KIA
Military abbreviation · Military Term
| Stands for | Killed in action |
|---|---|
| Categories | Military |
KIA stands for Killed in action, a military term abbreviation.
Casualty category for a service member killed outright by hostile action or who dies of wounds before reaching a medical treatment facility. Deaths from accidents, illness or friendly fire investigations are classified separately as non-hostile or under other categories.
Example: Three soldiers were KIA when an IED struck their vehicle near Kandahar.
Usage notes
A service member who survives to reach a medical facility and dies there is recorded as died of wounds (DOW), not KIA. Families of those killed in action are notified in person by a casualty notification officer and chaplain. KIA is also the name of the South Korean automaker, a completely unrelated use.
Related abbreviations
More military term abbreviations
- IPB – Intelligence preparation of the battlefield
- IRR – Individual Ready Reserve
- ISR – Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
- JAG – Judge Advocate General
- JTAC – Joint terminal attack controller
- JWICS – Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System
- LD – Line of departure
- LES – Leave and Earnings Statement
- LOAC – Law of armed conflict
- LOD – Line of duty
- LZ – Landing zone
- MARPAT – Marine Pattern