The Obamas have codenames now

[UnrepentantSinner]

Trying to give me flashbacks, or were you a Redleg yourself?

Did FAOBC at Sill, blew out my back during the last few weeks and was medically retired.

Missed out on MLRS school. Well, that an a glorious career in the Reserves.

 

[Ysidro]

Agent 1: Eagle has to get to that energy conference today. What's the ETA?

Agent 2: To her school?

Agent 1: What?

Agent 2: What?

They wouldn't talk like that. They use codewords for EVERYTHING. Two reasons: One is so there isn't any ambiguity like this, two is for security. Even if you know some of the code as long as some is unknown you can't figure out everything.

OK, three reasons if you count "it sounds cool".

 

[Jimbo07]

A Wikipedia primer:

Voice Procedure

Procedure Word

NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Ten codes

This stuff is military, civil aviation, law enforcement, citizens band, etc. In addition, particular groups add and enhance, or modify, these procedures. I don't know what the Secret Service does, in particular.

 

[JoeTheJuggler]

They wouldn't talk like that. They use codewords for EVERYTHING. Two reasons: One is so there isn't any ambiguity like this, two is for security. Even if you know some of the code as long as some is unknown you can't figure out everything.

OK, three reasons if you count "it sounds cool".

So if they wanted to talk about "energy" and not refer to Chelsea, they had a different codeword for "energy"? And that makes communication less ambiguous?

I don't buy the security argument. I understand your point that knowing just some codewords wouldn't let you figure out a message, but the ones that have been made public aren't just any words--they're actually the names of the people who need to be protected.

I think "cool" and "tradition" accounts for most of the reason for using codenames.

 

[Ysidro]

So if they wanted to talk about "energy" and not refer to Chelsea, they had a different codeword for "energy"? And that makes communication less ambiguous?

I don't buy the security argument. I understand your point that knowing just some codewords wouldn't let you figure out a message, but the ones that have been made public aren't just any words--they're actually the names of the people who need to be protected.

I think "cool" and "tradition" accounts for most of the reason for using codenames.

No... they'd have a specific codeword for "Specific Energy Conference #3".

You seem to be under the misapprehention that Secret Service protection detail chats over the airwaves about presidential children and offical conferences willy-nilly. They don't. They have specific things to communicate at specific times on specific channels. And that's what the protocol is all about.

Please don't make me bug the ex-Army communications specialist (turned artillery because he liked blowing things up) who works as our company's telecom guy. I don't want to bug him and once you get him telling stories about the old days, he doesn't shut up until he gets to the classified stuff.