History Main / MilitaryAlphabet

* Being centered around the Air Force, ''Series/StargateSG1'' naturally uses this trope, especially with the characters who have a military background. If you ever hear "Sierra Golf Charlie" mentioned they're talking about '''S'''tar'''g'''ate '''C'''ommand. One of the peculiarities of number pronunciation is on display when O'Neill's call sign is used: Sierra Golf One Niner.

* ''Literature/{{molesworth}}'': The schoolboys use the WW2 callsign 'Able Baker'.

* The survivors in ''Film/TheIsland'' have these as part of their names, although it apparently takes place in a future where Golf and Hotel have been replaced by the more sci-fi-sounding Gamma and Halo.

* Anasigma's MenInBlack in ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'' have two-letter military alphabet codenames. There is an additional theme to the ones revealed, appropriate to a strip featuring {{Talking Animal}}s and many {{Shout Out}}s to children's literature: [[Creator/EBWhite Echo Bravo]], [[Creator/AAMilne Alfa Alfa]] and [[Creator/CSLewis Charlie Sierra]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Helen identifies her plane as "India Golf Niner Niner" -- a reference to director Creator/BradBird's earlier film, ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'', being released in 1999.

* In another non-military example, English-speaking medical professionals use the phonetic/German "EKG" as short for "electrocardiogram", because "ECG" is too difficult to distinguish from "EEG" (electro''encephalo''gram), and could potentially cause the wrong testing procedure to be administered.

* The highway patrol in ''Film/SuperTroopers'' use a unique version when reading license plates over the radio. With inherently funny words like "eunuch".

* ''Film/DieHard2'' uses military alphabet when referring to the plane that is bringing General Esperanza to the United States. It is designated FM (Foreign Military) 1, though later in the film, both [[BigBad Colonel Stuart]] and Esperanza refer to it as "Foxtrot Michael 1", despite the military alphabet using the shortened name Mike for the letter M.
* ''Film/DrStrangelove'' is a fairly early example. The B-52 is assigned to targets Yankee-Golf-Tango-three-six-zero and November-Bravo-[=XRay=]-one-zero-eight as part of the wing's [[AttackPatternAlpha Attack Plan R for Romeo]], or Robert (used by General Ripper in communication with his RAF exchange officer Mandrake, as per the British Royal Air Force's own pre-NATO phonetic alphabet).
* The survivors in ''Film/TheIsland'' have these as part of their names, although it apparently takes place in a future where Golf and Hotel have been replaced by the more sci-fi-sounding Gamma and Halo.
* ''Film/TheCannonballRun''. The ObstructiveBureaucrat trying to stop the illegal road race is watching the contestants at the start gate and getting the woman with his to write down the license plate numbers. He confuses her by using this trope for the numbers (she keeps writing down the word in full until he explains what it means).
* In the 2010 ''Film/TheATeam'' movie, [[TheCasanova Face]] uses "Alfa Mike Foxtrot", standing in for "Adios, Mother Fucker" (the full form of which, except for its final use, is hidden by a SoundEffectBleep).
* In ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', Picard's, Crusher's and Worf's command authorization codes feature "tango," "charlie" and "echo" respectively. Picard's also includes "alpha," but it's most likely the Greek letter since Crusher's and Worf's feature "beta" and "gamma" in the same character position of their respective codes.

* The title of the film ''Film/WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot'', a war-correspondent-themed dramedy. You can guess what that stands for.

* ''Literature/{{Biggles}}'' uses the now less well known UsefulNotes/WorldWarI era British alphabet. One of the few uses that survived is "Ack-Ack" for AA (anti-air) fire.

* Literature/{{molesworth}}: The schoolboys use the WW2 callsign 'Able Baker'.
* ''Literature/RiversOfLondon''

* Within ''[[Literature/TheBourneSeries The Bourne Identity]]'', Bourne was given the callname of Cain with an elaborate backstory involving the U.S. having changed the C from Charlie to Cain during UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar due to confusion with the designation of the Vietcong as "Charlie." Just as Cain replaced Charlie in the Military Alphabet, Cain would replace Charlie (Carlos the Jackal).
* In ''Literature/TeamYankee'', the eponymous team is named for the phonetic letter Y, while its sister unit, Team Bravo, is named for the phonetic letter B. The phonetic alphabet is also featured prominently during radio communications.

* The ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]'' episode "Separate Vocations" shows that the Springfield police have an unusual radio alphabet: Snake's licence plate is read out as "Eggplant Xerxes Crybaby Overbite Narwhal".
* In one ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode, information is being confused so Gibbs requires everyone to use the phonetic alphabet. Abby takes to it particularly easily.
* PlayedForLaughs on ''Series/NCISLosAngeles'' when Deeks invents his own phonetic alphabet that uses the names of heavy metal bands.
* The military alphabet is often used in ''Series/{{JAG}}''. Hey, all the main characters are military officers, so why not?
* Being centered around the Air Force, ''Series/StargateSG1'' naturally uses this trope, especially with the characters who have a military background. If you ever hear "Sierra Golf Charlie" mentioned they're talking about '''S'''tar'''g'''ate '''C'''ommand. One of the peculiarities of number pronunciation is on display when O'Neill's call sign is used: Sierra Golf One Niner.

* On ''Series/TheBill'', Sun Hill's callsigns all use the combination Sierra-Oscar. Another police-related drama of the early 1980s, following a female police officer, was named [=JulietBravo=].
* The TV show ''Series/Adam12'' was named for the LAPD patrol car with the call sign "Adam-12 (A-12)" that the cops rode in. "Adam" (A) was the designation for two-officer patrol units. Other unit designations you often hear are "King" (K) for unmarked cars used by detectives, "Mary" (M) for motorcycle units, and "X-ray" (X) for a second set of two-person patrol units (likely to mean auxiliary or secondary units with less-seasoned officers--rookies in later seasons are frequently in X-ray units). Also, there's a frequent subversion: calling the letter "L" instead of "Lincoln" for a single-occupant unit (usually driven by supervisors like sergeants).
** In the opening, you can hear the dispatcher (who was real-life LAPD dispatcher Shaaron Claridge) requesting reports on auto license plates, spelled out using the LAPD phonetic alphabet.

* The Colonial Fleet in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' uses this, with a couple space-flavored differences: "Constellation" and "Nebula". Only ten letters are known from the show, but the RPG sourcebooks expand on this with the [[http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Colonial_wireless_alphabet entire alphabet.]] Most of the differences from the NATO alphabet are either space-related (Meteor and Quasar) or religiously significant (Icon and Juno).

* Subverted on ''Series/TheThinBlueLine'' when it turns out to be requests for drinks from a pizza place. "Tango. Tango. Lilt and a Fanta."

* The LAPD variation is used extensively in ''Series/CHiPS'', with the lead characters' call signs starting with 7M (Seven-Mary), with M the common designation for a Motor(cycle) unit.

* ''VideoGame/RisingStorm2Vietnam'' uses the NATO Phonetic Alphabet to label each capture point on a map, starting from Alpha all the way up to Oscar on some of the largest maps.
* [[VideoGame/LANoire Cole Phelps']] radio codename is "Car ''11 King''".
* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series, specifically ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' and its sequels, are credited with popularizing a number of NATO alphabet phrases among American teenagers. Most notably, the use of "Tango" to mean "target", "Oscar Mike" for "on the move", and the title of one ''Modern Warfare 2'' mission, "Whiskey Hotel", to mean [[spoiler:White House]] (though this last one may or may not actually be used by the military).

* The phonetic jargon in ''Series/GenerationKill'' was a plot point: as the reporter grows closer to the squad, they finally start telling him what some of the phrases mean. Like Whiskey Tango = White Trash.
* In ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' the Overwatch dispatcher uses phonetic codenames and numbers -- such as "X-ray 8" or "Union 5" -- when addressing specific Civil Protection teams.
** In ''VideoGame/HalfLife1: Opposing Force'', one of the levels is named "Foxtrot Uniform", which is an [[FunWithAcronyms acronym]] for "Fucked Up".
* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' uses it extensively. Fitting, since it's a military-based series. Notable examples include "Sierra" (Spartan) and "Bravo Kilo" (refers to Brutes, short for "Baby Kong").
* In ''VideoGame/NancyDrew: Danger on Deception Island'', Nancy finds a letter telling a story that makes no sense, but incorporates many alphabetic terms. Read on their own, the terms spell out a brief message that's the true meaning of the letter. Fortunately for non-military players, there's a postcard around that explains this trope.
* ''VideoGame/OperationFlashpoint'' makes heavy use of the NATO phonetic alphabet. The topographical maps of the each of the game's islands are partitioned into squares with letters along the top and bottom and numbers down the sides. Combined these letters and numbers form map references and the letters are pronounced over the radio as their phonetic equivalents, so a squad leader might order his men to "Go to Delta Foxtrot Two Five", for example. The words are also often used as codenames to identify the various squads. "Alpha" through "Echo" are usually used to refer to infantry squads, "Yankee" usually refers to a tank platoon, the helicopter gunships are usually "November" and so on.

* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 3'' had nav point designations of Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog and Echo. The second and fourth games use Greek letters. ''Living Legends'' uses the NATO system for Betty's pronounciation of the alphanumeric base names, up to Golf.
-->'''''Outpost [[MadLibsDialogue ECHO SIX]] Captured.'''''
* The ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' series uses the LAPD alphabet to refer to specific units. In the second game, for example, you and your partner are 52mary when called by the dispatcher.
* ''VideoGame/WingCommander Prophecy'' has one of the (non-RedShirt) wingmen give you a blistering "''Whiskey Tango Foxtrot over''" if you accidentally shoot his ship.
* In the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' comic the army call the infected "Whiskey Deltas", for walking dead.
* Corki the Daring Bombardier from ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' makes some use of this when you order him into battle, usually to disguise profanity.
-->It's a Charlie Foxtrot![[labelnote:translation]]clusterfuck[[/labelnote]]\\
\\
Delta Sierra[[labelnote:translation]]dog shit[[/labelnote]] at twelve-o-clock!\\
\\
Lima Oscar Lima![[labelnote:translation]]LOL[[/labelnote]]
* In ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', aliens are called X-Rays by the soldiers, probably due to the NicknamingTheEnemy pattern common in US forces to call their enemies by the MilitaryAlphabet code for one of their letters.
* The three captains in ''VideoGame/Pikmin3'' are named after the first three letters in the NATO alphabet: Alph, Brittany, and Charlie.
* In ''VideoGame/Payday2'' is a rather subtle one. You can find a casual looking magazine with the title of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
* In the English version of ''VideoGame/InazumaEleven GO 2'', the members of the villainous Protocol Omega teams are each named after a letter of the NATO alphabet. It's likely intended to emphasize their cold, military precision.

* In an example of ShownTheirWork, the announcer in ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' uses the British military alphabet that was used during UsefulNotes/WorldWarI by the Royal Navy ("Apple" for "A", as an example).
* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'', B.J. discovers Nazi documents referencing "Da'at Yichud" and uses the American WWII code to spell the name back to MissionControl so they can research it while he's on the mission.
* In ''VideoGame/TitanFall2'', [[HumongousMecha BT-7274]] is sometimes referred to as "Bravo-Tango-7274", notably when [[MentorOccupationalHazard Captain Lastimosa]] [[FallingIntoTheCockpit transfers control of him to you]].
* Zones in ''VideoGame/RebelInc'' are designated with two letters from the alphabet (Alpha Victor, Golf Sierra...), and you can generate random [[OperationBlank operation names]] with two random words, many of the random words being the military alphabet.
* In ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons'', the pilot Wilbur speaks like a soldier on a field mission, giving himself and the player codenames, discussing their outings to other islands like a battle plan, and using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet unnecessarily. However, due to the game being rated E, "Whiskey" is substituted with "Whisker" for the letter W.
* The Ranger outposts in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' have designations from the military alphabet. And for a case of PunnyName, Camp Golf is set up in the ruins of an actual golf resort.
* Stations in ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous'' will address you by ship type and the first three letters of your user name when you show up; their reactions change depending on your friendliness with the locals, so for instance, a Sidewinder pilot whose name starts with MTT on good terms with the station would get something like:
-->'''Station Command:''' "Delacy Mike, Tango, Tango, welcome commander, glad to have you aboard."

* Anasigma's MenInBlack in ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'' have two-letter military alphabet codenames. There is an additional theme to the ones revealed, appropriate to a strip featuring {{Talking Animal}}s and many {{Shout Out}}s to children's literature: [[Creator/EBWhite Echo Bravo]], [[Creator/AAMilne Alfa Alfa]] and [[Creator/CSLewis Charlie Sierra]].

* The TV show ''Series/AdamTwelve'' was named for the LAPD patrol car with the call sign "Adam-12 (A-12)" that the cops rode in. "Adam" (A) was the designation for two-officer patrol units. Other unit designations you often hear are "King" (K) for unmarked cars used by detectives, "Mary" (M) for motorcycle units, and "X-ray" (X) for a second set of two-person patrol units (likely to mean auxiliary or secondary units with less-seasoned officers--rookies in later seasons are frequently in X-ray units). Also, there's a frequent subversion: calling the letter "L" instead of "Lincoln" for a single-occupant unit (usually driven by supervisors like sergeants).

Military units will sometimes use one of the letters as their designation (for example, 'Bravo Company'). Individual personnel may refer to themselves or others in the military alphabet over radios; "Echo-6-Charlie" would be someone whose pay-grade is E-6, with a last name beginning with the letter C. (Alternately, the number is code for a position withing the unit. 6 usually is the commander.)

-->'''''Outpost [[MadLibsDialogue ECHO SIX ]] Captured.'''''

** Also used in the ''Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse'' novels, particularly those by Victor Milan, here various soldiers use the phonetic alphabet to [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar swear colorfully without offending the editors]]. One popular example is "Sierra Foxtrot,"[[note]]'''S'''hit-'''F'''uck[[/note]] which is often used as a noun, adjective, and interjection by the ''very'' earthy 17th Recon Regiment.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheMitchellsVsTheMachines'', once the robot apocalypse starts, Rick tells his family to remember their survival training, and lists of a long series of NATO letters. They spell out YAFTBTAAA.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'': In ''The Delicious Last Course'', losing to the Yankee Yippers during Doggone Dogfight results in them leaving a parting taunt in the World War II RAF alphabet:

* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 3'' had nav point designations of Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog and Echo. The second and fourth games use Greek letters. ''Living Legends'' uses the NATO system for Betty's pronounciation of the alphanumeric base names, up to Golf. '''''Outpost [[MadLibsDialogue ECHO SIX ]] Captured.'''''

* ''VideoGame/MechWarrior 3'' had nav point designations of Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog and Echo. The second and fourth games use Greek letters. ''Living Legends'' uses the NATO system for Betty's pronounciation of the alphanumeric base names, up to Golf. ''[[AC:Outpost [[MadLibsDialogue ECHO SIX ]] Captured]].''

--> ''"Affirm Roger Fox! Affirm Roger fox!"''

Also called a spelling alphabet or a phonetic alphabet, (not to be confused with the entirely different [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPA International Phonetic Alphabet,]]) this is a system of assigning to each letter of the alphabet a word that begins with that letter. This way, if something has to be spelled over a radio, telephone, etc. there is much less chance of the wrong information being transmitted.

[[folder: Charlie Oscar Mike India Charlie Bravo Oscar Oscar Kilo Sierra (Comic Books)]]

[[folder: Fox Item Love Mike (Film) ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Helen identifies her plane as "India Golf Niner Niner" -- a reference to ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant'' being released in 1999.

[[folder: Lima India Tango Echo Romeo Alfa Tango Uniform Romeo Echo (Literature) ]]

[[folder: Mary Union Sam Ida Charlie (Music) ]]

[[folder: Papa India November Bravo Alfa Lima Lima (Pinball) ]]

[[folder: Papa Romeo Oscar Whiskey Romeo Echo Sierra Tango Lima India November Golf (Pro Wrestling) ]]

[[folder: Tango Alpha Bravo Lima Echo Tango Oscar Papa Golf Alpha Mike Echo Sierra (Tabletop Games) ]]

[[folder: Tare Easy Love Easy Victor Item Sugar Item Oboe Nan (Television) ]]

[[folder: Victor India Delta Echo Oscar Golf Alpha Mike Echo Sierra (Video Games) ]]

[[folder: William Easy Baker Charlie Oboe Mike Interrogatory Charlie Sugar (Web Comics) ]]

* In ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' Inspector Nightingale has the unique callsign Zulu-One, representing his [[WhoYouGonnaCall unique position]] in the Met.

* In ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'', the foxes (who were [[UpliftedAnimal uplifted]] and trained as spies by persons unknown for reasons unknown) use an alphabet that is ''mostly'' the WWII UK version, including for their names. But the main fox character in ''What Abigail Did That Summer'' is named Indigo, which is the UK police version. When Abigail asks ''why'' they use this version, Indigo simply replies that this is the version they know.

* The survivors in ''Film/TheIsland'' have these as part of their names.

* The phonetic jargon in ''Series/GenerationKill'' was a plot point: as the reporter grows closer to the squad, they finally start telling him what some of the phrases mean. Like Whiskey Tango = White Trash. The phrase "Oscar Mike," meaning "''On'' the ''M''ove" has suddenly seen prevalence in military videogames since ''Series/GenerationKill'' aired, notably the aforementioned ''Modern Warfare 2'' and ''Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising''.