CQ

Military abbreviation · Military Term

CQ
Stands forCharge of quarters
CategoriesMilitary

CQ stands for Charge of quarters, a military term abbreviation.

Army duty in which an NCO and a junior soldier staff the barracks or unit headquarters desk after duty hours, answering phones, controlling access and handling emergencies overnight.

Example: I've got CQ tonight, so I can't make it to dinner.

Usage notes

The junior soldier is called the CQ runner. CQ shifts usually last 24 hours, followed by time off. In ham radio, CQ means a general call to any station, a completely unrelated use.

More military term abbreviations

  • COLA – Cost-of-living allowance
  • COMSEC – Communications security
  • CONOP – Concept of operations
  • CONUS – Continental United States
  • COP – Combat outpost
  • CP – Command post
  • CQB – Close-quarters battle
  • CSAR – Combat search and rescue
  • CT – Counterterrorism
  • CUI – Controlled unclassified information
  • CZTE – Combat Zone Tax Exclusion
  • DA – Direct action

See all 248 military term abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.