Question about military "code"

[Runes911]

I dont know what else to call it. Help me out here. What is it called, when relaying letters over a radio, when a letter is substituted with a word. Such as Alpha, Zulu, Omega, etc. What is this "code" and where does it come from?

 

[hpkeeper]

I'd be curious too, I've heard HAM radio users use it as well... it's not restricted to the military.

 

[KillerCharlie]

It's referred to as the "phonetic alphabet" and is used to avoid confusion in letters. "Delta" and "Bravo" are a lot harder to confuse than "d" and "b."

 

[franksta]

It's just to clarify the letters being spoken. I don't know if it has a name. Phonetic alphabet?

 

[cKGunslinger]

NATO phonetic alphabet

A=Alpha
B=Bravo
C=Charlie
D=Delta
E=Echo
F=Foxtrot
G=Golf
H=Hotel
I=India
J=Juliet
K=Kilo
L=Lima
M=Mike
N=November
O=Oscar
P=Papa
Q=Quebec
R=Romeo
S=Sierra
T=Tango
U=Uniform
V=Victor
W=Whiskey
X=X-ray
Y=Yankee
Z=Zulu

 

[TheBDB]

Yup, that's what the Navy uses.

 

[bmacd]

cKGunslinger ftw

-=bmacd=-

 

[FoBoT]

i think there are a few variations of it

 

[PatboyX]

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i think there are a few variations of it

yeah, gunslingers list seems different than the one my mother had to learn when she joined the army...but i could just be remembering wrong.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: PatboyX

Originally posted by: FoBoT
i think there are a few variations of it

yeah, gunslingers list seems different than the one my mother had to learn when she joined the army...but i could just be remembering wrong.

There are, but the above list is the current US Army standard.

 

[bradruth]

There's also the non-military version.

Adam
Boy
Charles
David
Edward
Frank
George
Henry
Ida
John
King
Lincoln
Mary
Nora
Ocean
Paul
Queen
Robert
Sam
Tom
Union
Victor
William
X-ray
Young/yellow
Zebra