AAA - antiaircraft artillery
AAB - Army Air Base
AAC - Alaskan Air Command
AAF - Army Air Forces
AAFld - Army Air Field
AB - Air Base
ABCCC - Airborne Battlefield Command Control and Communication
ABG - Air Base Group
ABW - Air Base Wing
AC - Symbol following some photo negative numbers, denoting a black and white negative.
AC&CS - Airborne Command and Control Squadron
ACC - Air Combat Command
ACE - Accelerated Co-Pilot Enrichment Program
ACW - Air Control Wing
ADC - Air Defense Command (see also ADCOM)
ADCOM -- Air (later, Aerospace) Defense Command (see also, ADC)
addn - additional
Adv Tn - Advanced Trainer
ADVON - advanced echelon
AEF - American Expeditionary Force
AEMS - Armament and Electronics Maintenance Squadron
AETC - Air Education and Training Command
AEW - Airborne Early Warning
AF - Air Force
AFB - Air Force Base
AFCON - Air Force-controlled
AFHRA - Air Force Historical Research Agency
AFLC - Air Force Logistics Command
afld - airfield
AFMC - Air Force Materiel Command
AFOEA - Air Force Organizational Excellence Award
AFOUA - Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
AFRC - Air Force Reserve Command
AFRES - Air Force Reserve
AFRTC - Air Force Reserve Training Center
AFS - Air Force Station
AFSC - Air Force Systems Command
AFSOC - Air Force Special Operations Command
AFSPC - Air Force Space Command
AIA - Air Intelligence Agency
ALCE - Airlift Control Element
ALCM - Air Launched Cruise Missile
ALCS - Airborne Launch Control System
AMC - Air Mobility Command
AMW - Air Mobility Wing
ANG - Air National Guard
ANGB - Air National Guard Base
Aprt - Airport
ARADCOM - Army Air Defense Command
ARB - Air Reserve Base
ARFC - Air Reserve Flying Center
ART - Air Reserve Technician
ARW - Air Refueling Wing
AS - Air Station
ATC - Air Training Command [1946-1993](later, AETC); Air Transport Command [1942-1948]
ATTF - Alaska Tanker Task Force
Aux - Auxiliary
AW - Airlift Wing
AWADS - Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System
BMEWS - Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
Brig Gen - Brigadier General
BW - Bombardment/Bomb Wing
c. - circa (about or approximately)
Capt - Captain
CBI - China-Burma-India Theater
CCF - Chinese Communist Forces (Korean War)
CCTS - Combat Crew Training Squadron
CCTW - Combat Crew Training Wing
CENTAF - Central Air Force
CINCLANT - Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic
CINCPAC - Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command
CINCPACAF - Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Air Forces
CINCSAC - Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Air Command
CINCUSAFE - Commander-in-Chief, United States Air Forces in Europe
COB - Collocated Operating Base
Col - Colonel
CONAD - Continental Air Defense Command
CONUS - Continental United States
CSG - Combat Support Group
CTS - Combat Training Squadron
CZ - Canal Zone (in Panama)
DAF - Department of the Air Force
Det - detachment
DEW - Distant Early Warning
DFSC - Symbol denoting color photographic number
DOD - Department of Defense
DRU - Direct Reporting Unit
DUC - Distinguished Unit Citation
dy - duty
EAME - European-African-Middle Eastern
ECM - Electronic Countermeasures
ETO - European Theater of Operations
ETTF - European Tanker Task Force
FAC - Forward Air Control
FBG - Fighter Bomber Group
FEAF - Far East Air Forces (later named PACAF)
FICON - Fighter-Interceptor Carrier, Reconnaissance
Fld - Field
FMS - Field Maintenance Squadron
FOA - Field Operating Agency
FS - Fighter Squadron
Ft - Fort
FTW - Flying Training Wing
FW - Fighter Wing
GHQAF - General Headquarters Air Force
GLCM - Ground Launched Cruise Missile
HQ - Headquarters
IBC - Iceland Base Command
ICBM - intercontinental ballistic missile
ICM - intercontinental missile (i.e. the Snark)
Intl - international
IRBM - intermediate range ballistic missile
IW - Intelligence Wing
K/KE - Symbols denoting photo color negative number
KTACS - Korean Tactical Air Control System
LANTIRN - Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared System for Night
LG - Landing Ground
LGB - laser guided bomb
Lt Col - Lieutenant Colonel
MAC - Military Airlift Command (earlier called MATS)
Maj - Major
Maj Gen - Major General
MAJCOM - Major Command
MAJCON - major command controlled
MATS - Military Air Transport Service (later called MAC)
MAW - Military Airlift Wing
MDW - Medical Wing
MiG - Soviet fighter aircraft
MILSTAR - Military Strategic and Tactical Relay System
MMS - Munitions Maintenance Squadron
mph - miles per hour
MTO - Mediterranean Theater of Operations
MUC - Meritorious Unit Commendation
Muni - Municipal
MW - Missile Wing
NAF - Numbered Air Force
NAS - Naval Air Station
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NAVSTAR - Navigational Satellite Timing and Ranging
NEACP - National Emergency Airborne Command Post
NORAD - North American Air Defense Command
NUC - Navy Unit Commendation
OCAC - Office of the Chief of the Air Corps
OG - Operations Group
OL - Operating Location
OMS - Organizational Maintenance Squadron
PACAF - Pacific Air Forces (earlier called FEAF)
PACCS - Post-attack Command and Control System
POMO - Production Oriented Maintenance Organization
POW - Prisoner of War
Prov - Provisional
PUC - Presidential Unit Citation
RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force
RAF - Royal Air Force (of Great Britain)
R& D - Research and Development
RCM - Electronic-countermeasure reconnaissance
RQW - Rescue Wing
RS - Reconnaissance Squadron
RTAFB - Royal Thai(land) Air Force Base
RTNAfld - Royal Thai(land) Navy Airfield
RTU - Replacement Training Unit
RW - Reconnaissance Wing
SAC - Strategic Air Command
SAGE - semi-automatic ground environment
SEA - Southeast Asia
SMS - Strategic Missile Squadron
SMW - Strategic Missile Wing
SOA - Separate Operating Agency
SOS - Special Operations Squadron
SOW - Special Operations Wing
SPTW - Support Wing
SPW - Space Wing (prior to 1994 [see also SW])
SRAM - Short Range Attack Missile
SRS - Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
SRW - Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
Sta - Station
START - Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
STS - Space Transportation System
SW - Strategic Wing prior to 1994/Space Wing after 1994
SWA - Southwest Asia
T/D - Table of Distribution
T/O - Table of Organization
TAC - Tactical Air Command
TAS - Tactical Airlift Squadron
TASS - Tactical Air Support Squadron
TAW - Tactical Airlift Wing
TCG - Troop Carrier Group
TCW - Troop Carrier Wing
TEWS - Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron
TFS - Tactical Fighter Squadron
TFTG - Tactical Fighter Training Group
TFTS - Tactical Fighter Training Squadron
TFTW - Tactical Fighter Training Wing
TFW - Tactical Fighter Wing
TH - Territory of Hawaii
TMW - Tactical Missile Wing
TRS - Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
TRW - Tactical Reconnaissance Wing prior to 1992;Training Wing after 1993
TTS - Tactical Training Squadron
TUSLOG - The United States Logistics Group
TW - Test Wing
UN - United Nations
unkn - unknown
US - United States (of America)
USA - United States Army
USAF - United States Air Force
USAFA - United States Air Force Academy
USAFE - United States Air Forces in Europe
USARPAC - United States Army, Pacific
USMC - United States Marine Corps
USN - United States Navy
USNAS - United States Naval Air Station
USSTAF - United States Strategic Air Forces
VA - Veterans Administration
VHB - Very Heavy Bombardment
VIP - Very Important Person(s)
VNAF - Vietnamese Air Force (Republic of Vietnam or South Vietnam)
WD - War Department
WG - Wing