Why Does the Military Use 24 Hour Time? A Detailed Explanation

A 24-hour clock is also used by other organizations in which precision and clarity are essential. Among military members, seven o’clock in the evening (pm) would always be referred to as 1900 (nineteen hundred hours). From here, personnel must translate this time into their own time zone. If you choose to pursue buying back your military time after using the estimator, you should follow the steps outlined on the Military Service Deposit web page to submit an official request. The fundamental means of measuring time is the rotation of the earth. The original standard by which all clocks are regulated is furnished from observation of the stars and their relationship to the earth. Due to non-standard rates of progression through grades in the Coast Guard, you must use the Advanced version of our estimator to properly calculate the required deposit to buy back your time. Please note that Warrant Officers and Officers with pay grade designations O-1E, O-2E, and O-3E may be required to use the Advanced entry method. Below, you will find answers to some common questions about military time. Add military time to one of your lists below, or create a new one. The military observes Daylight Savings Time when it is recognized by the state or country where the time zone is being used. Below are common questions around calculating military time. Why does the military call this time "Zulu time?" You would think that the world could be divided equally into 24 one-hour equals a day. For example, a military message or communication might state, "The ship will cross into the area of operations (AOO) at 1300Z." That means the ship would arrive in the AOO when it is one p.m. Where this gets confusing is when you have to translate to the current time in your location. The East Coast of the United States is five hours later than Greenwich Mean Time. So, 1300Z at GMT is the same as 0800 on the East Coast. To avoid confusion, in these matters, the military uses the time in Greenwich, England, which is commonly called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). "The Commander wants to see you at fifteen hundred (1500) hrs," means you need to be in the Commander's office at three p.m., local time.