The special-operations mode in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) is called “Special Ops.” It is a collection of standalone missions separate from the main campaign and supports solo play or cooperative play with another player.
Special Ops missions test specific skills rather than advancing the campaign’s central plot. Examples include timed assaults, stealth tasks, vehicle sequences, and the famous obstacle-course challenge “The Pit.” Missions are divided into categories and award stars based on the selected difficulty and performance.
“Spec Ops” is a common shortened form of “Special Ops,” and many players use the two names interchangeably. However, “Missions” describes the individual challenges inside the mode, not the mode’s official name. “Survival” is associated with later Call of Duty special-operations designs, especially Modern Warfare 3, so it is not the canonical answer for Modern Warfare 2.