NVA
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | North Vietnamese Army |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Military |
NVA has two meanings. It stands for North Vietnamese Army (military unit and organization) or Nationale Volksarmee (National People's Army) (military unit and organization).
Meanings of NVA at a glance
| # | NVA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Vietnamese Army | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
| 2 | Nationale Volksarmee (National People's Army) | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
1. North Vietnamese Army
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
Name used by Americans during the Vietnam War for the People's Army of Vietnam, the regular army of North Vietnam, as distinct from the Viet Cong guerrillas fighting in the South.
Example: NVA regulars attacked the firebase from three sides before dawn.
The force is officially the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and remains Vietnam's army today. American veterans' memoirs and histories almost always use NVA. In Cold War European history, NVA also refers to the East German army.
2. Nationale Volksarmee (National People's Army)
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
Armed forces of East Germany from 1956 until German reunification in 1990, organized along Soviet lines as part of the Warsaw Pact. Most of its personnel and equipment were absorbed into or disposed of by the Bundeswehr.
Example: His father served as a conscript in the NVA before the Berlin Wall fell.
The NVA was formally established in 1956, and conscription was introduced in 1962. It was disbanded on 2 October 1990, the day before reunification. In Vietnam War contexts, NVA means the North Vietnamese Army.
Related abbreviations
More military unit and organization abbreviations
- NG – National Guard
- NGB – National Guard Bureau
- NORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command
- NORTHCOM – United States Northern Command
- NROTC – Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps
- NSW – Naval Special Warfare Command
- NWC – National War College
- ODA – Operational Detachment Alpha
- OSD – Office of the Secretary of Defense
- PACAF – Pacific Air Forces
- PACOM – United States Pacific Command
- PJ – Pararescue jumper