History Main / MilitaryAlphabet

* George Clooney's character in ''TheMenWhoStareatGoats''. "We're Oscar Mike. That's 'on the move' soldier." Approximately coincides with the popularity of ''GenerationKill'' and ''ModernWarfare'' 2.

* the actives in ''{{Dollhouse}}'' are all named from it.

* ''{{Archer}}'' 's inability to use this creates a CrowningMomentOfFunny in "[[http://www.hulu.com/watch/128958/archer-skytanic#s-p1-so-i0 Skytanic]]"

The military, police departments and radio operators all make frequent use of this. Phone-based customer service and technical support also use it, but with more informal construction (any word will do), for the same reasons

Here is the NATO phonetic alphabet (also used by civilian pilots):

Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Zero, One, Two, Tree, Four, Fife, Six, Seven, Eight, Niner

Some versions use "Alfa" and "Juliett" and for "A' and "J", removing some pronunciation ambiguity for the benefit of non-English-speakers. Quebec is pronounced "Ke-beck", as the Qu sound all but disappears over most radios. Papa is "Pah-PAH", not "PAH-pah" or "PAH-puh" as it is commonly mispronounced.

Alphabet used by American forces in World War II:
Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item, Jig, King, Love, Mike, Nan, Oboe, Peter, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-Ray, Yoke, Zebra

Alphabet used by the RAF in World War II:
Able/Affirm, Baker, Charlie, Dog, Easy, Fox, George, How, Item/Interrogatory, Jig/Johnny, King, Love, Mike, Nab/Negat, Oboe, Peter/Prep, Queen, Roger, Sugar, Tare, Uncle, Victor, William, X-ray, Yoke, Zebra

The preceding two alphabets have been superseded by the NATO phonetic alphabet.

American police departments still use:

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

RAF 1942-43
Apple Beer Charlie Dog Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Jug/Johnny King Love Mother Nuts Orange Peter Queen Roger/Robert Suga Tommy Uncle Vic William X-ray Yoke/Yorker Zebra

British Army 1927
Ack Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic William X-ray Yorker Zebra (Source of the term ''Ack-Ack'' for Anti Aircraft fire, still in use in World War II, to judge from SpikeMilligan's story featuring a training exercise between Ack Army and Beer Army)

RAF 1924-42
Ac Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddie George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic William X-ray Yorker Zebra


Royal Navy 1917
Apples Butter Charlie Duff Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pudding Queenie Robert Sugar Tommy Uncle Vinegar Willie Xerxes Yellow Zebra

British Army "Signalese" 1916 (Battle of the Somme)
Ack Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddie Gee Harry Ink Johnnie King London Emma Nuts Oranges Pip Queen Robert Esses Toc Uncle Vic William X-Ray Yorker Zebra

U.S. Army 1916
Able Buy Cast Dock Easy Fox George Have Item Jig King Love Mike Nap Opal Pup Quack Rush Sail Tape Unit Vice Watch X-ray
Yoke Zed

The Braille Chess Association also use a form of this, which goes Anna Bella Casper David Eva Felix Gustave Hector. It does not need to go beyond this, because a chess board has only eight files.

* The ''CallOfDuty'' series, specifically ''ModernWarfare'' and its sequel, are credited with popularizing a number of NATO alphabet phrases among American teenagers that may or may not actually be used by the real US marines.

** Which shows why you shouldn't take reporting names from the enemy's language: the Russian word for shark is the Russian name and the reporting name for two different kinds of sub.

* ''{{Film/FlightOfTheIntruder}}'' uses this for a bit of a GeniusBonus: A character uses "Alpha Mike Foxtrot[[hottip:*: "Adios, Mother Fuckers"]]" to sign off after [[spoiler: Calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] on himself because the North Vietnamese were using him as bait for rescue choppers.]]

* ''{{Film/FlightOfTheIntruder}} uses this for a bit of a GeniusBonus: A character uses "Alpha Mike Foxtrot[[hottip:*: "Adios, Mother Fuckers"]]" to sign off after [[spoiler: Calling in an [[DeathFromAbove airstrike]] on himself because the North Vietnamese were using him as bait for rescue choppers.]]
* HotShots had a very funny parody of the phonetic alphabet.

Ack Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddy George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic William X-ray Yorker Zebra (Source of the term ''Ack-Ack'' for Anti Aircraft fire, still in use in World War II, to judge from Spike Milligan's story featuring a training exercise between Ack Army and Beer Army)

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<<|MilitaryAndWarfareTropes|>>

The military, police departments and radio operators all make frequent use of this.

* Notable use of NATO phonetic alphabet: the actives in ''{{Dollhouse}}'' are all named from it.

* Second notable use of said alphabet: Most Soviet submarines have ReportingNames randomly drawn from the alphabet. They eventually ran out and changed to another system involving Russian names for fish.
** Which shows why you shouldn't take reporting names from the enemy's language: the Russian word for shark is the Russian name and the reporting name for two different kinds of sub.

* ''OperationFlashpoint'' makes heavy use of the NATO phonetic alphabet. The topographical maps of the each of the game's islands are partitioned into squares with letters along the top and bottom and numbers down the sides. Combined these letters and numbers form map references and the letters are pronounced over the radio as their phonetic equivalents, so a squad leader might order his men to "Go to Delta Foxtrot Two Five", for example. The words are also often used as codenames to identify the various squads. "Alpha" through "Echo" are usually used to refer to infantry squads, "Yankee" usually refers to a tank platoon, the helicopter gunships are usually "November" and so on.

* The phonetic jargon in ''GenerationKill'' was a plot point: as the reporter grows closer to the squad, they finally start telling him what some of the phrases mean. Like Whiskey Tango = White Trash. The phrase "Oscar Mike," meaning "''On'' the ''M''ove" has suddenly seen prevalence in military videogames since ''GenerationKill'' aired, notably the aforementioned ''ModernWarfare 2'' and ''Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising''.
* ''{{Archer}}'' 's inability to use this creates a CrowningMomentOfFunny in "[[http://www.hulu.com/watch/128958/archer-skytanic#s-p1-so-i0 Skytanic]]"

* The highway patrol in ''SuperTroopers'' use a unique version when reading license plates over the radio. With inherently funny words like "eunuch".
** A Simpsons episode shows that the Springfield police have an unusual radio alphabet: Snake's licence plate is read out as "Eggplant Xerxes Crybaby Overbite Narwhal".

* The flight simulator, Falcon 3.0, makes use of some real-life examples. After shooting down an enemy plane, you'll hear your wingman say "Alpha Mike Foxtrot" ("Adios, mother fucker"). Also, if you give your wingman an order that'll get him killed (e.g., telling him to descend more than his current altitude), he'll tell you "Kilo Mike Alpha" ("Kiss my ass").
* One of The Bloodhound Gang's many IntercourseWithYou songs is named "Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo".
* HotShots had a very funny parody of the phonetic alphabet.
-->'''Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach''': Alpha Velveeta Knuckle Underwear, you are cleared for take-off. When you hit that nuclear weapons plant... drop a bomb for me!
-->'''Lt. Commander Block''': Uh, Sphincter Mucus Niner Ringworm, roger!

** Some movie or other (Hot Shots?) used completely ridiculous (for the purpose) words like "Floppydisk". Some even started with silent letters.

* The flight simulator, Falcon 3.0, makes use of some real-life examples. After shooting down an enemy plane, you'll hear your wingman say "Alpha Mike Foxtrot" ("Adios, mother fucker"). Also, if you give your wingman an order that'll get him killed (e.g., telling him to descend more than his current altitude), he'll tell you "Kilo Mike Alpha," ("Kiss my ass."