perspective
AN ALPHABET that unites us
The armed forces of the 30 countries of the Atlantic
Alliance use the same phonetic code to spell words
regardless of the language they use
NO matter how
well trained and
cohesive a mili-
tary force may
be, it will always require
clear instructions to carry
out the necessary manoeuvre
at the right time in order to
achieve its objectives.
We could go back to the
Macedonian phalanxes or
the Roman legions to find
examples of how orders
were given to the armies in
the heat of battle. One of the
great military leaders who
understood the importance
of communications was
Gonzalo Fernández de Cór-
doba who, at the beginning
of the 16th century, introduced a
system of drumbeats to lead his Tercios
(Spanish pike and shot infantry unit).
That tool of “command and control” over
his army was so important for the Gran
Capitán (Great Captain) that he issued
an order prohibiting the wounded fallen
during the battle from complaining
or screaming in pain, as those cries
prevented his troops from hearing the
drumbeats clearly. Communications
necessarily require clarity.
COMMON PHONETIC ALPHABET
In 1865, 20 countries —including
Spain— met in Paris to coordinate at
international level various aspects of
Juan José Crespo Esbert
Lieutenant Colonel of the Signal Corps
The need for clarity in radio messages led to the adoption of the
first alphabets for spelling out words.
telegraphy. It was a time when cable
transmission was predominant; however
the lack of legislation and coordination
between countries hindered the deve-
lopment of this new science: cable
lines had to cross borders and oceans,
requiring common standards and clear
objectives.
That first meeting underlined the
importance of international regulation
and was the genesis of the “International
Telecommunications Union”, established
that same year with its headquarters in
Switzerland.
This organization began to grow,
not only in member countries, but
above all in terms of standardization
of procedures, initially in
telegraphy and subsequently
in radiotelegraphy, in line
with the progress of this
science. In 1920, it took
one of its most emblematic
and important decisions
as evidenced later on:
to establish a common
phonetic alphabet, a specific
and unique way to refer
to each letter. This way,
when communicating by
radio and regardless of the
language, there would be
no hesitation whatsoever in
spelling a name or giving the
coordinates of a map.
The work lasted several
years until it was decided
OTAN
in 1927 to use names of well-known
countries and cities:
Amsterdam, Baltimore, Casablanca,
Denmark, Edison, Florida, Gallipoli,
Havana, Italy, Jerusalem, Kilogramme,
Liverpool, Madagascar, New York, Oslo,
Paris, Quebec, Rome, Santiago, Tripoli,
Uppsala, Valencia, Washington, Xanthippe,
Yokohama, Zurich.
At the end of 1941, when the US
was thrown into World War II after
the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US
Navy and Army established a common
phonetic alphabet. Coordination
between ships and ground forces —key
to landing operations— soon improved
with this new shared alphabet, called
56 Revista Española de Defensa April 2021