In this blog, we will introduce the 24-Hour Military Time System. This system is used by the military to keep track of time. It is also used by some other organizations, such as hospitals and airlines. The 24-Hour Military Time System is based on the 24-hour clock. Let’s find out with Guardyourhealth
What is The 24-hour Military Time System?
For most civilians, the time of day is referenced based on 12-hour periods. These 12-hour periods are followed by a.m. or p.m. to indicate whether it is daytime or nighttime. For example, if you were to set a meeting with your boss for nine in the morning, you would request a meeting for 9:00 am. Conversely, if you planned to meet later in the day, you would ask to get together at 3:00 pm.
The military uses a 24-hour time system instead. Rather than denoting the time of day with a.m. or p.m., the period in time is indicated by using a full 24-hour clock.
When referencing military time, the 24 hours on a clock are translated into segments of hundreds. Anything prior to double digits is preceded by a zero, which is spoken as an “O.” For example, 4:00 am in military time is 0400, which you would state as “Zero Four Hundred.” For double digits, the number is simply followed by the word “hundred,” e.g., “Thirteen Hundred.”
- Midnight (12:00 a.m.) — 0000 hrs
- 1:00 a.m. — 0100 hrs
- 2:00 a.m. — 0200 hrs
- 3:00 a.m. — 0300 hrs
- 4:00 a.m. — 0400 hrs
- 5:00 a.m. — 0500 hrs
- 6:00 a.m. — 0600 hrs
- 7:00 a.m. — 0700 hrs
- 8:00 a.m. — 0800 hrs
- 9:00 a.m. — 0900 hrs
- 10:00 a.m. — 1000 hrs
- 11:00 a.m. — 1100 hrs
- 12:00 p.m. — 1200 hrs
- 1:00 p.m. — 1300 hrs
- 2:00 p.m. — 1400 hrs
- 3:00 p.m. — 1500 hrs
- 4:00 p.m. — 1600 hrs
- 5:00 p.m. — 1700 hrs
- 6:00 p.m. — 1800 hrs
- 7:00 p.m. — 1900 hrs
- 8:00 p.m. — 2000 hrs
- 9:00 p.m. — 2100 hrs
- 10:00 p.m. — 2200 hrs
- 11:00 p.m. — 2300 hrs
Most military personnel utilize local time as a guideline for most everyday tasks. In other words, “report to duty at zero seven hundred (0700)” means you must be at work at seven a.m., local time.
“The Commander wants to see you at 1500 hrs,” which implies you need to be in the Commander’s office at three p.m., local time. When utilizing local time, the military follows Daylight Savings Time if it is recognized by the state or nation in which the installation is situated.
What is The Military’s Brief History?
Before we get into why the military employs military time, it’s important to understand the history of this timekeeping system.
Military history may be dated back to around 2100 BC, during Egypt’s 11th Dynasty. The “evidence” is a coffin lid known as the “Diagonal Star Table.” In early Egyptian civilization, the military time system was thought to be coordinated with constellation patterns traveling through the sky.
Hipparchus, an astronomer, devised equinoctial hours between 147 and 127 BC, which regulated the duration of time regardless of the season. The equinox was used to calculate hours, and from there, we have a system in which night and daytime are equal, and an hour lasts 60 minutes.
When World War II began, the military adopted the 24-hour timekeeping system and somewhat adjusted it in terms of pronunciation and presentation.
Despite the fact that the rest of the United States uses 12-hour time, it is now the “standard” time system in the military.
When and Who Makes Use Of Military Time?
Military time is employed to minimize confusion between A.M. (morning hours) and P.M. (afternoon hours) (evening hours). We’ve all made the mistake of setting our alarm for 6:00 pm instead of 6:00 am, causing us to be late for crucial occasions. There is no misunderstanding with military time since the numbers never repeat themselves. Military time is most widely utilized by the military, government, public transit, hospitals, meteorologists, astronomers, emergency responders, and many other citizens. Today, military time is as much a part of the culture as tactical gear and tactical hydration packs, which no soldier can live without.
The 24-hour clock is largely utilized in non-English speaking nations such as Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Most English-speaking nations anticipate The United States typically alternates between 12-hour and 24-hour time since none has been recognized as the standard. Although the 24-hour clock is widely established, the globe and communication are always evolving, and who knows what the developing global community may require next?
Why Does the Military Adopt a 24-Hour System?
One advantage of the 24-hour military time system is that it helps to prevent misunderstanding. Because everything runs on a 24-hour time scale, there is less room for error than with a.m. and p.m. time stamps. This is especially significant when military personnel debate timings and dates across time zones.
Furthermore, the 24-hour system’s condensed style makes it easier to transmit brief communications. When it comes to military training and important tasks, the 24-hour system’s speed and precision can literally mean life or death.
Using Military Time Across Time Zones
To minimize misunderstanding when discussing times and dates across time zones, the military use Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is a 24-hour timekeeping system that employs the earth’s prime meridian in Greenwich, England, as its center. This enables military members to discuss a given time based on the same time zone foundation.
Personnel must then convert this time to their local time zone.
For example, a platoon’s position may be communicated as “Platoon 4 will be situated at [coordinates] at 2300 GMT.” Local military personnel would then convert this into their current time zone.
When communicating with other military people in the same time zone, you will often utilize the local time zone rather than GMT.
What Are The Benefits Of Military Service?
As we’ve discussed, one advantage of military time is that it reduces ambiguity and makes things absolutely apparent. Apart from that, the associative precision is consistent. It doesn’t take long to grow acclimated to it, either.
As a result, military time is also utilized outside of the military. It is widely utilized in European nations, as well as in particular sectors like emergency response and aviation. Military time is also the preferred time for storing corporate records and posting travel information on billboards. Can you think of any additional instances in which military time is used?
Now that we understand why military time is employed, we can discuss its advantages.
With the facts we’ve just provided, you may compare it to regular time and determine for yourself, “Is military time better?”
How to Read and Pronounce Military Time
Reading and Pronouncing the “Hours”
You may read the hours without the minutes in two ways:
- Pronounce the numerals with a “hundred” at the end.
- Pronounce the numerals beginning with “hundred” and ending with “hours.”
From 0 to 9 hours, you read “zero,” followed by the provided number. For example, 0800 means “zero eight hundred hours.” From 10 to 23 hours, you read it in pairs, such as “eighteen” for 18. For example, 1800 stands for “eighteen hundred hours.”
You may also read “zero” for 0 – 9 hours as “oh.” As a result, 0800 stands for “oh eight hundred hours.” Both “zero” and “oh” are acceptable words. However, the former (“Zero”) is regarded as more polite and professional.
Reading and Pronouncing the “Minutes”
You follow the same principles while reading minutes. From 0 to 9 minutes, you read “zero” or “oh” and the supplied number again, and from 10 to 59 minutes, you read the pair as is. It is “eighteen zero five hours” in 1805 and “eighteen fifty-five hours” in 1855.
Seconds are the same as in normal time. When telling time, though, you will seldom see military personnel writing or pronouncing the seconds.
Practice Military Time
0100 in military time
We will show you how to read military time and answer basic questions like what is 12:30 am in military time. Furthermore, we will look at the differences between military time and standard time.
If you are in a hurry and need the answer right away, 1:00 am in military time is 0100, read as “Zero One Hundred Hours“.
1 15 military times
It can read as “zero one-fifteen hours.”
1:30 am military time
1:30 am in regular time equals 0130( zero one- thirty hours) in the 24-hour clock.
0200
You can read it as “Zero Two Hundred Hours.”
0230 military time
In regular time 2:30 am equals 0230 ( zero two-thirty hours) in the 24-hour clock
0300
0300 would be read as “zero three hundred hours” or “oh three hundred hours”.
Note: “Oh” is used for less diplomatic and formal situations.
0400
It converted to 0400, which would be read as” Zero Four Hundred Hours.”
0500
To read it, you should convert 5:00 am to 0500. Then you can read it: “Zero Five Hundred Hours. ”
0600
You can read it as Zero Six Hundred Hours / Oh Six Hundred Hours
0700
When reading hours without minutes, like 700, there are two ways:
You should read the numbers, then add” hundred’ at the end.
So, You can read 7:00 is 0700 ( Zero Seven Hundred Hours )
0800
Applying what we have learned above, you can read 8:00 is 0800 ( Zero eight Hundred Hours )
0900
You can read “Zero Nine Hundred Hours”
1000
It is “Ten Hundred Hours”. Don’t forget to add an hour to the end
1100
Next 10:00, then it is 11:00 am. You can read it 1100 ( Eleven Hundred Hours)
1200
To avoid any confusion (and to make sure you arrive on time), it might be best to say 12 noon or 12 midnight instead. Alternatively, you could use the 24-hour clock system, where 12:00 is noon and 00:00 (or 24:00) is midnight.
Thus, you can read ‘Twelve Hundred Hours.’
1300
If the hour is ten or more than 10, do not add a 0 before it and read it as you normally would
And plus the word “hour” after the word “hundred”.
Apply the same rules for the minutes.
Thus 1:00 pm is 1300 (Thirteen Hundred Hours)
What is 1345 in military time?
In civilian time 1:45 pm equals 1345 in military time. It would be read as “thirteen forty-five hours”.
1400
Apply this above way; you can read 2:00 is ‘Fourteen Hundred Hours‘. So easy
14 30 in military time
Military Time 1430 is:
- 02:30 PM using 12-hour clock notation,
- 14:30 using 24-hour clock notation.
- 1430 is pronounced as: “fourteen thirty hours” or “fourteen thirty hours” or “one-four-three-zero hours” or “one-four-three-oh hours”
14 15 military time
Military Time 1415 is:
- 02:15 PM using 12-hour clock notation,
- 14:15 using 24-hour clock notation.
- 1415 is pronounced as: “fourteen fifteen hours” or “fourteen fifteen hours” or “one-four-one-five hours” or “one-four-one-five hours”
1500
So How to read 300 in military time?
It is ‘Fifteen Hundred Hours’
15 45 military time
- 03:45 PM using 12-hour clock notation,
- 15:45 using 24-hour clock notation.
- 1545 is pronounced as: “fifteen forty-five hours” or “fifteen forty-five hours” or “one-five-four-five hours” or “one-five-four-five hours”
1600
With military time, you will always see four digits. You should read them as pairs from left to right. The first two digits are “hours”, and the second two are “minutes”. For hours without minutes, you can read the numbers and add “hundred” at the end or read the numbers, add “hundred” and then “hours” at the end.
From 0 to 9 hours, read “zero,” and the number is given, and from 10 to 23 hours, read it like pairs. For example, “sixteen” for 16. So, in our case, 1600 is “sixteen hundred hours”.
Even though we previously simplified 1600 to 16, the correct way to note it is 1600, and as said briefly in the opening, 1600 is 4:00 pm in civilian time.
1700
SO 17 00 in military time is 5:00 P> M in civilian time; we can read it “Seventeen Hundred Hours.”
1800
In civilian time is 6:00 pm. as mentioned above from 10 to 23 hours, read it: ‘Eighteen Hundred Hours.’
1900
It is 7:00 pm in civilian time. Please read “Nineteen Hundred Hours.”
2000
You can read it by adding Hundred, And plus the word “hour” after the word “hundred”.
You can get it like: “Twenty Hundred Hours.”
2030 military time
Military Time 2030 is:
- 08:30 PM using 12-hour clock notation,
- 20:30 using 24-hour clock notation.
- 2030 is pronounced as: “twenty thirty hours” or “twenty thirty hours” or “two-zero-three-zero hours” or “two-oh-three-oh hours”
2100
We can read it: ‘Twenty One Hundred Hours.’
2200
Here are the procedures you must follow to convert military time to civilian time.
- Step 1: Divide the supplied time into hours and minutes.
- Step 2: Determine whether the supplied time is higher than or less than 1200.
If it is larger than 1200. then subtract 12 from the number of hours
If it is less than 1200, keep the hours the same.
- Step 3: Keep the minutes the same.
- Step 5: Separate the hours and minutes with a colon.
- Step 6: Add a “A.M.” or “P.M.”
If the time in Step 2 was greater than 1200, add “P.M.” at the end.
If the time specified in Step 2 was less than 1200, add “A.M.” at the end.
Let’s attempt these steps using military time 2200:
- Step 1: Divide 2200 into hours and minutes. We will have 22 hours and 00 minutes.
- Step 2: Determine whether the supplied time is higher than or less than 1200. 2200 is greater.
So we subtract 12 from the hours, which is 22. We receive 10.
- Step 3: Keep the minutes the same. We still have 00 minutes.
- Step 4: Separate the hours and minutes with a colon. It is currently 22:00.
Add an “A.M.” or “P.M.” depending on the time in Step 2.
Because the time in Step 2 was larger than 1200, we append a “P.M” at the end.
Ta da! The answer is 22:00 p.m.
To convert civilian to military time, simply reverse the process. Let’s try it with “22:00 pm.”
- Step 1: The “P.M.” indicates that the specified time is later than 1200 in military time.
So we add 12 to the stated hours. We’ll get 22.
- Step 2: Keep the minutes the same. We’ll still have 00 minutes.
- Step 3: Remove the “P.M.” and colon.
Ta da! We’re left with military time: 2200. (Twenty Two Hundred Hours)
2300
So you can read it like what?
Ta-da! It is ‘Twenty Three Hundred Hours
2359 Mean in Military Time
Military Time 2359 is:
- 11:59 PM using 12-hour clock notation,
- 23:59 using 24-hour clock notation.
- 2359 is pronounced as: “twenty-three fifty-nine hours” or “twenty-three fifty-nine hours” or “two-three-five-nine hours” or “two-three-five-nine hours”
2400( midnight)
As mentioned briefly in the opening, 1200 is 12:00 pm. This is different from 12 am military time and 2400 military time. Also, while it is PM, it is not referring to midnight in military time.
Applying what we have learned in the earlier section, it would, instead, be 0000 or 2400. Although both are used to indicate when “the clock strikes twelves”, in detail, the four digits 0000 signals the start of the day and the 2400 signals the end of a day.
So it can read: ‘Twenty Four Hundred Hours’
FAQs
1. How do you pronounce 0001 hours?
Speaking military time.
And 1000 would be spoken of as “ten hundred,” not “one thousand.” To say a time with minutes, you simply pronounce each number. For example: 0001 (12:01am): “zero zero zero one” 0215 (2:15am): “zero two fifteen”
2. How do you say 0007 in military time?
0007 Hours in Military Time Is 12:07 am in Regular Time.
3. Is it 7 am or PM?
So, 7 o’clock in the morning is 7 am ‘p.m.’ stands for post meridiem, which means after midday. Thus, ‘p.m.’ is used between 12 o’clock noon to 12 o’clock midnight. So, 7 o’clock at night is 7 pm
Conclusion
Thank you for reading this article on the 24-hour military time system. We hope it has helped you to understand how this system works and why it is used by the military. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below, and we will be happy to answer them.
