Why Does the Military Use a Phonetic Alphabet?
The military relies on the phonetic alphabet to clarify communications. In a military situation, a message that isn’t understood correctly can have critical consequences. When an RTO is monitoring a radio transmission in a combat environment, both the quality of the signal and the surrounding noise may make it hard to hear clearly. The phonetic alphabet minimizes the possibility of confusing “C Company” with “G Company” by using the easily distinguishable “Charlie Company” and “Golf Company” instead.
