Military communications or military signals involve all aspects of
communication
Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...
s, or conveyance of
information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random, ...
, by
armed forces. Military communications span from pre-history to the present. The earliest military communications were delivered by
runners. Later, communications progressed to visual and audible signals, and then advanced into the electronic age. Examples from ''
Jane's Military Communications'' include text, audio,
facsimile,
tactical ground-based communications,
naval signalling, terrestrial
microwave
Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ra ...
,
tropospheric scatter,
satellite communications systems and equipment,
surveillance and
signal analysis,
security,
direction finding and
jamming.
[ IHS Jane's]
Military Communications
Retrieved 2012-01-23.
History
In past centuries communicating a message usually required someone to go to the destination, bringing the message. Thus, the term ''communication'' often implied the ability to transport people and supplies. A place under
siege was one that lost communication in both senses. The association between transport and messaging declined in recent centuries.
The first military communications involved the use of runners or the sending and receiving of simple
signals (sometimes
encoded to be unrecognizable). The first distinctive uses of military communications were called ''
semaphore''. Modern units specializing in these tactics are usually designated as ''
signal corps''. The Roman system of military communication (''
cursus publicus'' or ''cursus vehicularis'') is an early example of this. Later, the terms ''signals'' and ''
signaller'' became words referring to a highly-distinct military occupation dealing with general communications methods (similar to those in
civil use) rather than with
weapons.
Present-day military forces of an
informational society conduct intense and complicated communicating activities on a daily basis, using modern
telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
and
computing
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, ...
methods. Only a small portion of these activities are directly related to combat actions. Modern concepts of
network-centric warfare (NCW) rely on
network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematic ...
-oriented methods of communications and control to make existing forces more effective.
Military communications equipment
Drums,
horns,
flags, and
riders on horseback were some of the early methods the military used to send messages over distances. The advent of distinctive signals led to the formation of the
signal corps, a group specialized in the tactics of military communications. The signal corps evolved into a distinctive occupation where the
signaller became a highly technical job dealing with all available communications methods including civil ones.
''Signal corps''
in ''Britannica''.
In the middle 20th century radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...
equipment came to dominate the field. Many modern pieces of military communications equipment are built to both encrypt and decode transmissions and survive rough treatment in hostile climates. They use different frequencies to send signals to other radios and to satellites.
Military communications – or "comms" – are activities, equipment, techniques, and tactics used by the military in some of the most hostile areas of the earth and in challenging environments such as battlefields, on land (compare radio in a box), underwater and also in air. Military comms include command, control and communications and intelligence and were known as the C3I model before computers were fully integrated. The U.S. Army expanded the model to C4I when it recognized the vital role played by automated computer equipment to send and receive large, bulky amounts of data.
In the modern world, most nations attempt to minimize the risk of war caused by miscommunication or inadequate communication. As a result, military communication is intense and complicated, and often motivates the development of advanced technology for remote systems such as satellites and aircraft, both crewed and uncrewed, as well as computers. Computers and their varied applications have revolutionized military comms. Although military communication is designed for warfare, it also supports intelligence-gathering and communication between adversaries, and thus sometimes prevents war.
The six categories of military comms are:
* alert measurement systems
* cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adv ...
* military radio systems
* nuclear command and control
Nuclear command and control (NC2) is the command and control of nuclear weapons. The U. S. military's ''Nuclear Matters Handbook 2015'' defined it as the "activities, processes, and procedures performed by appropriate military commanders and sup ...
* signal corps
* network-centric warfare
The alert measurement systems are various states of alertness or readiness for the armed forces used around the world during a state of war, act of terrorism or a military attack against a state. They are known by different acronyms, such as DEFCON, or defense readiness condition, used by the U.S. Armed Forces.
Cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from grc, , translit=kryptós "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adv ...
is the study of methods of converting messages to a form unreadable except to one who knows how to decrypt them. This ancient military comms art gained new importance with the rise of radio systems whose signals traveled far and were easily intercepted. Cryptographic software is also widely used in civilian commerce.
Commercial refile
In United States military communications systems, commercial refile refers to sending a military message via a commercial communications network. The message may come from a military network
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematic ...
, such as a tape relay
A tape relay is a method of retransmitting teletypewriter traffic from one communication channel to another, in which messages arriving on an incoming channel are recorded in the form of perforated tape, this punched tape then being either fed di ...
network, a point-to-point telegraph network, a radio-telegraph network, or the Defense Switched Network
The Defense Switched Network (DSN) is a primary information transfer network for the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN) of the United States Department of Defense. The DSN provides the worldwide non-secure voice, secure voice, data, facs ...
Commercial refiling of a message will usually require a reformatting of the message, particularly the heading.
See also
* Jane's Military Communications
* Command and control
Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization o ...
* Signal Corps (disambiguation)
* Telecommunications
Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...
* Communications protection
* Electronic warfare
Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent ...
* Signals intelligence (SIGINT)
* Defence Information Infrastructure
* Kiev Military Institute of Control and Signals
* Luftwaffe radio equipment of World War II
* Bowman (British Army communications system)
* Parakeet (Australian Army communications system)
* Military Wireless Museum in the Midlands
* Telegraph troops
Forms of signalling
* Military hand and arm signals
* Morse code
* Flag semaphore
* Flag signals
* Naval flag signalling
* Signal lamp
* Heliograph
* Radio communications
* Wireless telegraphy
References
External links
Signal Corps History
Signal Corps Officer Candidate School History
{{Authority control
Combat support occupations
Telecommunications