Abbreviations have generally been avoided, being used in unit and appointment titles, in text and in tables where space, repetition or context make it desirable or unavoidable.
| A | MD | Military District | |
| AA | Australian Archives | Mech | Mechanical |
| AA Avn | Australian Army Aviation Corps | MFO | Multinational Force and Observers |
| AA BC | Australian Army Band Corps | MG | machine gun |
| AACC | Australian Army Catering Corps | MGO | Master General of the Ordnance |
| AAF | Australian Army Force | MHR | Member of the House of Representatives |
| AATTV | Australian Army Training Team Vietnam | mid | mentioned in dispatches |
| ABC | Atomic, Biological and Chemical | MINURSO | UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara |
| AC | Companion of the Order of Australia | MM | Military Medal |
| Admin | Administration | MMM | Military Merit Medal |
| ACM | Air Chief Marshal | MSD | Meritorious Service Decoration |
| ACPers | Assistant Chief of Personnel | MSM | Meritorious Service Medal |
| ADC | aide de camp | MT | Mechanical Transport |
| ADFA | Australian Defence Force Academy | Mtd | Mounted |
| AFC | Air Force Cross | MVO | Member of the Victorian Order |
| AFP | Armed Forces of the Philippines | N | |
| AFV | Australian Force Vietnam | NATO | North Atlantic Treaty Organisation |
| AHQ | Army Headquarters | NBC | Nuclear, Biological and Chemical |
| AIF | Australian imperial Force | NCO | Non-commissioned Officer |
| AK | Knight of the Order of Australia | NG | New Guinea |
| AKR | Army of the Khmer Republic | NIR | Nigerian Infantry Regiment |
| ALSG | Australian Logistic Support Group | NQ | North Queensland |
| AMF | Australian Military Forces | NS | National Service |
| AMR | Australian Military Regulations | NSW | New South Wales |
| ANARE | Australian National Antarctic Relief Expedition | NT | Northern Territory |
| Anzac | Australian and New Zealand Army Corps | NZ | New Zealand |
| Anzac | Australia(n) and New Zealand (generically) | O | |
| ANZUK | Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom | OAM | Medal of the Order of Australia |
| AO | Officer of the Order of Australia | OBE | Officer of the Order of the British Empire |
| AOD | Advanced Ordnance Depot | OC | Officer Commanding |
| APC | Armoured Personnel Carrier | O/C | Officer Cadet |
| Appx | Appendix | OCS | Officer Cadet School |
| AQMG | Assistant Quartermaster General | Offr | Officer |
| ARA | Australian Regular Army | OIR | Officer Intelligence Rating |
| Armd | Armoured | ONUMUZ | United Nations Observers Mozambique |
| ARRC | Associate of the Royal Red Cross | Op | Operating |
| Arty | Artillery | Ops | Operations |
| ARVN | Army of the Republic of Vietnam | Ord | Ordnance |
| ATF | Australian Task Force | ORBAT | Order of Battle |
| Aust | Australia(ian) | P | |
| Aust Int | Australian Intelligence Corps | para | paragraph |
| AVM | Air Vice Marshal | PC | Privy Councillor |
| AWAS | Australian Womens Auxiliary Service | PCCU | Postal and Courier Communications Unit |
| AWM | Australian War Memorial | Pers | Personnel |
| B | Pet | Petroleum | |
| BCFK | British Commonwealth Force Korea | PIR | Pacific Islands Regiment |
| BCM | Bronze Cross Medal | Pl | Platoon |
| BCOF | British Commonwealth Occupation Force | PMC | President of the Mess Committee |
| Bde | Brigade | PMF | Permanent Military Forces |
| BEM | British Empire Medal | PNG | Papua New Guinea |
| BHP | Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd | PNGDF | Papua New Guinea Defence Force |
| BM | Bravery Medal | pr | pounder |
| Bn | Battalion | Pt | Point, Port |
| BOS | Board of Studies | Pte | Private |
| Brig | Brigadier | PT | Physical Training |
| BSM | Battalion Sergeant Major | PTI | Physical Training Instructor |
| Bty | Battery | Q | |
| C | QC | Queen’s Commendation | |
| ca | circa | Qld | Queensland |
| CADRAN | Cadets-Army Royal Australian Navy | QM | Quartermaster |
| CAG | Commonwealth of Australia Gazette | QMG | Quartermaster General |
| Capt | Captain | Qtg | Quartering |
| Cav | Cavalry | R | |
| CB | Commander of the Bath | RAA | Royal Australian Artillery |
| CBE | Commander of the Order of the British Empire | RAAC | Royal Australian Armoured Corps |
| Cdo | Commando | RAAEC | Royal Australian Education Corps |
| CGS | Chief of the General Staff | RAAF | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Ch | Chapter | RAAMC | Royal Australian Army Medical Corps |
| CMF | Citizen Military Forces | RAAOC | Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps |
| CMG | Commander of St Michael and St George | RAASC | Royal Australian Army Service Corps |
| CO | Commanding Officer | RACT | Royal Australian Corps of Transport |
| COC | Company of Officer Cadets | RAE | Royal Australian Engineers |
| Col | Colonel | RAEME | Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers |
| Col Sgt | Colour Sergeant | RACMP | Royal Australian Corps of Military Police |
| Colm | Column | RAF | Royal Air Force |
| Comd | Command, Commander | RAR | Royal Australian Regiment |
| Comm(s) | Communication(s) | RA Sigs | Royal Australian Signals Corps |
| Coy | Company | RASR | Regular Army Supplementary Reserve |
| Cpl | Corporal | RA Svy | Royal Australian Survey Corps |
| Cpt | Captain (Philippines) | RAA Pro | Royal Australian Army Provost Corps |
| CRAASC | Commander RAASC | RBLF | Royal Brunei Land Force |
| CSM | Company Sergeant Major | RFMF | Royal Fiji Military Forces |
| CSC | Corps of Staff Cadets, Conspicuous Service Cross | RMA | Royal Military Academy |
| CTMO | Chief Transport and Movements Officer | Regt | Regiment |
| CVO | Companion of the Victorian Order | Res | Reserve |
| Cwlth | Commonwealth | RL | Retired List |
| D | RMC | Royal Military College of Australia (Duntroon) | |
| DADST | Deputy Assistant Director of Supplies and Transport | RNZAC | Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps |
| DA&QMG | Deputy Adjutant and Quartermaster General | RNZA | Royal New Zealand Artillery |
| DAQMG | Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General | RNZAOC | Royal New Zealand Army Ordnance Corps |
| DCGS | Deputy Chief of the General Staff | RNZASC | Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps |
| DCM | Distinguished Conduct Medal | RNZCT | Royal New Zealand Corps of Transport |
| Dep | Depot | RNZE | Royal New Zealand Engineers |
| Det | Detachment | RNZEME | Royal New Zealand Electrical&Mechanical Engineers |
| DFC | Distinguished Flying Cross | RNZIR | Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment |
| DMT | Director(ate) of Military Training | RNZ Sigs | Royal New Zealand Signals |
| Div | Division | RQMS | Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant |
| DMOVT | Director of Movements and Transport | RSL | Returned Services League of Australia |
| DOD | Department of Defence | RSM | Regimental Sergeant Major |
| DSO | Distinguished Service Order | RTAF | Royal Thai Armed Forces |
| DSS | Distinguished Service Star | S | |
| DUKW | wheeled amphibian | SA | South Australia/iarn |
| E | SAF | Armed Forces of the Republic of Singapore | |
| ED | Extra drill | SASR | Special Air Service Regiment |
| Engrs | Engineers | SEATO | South East Asia Treaty Organisation |
| Eqpt | Equipment | Sec, Sect | Section |
| Estb | Establishment | SGCE | Services General Certificate of Education |
| F | Sgt | Sergeant | |
| FARELF | Far East Land Forces | Sig. Sigs | Signaller, Signals |
| Fd | Field | SM | Sergeant Major |
| FDF | Fiji Defence Force | SMLE | Short Muzzle Lee Enfield |
| Fd Regt | Field Regiment | SNCO | Senior Non-commissioned Officer |
| FIR | Fiji Infantry Regiment | Spec | Special |
| Flg Off | Flying Officer | Spr | Sapper |
| FS | Field Service | Spt | Support |
| ft | foot (measure) | Sqn | Squadron |
| G | SRD | Supply Reserve Depot | |
| GCM | Gold Cross Medal | Ssgt | Staff Sergeant |
| GCMG | Grand Commander of St Michael and St George | ST | Supplies and Transport |
| GCVO | Grand Commander of the Victorian Order | SUO | Senior Under Officer |
| gen | general | Sup | Supply(ies) |
| GL Gp | Ground Liaison Group | Svc | Service |
| GM | George Medal | SVN | South Vietnam |
| Gnr | Gunner | T | |
| GOC | General Officer Commanding | TAFE | Technical and Further Education |
| Gp | Group | Tas | Tasmania/ian |
| GP | General Purpose | Tech | Technical |
| GPMG | general purpose machine gun | TFMA | Task Force Maintenance Area |
| GSO | General Staff Officer | TIR | Tongan Infantry Regiment |
| H | Tk | Tank | |
| HMAS | Her Majesty’s Australian Ship | Tml | Terminal |
| HMS | Her Majesty’s Ship | Tn | Transportation |
| Hosp | Hospital | Trg | Training |
| HQ | Headquarters | Tp | Troop |
| I | Tps | Troops | |
| Inf | Infantry | Tpt | Transport |
| Inst | Institute | Trk | Tracked |
| ISCAM | Inter-Service Athletics Meeting | U | |
| ISCSC | Inter-Service Colleges Swimming Carnival | UK | United Kingdom |
| J | UN | United Nations | |
| JTC | Jungle Training Centre | UNAMIR | UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda |
| K | UNC-K | UN Command-Korea | |
| KBE | Knight of the British Empire | UNIFIL | UN Interim Force in Lebanon |
| KCB | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire | UNIIMOG | UN Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group |
| KCMG | Knight Commander of St Michael & St George | UNITAF | UN Task Force in Somalia |
| KCVO | Knight Commander of the Victorian Order | UNMCTT | UN Mine Clearance Training Team |
| kg | kilogram | UNMOGIP | UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan |
| km | kilometre | UNOSOM II | Second UN Operation in Somalia |
| kph | kilometres per hour | UNSCOM | UN Special Commission |
| KT | Knight | UNTAC | UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia |
| kva | kilovolt amp | UNTAG | UN Transition Assistance Group |
| L | UNTSO | UN Truce Supervision Organisation | |
| LARC | wheeled amphibian | UO | Under Officer |
| lb | pound (measure) | USMA | United States Military Academy West Point |
| Lcpl | Lance Corporal | UXB | unexploded bomb |
| LFHQ | Land Force Headquarters | US, USA | United States of America |
| Lt, 1Lt,2 Lt | Lieutenant, 1st/2nd Lieutenant | V | |
| LMG | light machine gun | VC | Victoria Cross, Viet Cong |
| L of C | Lines of Communication | VD | Volunteer Decoration |
| Lt Col | Lieutenant Colonel | veh | vehicle |
| LtC | Lieutenant Colonel (Philippines) | Vic | Victoria/ian |
| LVO | Licentiate of the Victorian Order | W | |
| M | WA | Western Australia/ian | |
| Maint | Maintenance | Wksp | Workshop |
| Maj | Major | WO | Warrant Officer |
| Maj Gen | Major General | WO1 | Warrant Officer Class One |
| MAJGEN | Major General | WO2 | Warrant Officer Class Two |
| MBE | Member of the Order of the British Empire | WW1 | World War One/World War I |
| MC | Military Cross | WW2 | World War Two/World War II |