Tactical communications
Encyclopedia
Tactical communications are communication
s in which information
of any kind, especially orders and decisions, are conveyed from one command, person, or place to another within tactical forces. In modern times, this is usually done by electronic means.
Before the time of electronic equipment the way of communicating on the battlefield was to use either drums, trumpets or flags. Each sound or banner would then have a significance for the soldier who would respond accordingly.
Communication between armies were of course much more difficult before the electronic age and could only be achieved with messengers on horseback or by foot and with time delays according to the distance the messenger needed to travel.
Intricate warning systems have though always been used such as scouting towers with fires to signal incoming threats.
Tactical communications do not include communications provided to tactical forces by the Defense Communications System to non-tactical military commands, and to tactical forces by civil organizations.
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s in which information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
of any kind, especially orders and decisions, are conveyed from one command, person, or place to another within tactical forces. In modern times, this is usually done by electronic means.
Before the time of electronic equipment the way of communicating on the battlefield was to use either drums, trumpets or flags. Each sound or banner would then have a significance for the soldier who would respond accordingly.
Communication between armies were of course much more difficult before the electronic age and could only be achieved with messengers on horseback or by foot and with time delays according to the distance the messenger needed to travel.
Intricate warning systems have though always been used such as scouting towers with fires to signal incoming threats.
Tactical communications do not include communications provided to tactical forces by the Defense Communications System to non-tactical military commands, and to tactical forces by civil organizations.
See also
- Air Defense Control Center
- Combat Information CenterCombat Information CenterThe Operations Room is the tactical center of a warship or AWAC aircraft providing processed information for command and control of the near battle space or 'area of operations'...
- Naval Tactical Data SystemNaval Tactical Data SystemNaval Tactical Data System, commonly NTDS, refers to a computerized information processing system developed by the United States Navy in the 1950s and first deployed in the early 1960s for use in combat ships.- Reason for development :...
- Joint Tactical Information Distribution SystemJoint Tactical Information Distribution SystemThe Joint Tactical Information Distribution System is an L band TDMA network radio system used by the United States armed forces and their allies to support data communications needs, principally in the air and missile defense community...
- Mission Control CenterMission Control CenterA mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...