SALUTE

Military abbreviation · Military Term

SALUTE
Stands forSize, activity, location, unit, time, equipment
CategoriesMilitary

SALUTE stands for Size, activity, location, unit, time, equipment, a military term abbreviation.

Mnemonic for the information soldiers include when reporting enemy activity: how many, what they are doing, where, which unit or uniform, when observed and what equipment or weapons they carry.

Example: Use the SALUTE format when you call in what you see from the ridge.

Usage notes

Taught in basic training, SALUTE gives commanders a consistent picture from many observers. A shorter version, SALT (size, activity, location, time), is used when speed is critical. The acronym is also a convenient memory aid because saluting is so familiar to soldiers.

More military term abbreviations

  • RTO – Radiotelephone operator
  • S-1 – Personnel staff section
  • S-2 – Intelligence staff section
  • S-3 – Operations staff section
  • S-4 – Logistics staff section
  • S-6 – Communications staff section
  • SAP – Special access program
  • SCI – Sensitive compartmented information
  • SCIF – Sensitive compartmented information facility
  • SDO – Staff duty officer
  • SEAD – Suppression of enemy air defenses
  • SECDEF – Secretary of Defense

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