

Many people who have never served in the military probably will never learn the simplicity of military time, only hearing it referenced in popular culture like war movies or military shows like Zero Dark Thirty. I certainly feel more comfortable with the system as I have grown in my service." "I feel as though it is a common mistake because military time doesn't come naturally to everyone. "Not too long ago, I missed a meeting because I misread the time sent in an email," said Airman 1st Class Zach Wodaege, 87th Air Base Wing Judge Advocate military justice paralegal, hailing from Maple Valley, Wash. I often find myself mixing up times for that very reason. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.Īs military time, or 'real time,' is not commonly used among United Sates civilians, it is no wonder why new service members don't necessarily comprehend it. To this day, the Department of the Navy maintains the United States official time, with the Master Clock facility at the U.S. This method of time-keeping can be traced back to the Navy during World War I as all allied armies began using it starting with the United Kingdom.

The military operates at all hours of the day and night, so it uses a 24-hour clock, commonly referred to as military time, to avoid confusion between a.m. Subscribe to and receive customized updates delivered straight to your inbox.The 24-hour clock encompasses the entire day, so too, does the efforts of the men and women of the U.S.
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military, as well as critical info about how to join and all the benefits of service. Army didn't officially adopt military time until 1942.īe sure to get the latest news about the U.S. Navy began using the 24-hour clock in 1920, after becoming familiar with it during World War I. The 24-hour clock had already been employed throughout Europe for years before the U.S.

It's also an authoritative source of time and a set of methods to disseminate synchronized time worldwide."Īlthough the phrase "military time" is commonly used, this time system was not invented by the military. "Military time, therefore, is more than a method for counting the hours. "Precise time is crucial to navigation, geographical positioning for locating forces and targets, and secure communications," according to the Encyclopedia of Military Science. Military routines and operations demand precision, and the use of the 24-clock system prevents any confusion over a.m. One of the main advantages of using military time is eliminating ambiguity. Read More: Military Lingo for New Military Spouses Military Time Chart 12-Hour Clock For example, for 2000 hours, subtract 12 from 20 to get 8 p.m. The day ends just before midnight at what civilians would call 11:59 p.m., but which in military time is 23:59, or twenty-three fifty-nine hours.įor those still learning the 24-clock system, a simple way to translate afternoon and evening hours into civilian time is to subtract 12. The military references to the afternoon and evening hours often take new enlistees in basic training longer to learn by heart.Īfter noon, instead of starting over with 1, military time continues chronologically, so that 1 p.m. This ease continues through midday, which is 1200 (twelve hundred) hours. The morning hours are simple enough to understand. in civilian time is written simply as 0630 in military time. In the four-digit expression of time, no colon separates the hours and minutes.
