Whether you’ve got a friend who’s served in the military, or you’ve seen war movies or TV shows, you’ve probably heard of military phonetic phrases before. For example, an actor says “Oscar Mike” over the radio to a fellow soldier as they run to meet them.
Military phonetic phrases are based on the military phonetic alphabet, which assigns a word to each letter. Using the previous example, ‘Oscar’ for ‘O’ and ‘Mike’ for ‘M’ is an abbreviation of “On the move”. (Side note, if you are looking for really comfortable t-shirts, check this org out – with a mission, Oscar Mike Apparel)
If you use push-to-talk (PTT) two-way radios on a daily basis, you may have heard a colleague use these phrases as well. If this is the case, then you may have picked up a couple of the terms already. Otherwise, it can be difficult to understand what someone is trying to say.
Outside of the military, these phrases are less common, and generally only pop up over radio communication.
Why Use the Military Phonetic Alphabet and Phrases?
The military phonetic alphabet and the phrases that are based on the alphabet were designed to improve radio communication and understanding. Miscommunications can happen with radios, especially if there’s a poor signal or a lot of background noise. Letters like ‘B’ and ‘D’ can easily be confused and longer messages can be misunderstood.
Poor communication can cause major problems both inside and outside the military. Soldiers or employees can mishear instructions and efficiency and safety can easily be jeopardized.
The military phonetic alphabet and phrases ensure that communication is clear.
Common Military Phonetic Phrases
If you or your company uses PTT two-way radios, you can implement these phrases to improve clarity of communication. While Peak PTT radios are designed to deliver clear messages by using a long-distance 4G LTE network and noise-canceling technology, it can’t hurt to use these phrases (as long as both sender and receiver understand them).
Some common military phonetic phrases include:
- Oscar Mike: On the move
- Charlie Mike: Continue mission
- Tango Mike: Thanks much
- Mikes: Minutes
- Tango Uniform: Toes up, meaning killed or destroyed
- Tango Yankee: Thank You
- Wilco: Will comply
- Lima Charlie: Loud and clear
- November golf: No go, fail.
- Bravo Zulu: Good job.
- Whiskey Delta: Well done.
- Echo Tango Sierra: Expiration of service (someone who is about to complete their tour)
- Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: WTF
In addition to other radio codes like 10 codes, military phonetic phrases can help simplify and clarify radio communication. They’re also fun to learn and can give you more context the next time you watch a military movie or talk to your military buddy.