DTG

DTG

Date Time Group

Goals

At the end of this lesson:

• You know what a DTG is
• You know when to use the DTG
• You know how to use the DTG

Workingmethods

Individually

Today

• What is DTG?
• Why do you need to use DTG?
• Structure of DTG

What do you already know?

DTG - What?

The DTG format is used in military communications to timestamp messages, schedule activities, and implement coordination. It provides a clear, standardized way to express time and date, reducing confusion across different time zones.

DTG - Why?

Clear time coordination is essential for military operations. The DTG ensures that everyone is on the same page, regardless of where they are in the world.

DTG - Structure

The typical DTG format looks like this:

DDHHMM(Z)MONYY

DD: Day of the month (01-31)

HHMM: Time in 24-hour format (00-23 for hours, 00-59 for minutes)

(Z): Military time zone identifier

MON: 3-letter abbreviation for the month (e.g., JAN for January)

YY: Two-digit year (e.g., 2024 would be 24)

NATO

When you communicate the DTG, always use the NATO alphabet!

Day of the month - DD

The day of the month is written as two digits, even for single-digit days. For example:

January 6th = 06

Military time - HHMM

Explanation: Time in the military is written using the 24-hour clock (no AM/PM). For example:

6:30 PM = 1830

Note: This is 6:30 in the evening, using the 24-hour format where 6:30 PM = 1830 hours.

Time zone - Z

There are 2 time zones: 

A - Autumn/Winter (aprés ski) From the last weekend in October until the last weekend in March

B - Spring/Summer (bikini)

Month - MON

Months are written as three-letter abbreviations. Some examples:

January = JAN

February = FEB

December = DEC

Year - YY

The year is written in two digits. For example:

2012 = 12

When was this message sent?

061830AJAN12

DTG

• DD: 06 – 6th day of the month
• HHMM: 1830 – 6:30 PM in 24-hour format
• Z: A – Winter
• MON: JAN – January
• YY: 12 – 2012

When was this message sent?

101230BSEP21

When was this message sent?

151745BJUL10

When was this message sent?

022136ADEC22

When was this message sent?

251812AJAN97

When was this message sent?

171100BOCT07

Assingment 1

Write down the DTG for the following dates:

• 8:15 AM on July 4th, 2023 in
• 2:45 PM on November 23rd, 2024 in 
• 11:00 PM on February 1st, 2025

Assignment 2

Write down your date of birth in DTG. 

Revision

• What does DTG stand for? 
• When and why do we use it?
• What does the following stand for: DDHHMMZMONYY?