This is a little misleading – military time doesn’t exist – it is really the 24-hour clock.  The system is used by lots of people outside of the military such as the police, ambulance, hospitals, fire department, and airlines.  The system is designed to ensure there is no ambiguity in time keeping, to make sure you can’t get confused between 2 o’clock in the afternoon and 2 o’clock in the morning.

How does it work?

Well the usual time uses numbers 1-12 and the 24 hour system uses numbers 1-24, it is just a case of learning which one corresponds to what.  Here it is, and how it is written:

1:00 am           0100 hrs

2:00 am           0200 hrs

3:00 am           0300 hrs

And so on…

Until:

1:00 pm           1300 hrs          6:00 pm           1800 hrs

2:00 pm           1400 hrs          7:00 pm           1900 hrs

3:00 pm           1500 hrs          8:00 pm           2000 hrs

4:00 pm           1600 hrs          9:00 pm           2100 hrs

5:00 pm           1700 hrs         10:00 pm         2200 hrs

                                                 11:00 pm         2300 hrs

At midnight, not everyone agrees.  Some people say that midnight is 2400 hrs, others say 0000 hrs.  The widespread view is that it is 0000 hrs.  To avoid confusion, the military almost never uses midnight as a timing; it will always use either 2359 hrs or 0001 hrs so you know which day you are on.

Learn the numbers

It is really a well tried and tested system that does ensure timings are kept without any confusion.  But it does rely on people actually learning the system. One trick to help learn and remember military time is this: morning hours (up to noon) are the same as civilian time. For hours after noon subtract 12 (or one from the first digit and two from the second digit), and that gives you the civilian time. For example, 2300 hours minus 12 is 11, meaning 11:00.

It can also be an easier way of working out how many hours it is between two different times.  For example how long is it between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm?  If you write it in military time: 1030 and 1630, it is easy to see at a glance that it is six hours.

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The military uses the phonetic alphabet to ensure clear communication of letters over oral communications media, such as telephones and radios. Basically, you use a word to represent each letter in a series. For example, instead of saying “NBC” (which could easily be confused with “MBC”, “NVC” or other similar-sounding letters), you would say “November Bravo Charlie”.

Here’s the full phonetic alphabet used by the U.S. military:

• A: Alpha


• B: Bravo


• C: Charlie


• D: Delta


• E: Echo


• F: Foxtrot


• G: Golf


• H: Hotel


• I: India


• J: Juliet


• K: Kilo


• L: Lima


• M: Mike


• N: November


• O: Oscar


• P: Papa


• Q: Quebec


• R: Romeo


• S: Sierra


• T: Tango


• U: Uniform


• V: Victor


• W: Whiskey


• X: X-ray


• Y: Yankee


• Z: Zulu

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The military operates at all hours of the day and night, so it uses a 24-hour clock to avoid confusion between AM and PM hours. This clock sometimes causes confusion for civilians, who don’t grasp the concept of “military time.”

The table below provides conversion between military time and standard time:
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Are you thinking about enlisting in the United States Air Force? Before you visit a military recruiter, you may wish to verify that you meet the basic enlistment requirements to avoid a disappointing outcome.


Before you enlist, you should read the Know Before You Go Guide to Enlistment from Military.com



Here’s an overview of the current requirements:

• Age requirement. Currently, the Air Force will allow you to enlist in the active duty force if you are between the ages of 17-27. If you are 17, you must have written parental consent. If you hope to enlist in the Air Force reserve, you may be up to 34 years old. If you have prior military service, you may be eligible for a waiver of this requirement.


• Exam requirement. You must take and pass the Armed Forces Qualifying Test. Each service has different standards for passing the exam.
• Medical Eligibility. You must be able to pass a military physical and be medically qualified for worldwide service. You also must meet Air Force height and weight standards.


• Drug History. You will be asked to answer the following questions in writing before you enlist:
  
  
  
  • Have you ever used or experimented with marijuana?
  
  
  • Have you ever experimented with, used or possessed any illegal drug or narcotic?
  
  
  • Have you ever been a supplier or distributor of or a trafficker in marijuana, or other illegal drugs or narcotics?
  
  
  • Have you ever been treated or undergone rehabilitation for drug or alcohol abuse?
  
  
  • Have you consumed hemp seed oil or any products containing hemp seed oil in the last 45 days?
  
  
  
  Marijuana use alone is not necessarily disqualifying, depending upon the number of uses. You will be required to take a drug test before enlisting.


• Moral History. Convictions for any of the following offenses will make you ineligible for military service:
  
  
  
  • Aggravated assault
  
  
  • Bribery
  
  
  • Burglary
  
  
  • Carnal knowledge of, or indecent acts with, a child under 16
  
  
  • Draft evasion
  
  
  • Extortion
  
  
  • Kidnapping, abduction
  
  
  • Manslaughter or Murder
  
  
  • Perjury
  
  
  • Rape
  
  
  • Robbery
  
  
  
  Exceptions may be made in some cases where the crime was not committed as an adult. Convictions for other crimes require a waiver.


• Education. Generally speaking, you must be a high school graduate to enlist in the Air Force. Unlike other services, the Air Force usually accepts only individuals with a high school diploma or adult education diploma. They do accept an extremely small number of individuals with a GED or equivalent. Those individuals must have exceptionally high scores on the AFQT.


• Dependents. You may not have more than two dependents (including your spouse). Single parents are not eligible for enlistment. If you are married to a military member and have children, you are only eligible to enlist if you obtain a special waiver.


• Financial Qualifications. If you have any dependents, are 23 years of age or older, or have a bad credit history, you must successfully complete a financial qualifications check. Basically, the military looks at your debts and financial responsibilities and compares it to your future military income. If you won’t be able to meet your obligations on a military salary, you’re ineligible to enlist.


• Residency. You must be a permanent resident of the United States to enlist in the Air Force. You’ll be asked to prove this by providing either a green card or a permanent resident visa and proof that you’ve established a permanent home in the country. If you’re hoping to become a military officer, you must be a U.S. citizen.

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