Brevity codes are short words or codes replacing longer phrases on radio traffic. They are codified in NATO ACP-167 and multinational air-ground manuals. Different from prowords (which govern procedure): brevity codes carry operational content. Fluency in the common ones is a prerequisite for working in multinational environments.
Difference from prowords
Prowords (OVER, WILCO, ROGER) govern the procedure of a transmission. Brevity codes (BINGO, SPLASH, TALLY) carry operational information in compressed form. One transmission can carry both.
MIXED EXAMPLE
BRAVO SIX, ALPHA TWO, TALLY ON TARGET, SPLASH IN FIVE, OVER.
ALPHA TWO, BRAVO SIX, ROGER, OUT.
Essential operational list
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BLACK | Settore privo di forze nemiche conosciute |
| WHITE | Civili presenti / forze non belligeranti |
| RED | Forze nemiche confermate |
| BLUE | Forze amiche |
| GREEN | Forze ucraine (in alcune procedure UA) |
| YELLOW | Status sconosciuto / da chiarire |
| BINGO | Carburante / munizioni al minimo per rientro |
| WINCHESTER | Munizioni esaurite — non più capacità di ingaggio |
| JOKER | Riserve sotto soglia minima operativa |
| NAILS | Munizioni a salve / vuote |
| SHACK | Colpo a segno confermato |
| SPLASH | Round/ordigno in impatto (5 sec dall'arrivo) |
| IMPACT | Ordigno arrivato e detonato |
| DRY | Caricatore esaurito (necessità di ricarica) |
| MISS | Colpo mancato |
| TALLY | Bersaglio nemico visualmente acquisito |
| NO JOY | Bersaglio non acquisito |
| VISUAL | Forze amiche visualmente acquisite |
| BLIND | Senza visivo (perdita di awareness) |
| POPEYE | Limitazione visiva per nubi/meteo |
| FENCED IN | Sistemi armamento attivati e armati (aviazione) |
| FENCED OUT | Sistemi armamento disattivati (post-missione) |
| NAKED | Nessun sistema di self-protection attivo |
| CHICKS / ANGELS | Quota in migliaia di piedi (aviazione) |
| GUNS GUNS GUNS | Tiro di cannone in corso |
| RIFLE | Lancio missile aria-superficie |
| MAGNUM | Lancio missile anti-radiazione |
| FOX | Lancio missile aria-aria (1=semi-attivo, 2=IR, 3=attivo) |
| GOAL | Obiettivo raggiunto / missione completata |
| JINK | Manovra evasiva immediata |
| BUSTER | Velocità massima |
Usage rules
- Only brevity codes actually known by the net in use
- Never improvise non-standard codes
- In multinational environments: validate codes at the initial brief
- Air-ground codes (CAS) require dedicated JTAC coordination
- Clear pronunciation, digit-by-digit for any associated numbers
Common mistakes
- Confusing TALLY (enemy seen) and VISUAL (friendly seen) — reversal costs friendly fire
- Declaring BINGO too late (past threshold, not at minimum)
- Using SHACK for any shot instead of confirmed hits
- Improvising local slang codes absent from the standard
- Overlaying aviation brevity onto pure infantry context
Lessons learned Ukraine
On the Ukrainian front brevity is used selectively: TALLY, VISUAL, BLIND, SPLASH, BINGO, WINCHESTER are universal. Air-air codes (FOX, MAGNUM) stay in the aviation domain. Volunteer nets benefit from a tight, well-memorised subset — a wrong brevity in contact creates more chaos than value. Knowing 15 codes cold beats knowing 80 badly.