Terms and Definitions
| act of God - an unanticipated grave natural disaster or other natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable, and irresistible character the effects of which could not have been prevented or avoided by the exercise of due care or foresight. | (SOURCE - DHS, US Code 33, §2701) |
| act of international terrorism - (A) an act of torture, extrajudicial killing, aircraft sabotage, or hostage taking; and (B) providing material support or resources. | (SOURCE - DOE, US Code 42, §10609.) |
| act of international terrorism - (A) any act substantially contributing to the acquisition of unsafeguarded special nuclear material or any nuclear explosive device by an individual, group, or non-nuclear-weapon state; and (B) any act, as determined by the Secretary, which materially supports the conduct of international terrorism, including the counterfeiting of United States currency or the illegal use of other monetary instruments by an individual, group, or country supporting international terrorism. | (SOURCE - DOS, US Code 22, §2708) |
| act of international terrorism - an act (A) which is violent or dangerous to human life and that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any State; and (B) which appears to be intended— (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping. | (SOURCE - ODNI/ CIA/ DOD, US Code 50, §1701.) |
| act of mercy - In personnel recovery, assistance rendered to evaders by an individual or elements of the local population who sympathize or empathize with the evaders’ cause or plight. See also evader; evasion; recovery; recovery operations. | (SOURCE - DOD, DOD Dictionary, JP 3‐50) |
| act of piracy - any act of aggression, search, restraint, depredation, or seizure attempted against a vessel of the United States by an individual not authorized by the United States, a foreign government, or an international organization recognized by the United States to enforce law on the high seas. | (SOURCE - DOT/ Maritime, US Code 46, §8107) |
| act of terrorism - any act that the Secretary determines meets the requirements under subparagraph (B), as such requirements are further defined and specified by the Secretary. (B) An act meets the requirements of this subparagraph if the act— (i) is unlawful; (ii) causes harm to a person, property, or entity, in the United States, or in the case of a domestic United States air carrier or a United States-flag vessel (or a vessel based principally in the United States on which United States income tax is paid and whose insurance coverage is subject to regulation in the United States), in or outside the United States; and (iii) uses or attempts to use instrumentalities, weapons or other methods designed or intended to cause mass destruction, injury or other loss to citizens or institutions of the United States. | (SOURCE - DHS, US Code 6, §444) |
| act of war - any act occurring in the course of— (A) declared war; (B) armed conflict, whether or not war has been declared, between two or more nations; or (C) armed conflict between military forces of any origin. | (SOURCE - DOJ, US Code 18, §2331) |
| acting within the scope of his office or employment - acting in line of duty. | (SOURCE - DOJ, US Code 28, §2671) |
| action - A lawsuit or other proceeding pending before a court or a quasi-judicial body or a body acting in such a capacity. | (SOURCE - DOS/ USAID, FAM, 7 FAM 913) |
| action addressee - The post or element to which a cable is directed by the originator for action. | (SOURCE - DOS/ USAID, FAM, 5 FAM 1213) |
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