An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

APOE in not an author

  • Published
  • By Bob Fehringer
  • U.S. Transportation Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  While one of this week's acronyms may spark an interest in the literary buffs out there, APOE is not a member of Edgar Allan Poe's family and this mention of the master of the macabre is about as close as we will ever get to literature in this column. 

APOE stands for Aerial Port of Embarkation and the following explanation comes straight from the U.S. Transportation Command library acronym page: 

An Aerial Port of Embarkation is a U.S. or host nation military or civilian facility designated by a combatant command to load elements of a force and its sustainment to support a military operation. The complex contains the facilities and organizations needed to perform the following functions as required: operate a joint air terminal; coordinate movement, parking, servicing and maintaining strategic airlift; load and unload personnel, equipment and materiel; provide life support and assistance to drivers and other personnel while awaiting transportation, when delivering equipment to the joint air terminal or when awaiting arrival of equipment; provide technical assistance to aviation units deploying through the complex; assist deploying units and non-unit personnel, equipment and materiel with onward movement from the complex; provide movement control into, within and out of the complex; and conduct air-to-air interface (AAI) operations. Prior coordination for use of AAI site is the responsibility of the designating command. 

Once the troops and all their stuff leaves the APOE, it's nice to be able to keep an eye on it all as it moves to the final destination. This is where ITV, or In-transit Visibility, comes in. Again, from the USTRANSCOM acronym pages: 

In-transit Visibility is the ability to track the identity, status and location of DoD units and non-unit cargo (excluding bulk petroleum, oils and lubricants) and passengers; medical patients; and personal property from origin to consignee or destination across the range of military operations. 

So once everything that embarked gets to where it's going, it is said to have reached the last acronym for this week, the APOD, or Aerial Port of Debarkation. The explanation for this term is pretty much the same as it is for APOE. Stuff just arrives instead of leaving. 

Confused? Try this. Elvis has embarked the building and debarked at his limo from which he embarked again and debarked at Graceland.