Military Time · Zulu · NATO Timezones

Military Time

Live clocks · Zulu to any timezone · 12-hour converter · NATO zone letters

Military time is the 24-hour clock written without a colon — 0000 to 2359. Zulu time (a Z suffix, e.g. 1500Z) is military time fixed to UTC, so every unit worldwide shares one unambiguous clock.

Live Clocks

Zulu (UTC+0)
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Local Time
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Zulu to Local Converter

Uses today’s UTC date and the selected timezone’s daylight saving rules.

Zulu (UTC):
LOCAL TIME
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MILITARY
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OFFSET
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12-Hour to Military

1330
Say: "Thirteen Thirty Hours"

Military to 12-Hour

2:30 PM
Military: 1430 Hours

Fixed-Offset Zone Clocks

These clocks use the displayed fixed offsets. Use the local timezone converter for daylight saving adjustments.

Quick Reference

0000
12:00 AM
0100
1:00 AM
0200
2:00 AM
0300
3:00 AM
0400
4:00 AM
0500
5:00 AM
0600
6:00 AM
0700
7:00 AM
0800
8:00 AM
0900
9:00 AM
1000
10:00 AM
1100
11:00 AM
1200
12:00 PM
1300
1:00 PM
1400
2:00 PM
1500
3:00 PM
1600
4:00 PM
1700
5:00 PM
1800
6:00 PM
1900
7:00 PM
2000
8:00 PM
2100
9:00 PM
2200
10:00 PM
2300
11:00 PM

NATO Timezone Letters

These 25 letters denote fixed UTC offsets. J (Juliett) denotes local time rather than a fixed offset. Country clock offsets can change with daylight saving time.

A — Alfa
UTC+1
B — Bravo
UTC+2
C — Charlie
UTC+3
D — Delta
UTC+4
E — Echo
UTC+5
F — Foxtrot
UTC+6
G — Golf
UTC+7
H — Hotel
UTC+8
I — India
UTC+9
K — Kilo
UTC+10
L — Lima
UTC+11
M — Mike
UTC+12
N — November
UTC−1
O — Oscar
UTC−2
P — Papa
UTC−3
Q — Quebec
UTC−4
R — Romeo
UTC−5
S — Sierra
UTC−6
T — Tango
UTC−7
U — Uniform
UTC−8
V — Victor
UTC−9
W — Whiskey
UTC−10
X — X-ray
UTC−11
Y — Yankee
UTC−12
Z — Zulu
UTC+0

How to Read Military Time

Format: 4-digit 24-hour clock (HHMM). No AM/PM, no colon.

Pronunciation: "0830" = "Zero Eight Thirty Hours" · "1545" = "Fifteen Forty-Five Hours" · "0000" = "Zero Hundred Hours"

Why no AM/PM? A supply drop at "3:00" in combat — 0300 or 1500? Military time eliminates all ambiguity.

Time references and practice

Read the US Naval Observatory explanation of Universal Time. Use the live timezone converter for local offsets and practice 24-hour time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Z in 1500Z mean?

Z stands for Zulu, the NATO timezone letter for UTC (zero offset). 1500Z is 3:00 PM UTC regardless of where the sender is — militaries use it so orders carry one unambiguous time.

Is midnight 0000 or 2400?

Both are valid: 0000 marks the start of a day and 2400 marks the end of the previous day. 0000 is the standard choice; 2400 appears mainly on schedules to show a closing time.

How do I convert PM time to military time?

For 1 PM through 11 PM, add 12 to the hour: 3:30 PM becomes 1530. Noon remains 1200. For AM, use 00 for midnight and keep hours 1 through 11 with a leading zero. For example, 12:30 AM becomes 0030.

What is 1700 in normal time?

1700 (seventeen hundred) is 5:00 PM. Common conversions: 1300 = 1 PM, 1500 = 3 PM, 1800 = 6 PM, 2000 = 8 PM, 2200 = 10 PM. Subtract 12 from any hour above 12 to get the PM time.

Why does the military use 24-hour time?

Because 0700 with no AM/PM cannot be misread across radio, written orders and logs — a wrong AM/PM guess moves an operation by 12 hours. It also pairs with Zulu (UTC) so units in different zones share one clock.

What are the NATO time zone letters?

Each letter A–Z except J marks a UTC offset: Z (Zulu) = UTC, A (Alfa) = UTC+1, N (November) = UTC−1, M (Mike) = UTC+12. J (Juliett) means the observer's local time.