When you hear the word military what comes to your mind is respect, obedience, discipline. you must have seen the way the military men behave. They behave differently from the way civilians behave because of the training they have undergone.
In this article, we are going to discuss extensively the 24-hour military time clock and its relevance and benefit to us.
24-hour Military Time Clock
The military operates a 24-hour clock which begins from midnight which is 0000 hour so in the military 1 a.m. is 0100 hours and 2 a.m. is 0200 hours this continues like this until 11 p.m. which is 23:00 hours. When you look at this timing system in the military you see that the military timing is very confusing.
Then when you switch over to daytime you hear something like 13:00 hour which is 1 p.m. and in the evening you hear something like 1700 hour which is 5 p.m. Complicated isn’t it but not to worry we have you covered so this code will be broken down so that you can understand how the military timing works.
Military time chart
For easy understanding of the military time it will be further broken down.
- Midnight 12 a.m-0000hrs
- 1:00am-0100hrs
- 2:00am-0200hrs
- 3:00am-0300hrs
- 4:00am-0400hrs
- 5:00am-0500hrs
- 6:00am-0600hrs
- 7:00am-0700hrs
- 8:00am-0800hrs
- 9:00am-0900hrs
- 10:00am-1000hrs
- 11:00am-1100hrs
- 12:00pm-1200hrs
- 1:00pm-1300hrs
- 2:00pm-1400hrs
- 3:00pm-1500hrs
- 4:00pm-1600hrs
- 5:00pm-1700hrs
- 6:00pm-1800hrs
- 7:00pm-1900hrs
- 8:00pm-2000hrs
- 9:00pm-2100hrs
- 10:00pm-2200hrs
- 11:00pm-2300hrs
Many countries of the world prefers using the normal time which is the civilian time,you can’t really blame them for that.The civilian time is easy to comprehend. Immediately you say what time it is everyone around understand that same minute.
Unlike the military time which you need to do a quick math to understand. The military time starts counting from the 0000 hour and ends at 2300 hours. The 0000 hour represents the 12:00 am in the civilian time and the 2300hour represent 11:00pm.
Though the military timing is not too difficult to understand, its confusing nature makes it difficult. In the military setting the word hours is used constantly, for example the commander wants us to assemble at 13:45 hour it simply means 1:45pm. You can also hear something like this at 00:00 hour another watch starts it simply means 12:00 am
Why the 24-hour time is being referred to as the military time
The 24hour time is referred to as the military time in English speaking countries like the United States and Canada because it is strictly used instead of the normal 12 hour timing system.
The 24hour clock may have been one of the original methods of telling time, but today it is simply used by authoritative areas such as the armed forces. Today, it is more common to see the time displayed in the 12hour clock system as there is little reason for us to follow the original 24-hour clock.
A large part of the United States sees this 24hour clock system which starts from the 0000 hour as the most convenient for them.
The 24hour timing system has become like a norm for the military. They always find ways to do things differently. Even military codes are used most times during communication this is how they are trained and it has become a part of their working system.
Another reason for the adoption of the 24hour timing system by the military is because of its simplicity. The 24 hours system is best for them because there may be a time where you will confuse am for pm but the military 24hours makes no interruptions when it comes to dispatching of duties.
For instance during an operation the commander over the radio says attack by 8 it can be misunderstood because there is 8am and there is 8pm so when the receiver decodes wrongly the operation will be ruined but when they make use of the 24 hour military time every time represent what it is and it can’t be misunderstood.
For instance a commander says the operation starts at 18:00hrs it is what it is because they all understand what the time is and at that point everyone would be battle ready.
What are the benefits of the military 24-hour timing system
You may ask what the use of this time or what benefits come from the military 24 hour time don’t bother yourself because it will be explained.
- It avoids misunderstanding:Just like the explanation given above when it comes to dispatching their duties the military are very articulate so when there is a breach of information the wrong signal is sent which can cause havoc in the long run.
- It makes dissemination of information easy: the military 24hour time helps information to flow from the top to bottom.When they use their codes and time it is of a better effect than using the normal civilian time.
- It makes information reliable:since there is no way information can be misunderstood, dissemination of information becomes easy and the information can be trusted to act upon.
- For emergency responses: during an operation there is no time for long talk so all the military signs and codes are made use of. When such signs are used it makes it difficult for another person to react which prompt a quick response from the base or from within
Conclusion
The military 24hour time is a standardized timing system.The adopts this method because it is the most suitable for them and also to help them understand each other better.