Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Which publication governs security procedures
for the United States Navy?
What does the special-handling marking
"FOUO" indicate?
What does the special-handling marking
"NOFORN" indicate?
The area of telecommunications is the most rapidly
changing aspect of environmental support. Since many
changes will continue to occur in the future, the
remainder of this chapter will only summarize the basic
components of the most widely used communications
systems.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify the
various telecommunications equipment and
systems used to transfer environmental
information. Discuss general procedures used
to transfer data on these systems.
Navy and Marine Corps weather personnel will use
many different telecommunications systems to
exchange environmental information. These systems
make use of dedicated landline, radio wave, and
satellite communications technology. The following
telecommunications systems are discussed in this
section:
Telephone systems
Computer networks
Dedicated meteorological communications
systems
Digital facsimile systems
TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
SYSTEMS
Commercial telephone systems and the Defense
Switched Network (DSN) in military communications,
especially in the field of meteorology and
oceanography, are the most common forms of
communication for official business ashore.
Navy and Marine Corps activities may provide
environmental information to any Department of
Defense activity. However, there are restrictions on the
type of information that may be provided to other
government agencies, private companies, and to the
public. Usually, a written request for information must
be approved by the commanding officer before any
information may be transferred. All non-routine
requests for weather forecasts should be referred to the
duty forecaster.
When answering the telephone, always speak
clearly. In a standard military telephone greeting, first
identify your command, then your rank and last name.
Then ask, "May I help you, Sir/or Madam?" Your
activity may use a slight modification to this greeting.
The caller should identify him/herself by name, rank,
and command before proceeding with the conversation.
Never discuss, or allow the caller to discuss, classified
information on a standard telephone. Use telephone
conversation memo pads or record sheets to document
the details of a telephone conversation.
When placing a telephone call, think about what
you want to say before you dial the phone. Organize
your thoughts to allow your phone call to be as brief as
possible. Unless you are transmitting data, your call
should be limited to 10 minutes or less.
Telephone System Access
Normally, you can access the local commercial
network, a commercial long-distance network, and the
Defense Switched Network (DSN) from the telephone
instrument provided with the local base telephone
system. Many Navy and Marine Corps stations are
supported by a customized telephone system that allows
on-base calls to be made by dialing only four- or five-
digit numbers. Other networks are accessed by dialing a
one- or two-digit access code.
Complete instructions on the use of your local
telephone system and how to access other available
systems is normally provided in your base telephone
book. Your command will also provide additional
guidance on the use of the telephone. This guidance is
usually found in a station instruction or in your
command’s standard operating procedures (SOPs).
COMMERCIAL LONG-DISTANCE SERV-
ICE.—Commercial long-distance telephone service is
available on all government telephone networks. Your
command must pay for all commercial long-distance
services. Virtually all military activities require that a
long-distance phone call record slip or log entry be
completed by the person placing the call. Some
commands require specific authorization for each long-
distance call before the call can be placed.
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