makes use of the atmospheric reflection and
refraction to extend its range beyond line of sight]
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