| Acronym | Meaning |
| Acquisition Categories (USA) | |
| Administrative Cost Regime | |
| Air & Littoral Manoeuvre | |
| Annually Managed Expenditure | |
| Acquisition Operating Framework | |
| Assessment Phase | |
| Above Water Effects (capability area) or Atomic Weapons Establishment | |
| British Forces Post Office | |
| Battlespace Manoeuvre | |
| Business Support Group | |
| Board of Supervisors | |
| Concept - Assessment - Demonstration - Manufacture - In-service - Disposal | |
| Compound Annual Growth Rate | |
| Capability Equipment Plan | |
| Corporate Analysis Performance and Risk | |
| Cost Analysis and Assurance Services | |
| Cost Assurance Service | |
| Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Nuclear | |
| Command Control & Information Infrastructure | |
| Commitment Control Regime | |
| Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit | |
| Chief of Defence Materiel | |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | |
| Contracting for Availability | |
| Contracting for Capability | |
| Contractor Logistic Support | |
| Corporate Management Information System | |
| Capability Management Group | |
| Chief of Materiel | |
| Chief Operating Officer | |
| Chief of Staff | |
| Capability Planning Group | |
| Capability Sponsor | |
| Chief Scientific Adviser | |
| Comprehensive Spending Review | |
| Corporate Science & Technology | |
| Control Total | |
| Future Aircraft Carrier | |
| Defence Acquisition Change Programme | |
| Directorate of Analysis, Experimentation and Simulation | |
| Defence Board | |
| Defence Commercial Director. Now DGD Commercial | |
| Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Capability) | |
| Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Equipment Capability). Now DCDS(Capability) | |
| Director Central Legal Services | |
| Defence Change Portfolio | |
| Defence Equipment & Support | |
| Director of Equipment Capability | |
| Departmental Expenditure Limit | |
| Defence Equipment & Support Investment Board | |
| Deterrent | |
| Délégation générale pour l'armement (France) | |
| Director General Equipment | |
| Defence Inventory Effective Transformation | |
| Defence Information Infrastructure | |
| Defence Industrial Strategy | |
| Defence Logistics Organisation | |
| Defence Lines of Development | |
| Defence Logistics Transformation Programme | |
| Demonstration and Manufacture | |
| Defence Materiel Organisation (Australia) | |
| Department of Defence (USA/Australia) | |
| Defence Procurement Agency | |
| Direct Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit | |
| Disposal Services Authority | |
| DE&S Stock Accounting Collation Systems | |
| Defence Supply Chain Operations and Movements | |
| Defence Storage and Distribution Agency | |
| Defence Strategy & Plans Group | |
| Defence Science Technology Laboratory | |
| Deep Target Attack | |
| Defence Technology Strategy | |
| Defence Values for Acquisition | |
| Enabling Acquisition Change | |
| Equipment Capability Customer | |
| Expeditionary Logistics & Support | |
| Equipment Procurement Plan | |
| Equipment Support Plan | |
| Family of Advanced Cost Estimating Tools | |
| Foreign and Commonwealth Office | |
| Future Defence Supply Chain Initiative | |
| Fit For Business | |
| Front Line Command | |
| Full Operating Capability | |
| Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft | |
| Government Accountability Office (USA) | |
| Ground Manoeuvre | |
| Government Owned - Contractor Operated | |
| Head of Capability | |
| Her Majesty's Treasury | |
| Investment Approvals Board | |
| International Business Agreement | |
| Initial Gate | |
| Initial Operating Capability | |
| Integrated Provider Group | |
| Integrated Project Team | |
| Indirect Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit | |
| Information Superiority | |
| In-Service Date | |
| Information Systems and Services | |
| Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition & Reconnaissance | |
| Joint Business Agreement | |
| Joint Capabilities Board | |
| Joint Support Chain | |
| Key Performance Indicator | |
| Loi de Programmation Militaire (France) | |
| Maritime Change Programme | |
| Main Gate | |
| Ministry of Defence | |
| Military off-the-shelf | |
| Major Project Report | |
| National Audit Office | |
| Naval Bases | |
| Nuclear Decommissioning Authority | |
| National Defence Industries Council | |
| Non-Departmental Public Bodies | |
| Network Enabled Capability | |
| Non Equipment Investment Plan | |
| National Nuclear Laboratories | |
| National Physical Laboratories | |
| Net Present Value | |
| Not To Exceed | |
| Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'ARmement | |
| Operational Efficiency Programme | |
| Office of Government Commerce | |
| Precision Attack | |
| Public Accounts Committee | |
| Performance Agility Confidence Efficiency | |
| Programme Boards | |
| Planning Budgeting and Forecasting accounting system | |
| Parent Body Organisation | |
| Procurement Executive | |
| Private Finance Initiative | |
| Public Private Partnership | |
| Project Performance & Assurance | |
| Policy and Programmes Steering Group | |
| Planning Round (typically followed by year in which conducted, e.g., PR09) | |
| Public Works and Government Services Canada (Canada) | |
| Permanent Under Secretary | |
| Quadrennial Defence Review (USA) | |
| Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit | |
| Supply Chain Support | |
| Strategic Defence Review | |
| Secretariat for Equipment Capability | |
| Science Innovation Technology | |
| Special Projects (Counter-terrorism & Special Forces) | |
| System Readiness Level | |
| Senior Responsible Owner | |
| Short Term Plan | |
| Theatre Airspace | |
| Top Level Budget | |
| Through Life Capability Management | |
| Terms of Business Agreement | |
| Technology Readiness Level | |
| Urgent Operational Requirement | |
| Under Water Effects | |
| Vice Chief of Defence Staff |