(2) What a military symbol is. Military symbols are graphic aids that accurately identify
items of operational interest. A military symbol is a sign composed of a diagram, number, letter,
abbreviation, color, or any combination thereof. These symbols identify and/or distinguish a particular
military unit, activity, or installation. Avoid departing from using these standard symbols whenever
possible. When you must improvise a nonstandard symbol, annotate its meaning in the accompanying
legend.
(3) Keep to good military symbology. Military symbols lose their value if they become
complicated or cluttered with unnecessary detail. Remember that simplicity, uniformity, and clarity are
the keys to good military symbology. The following paragraphs briefly summarize the identification of
military symbols. The page numbers indicated in parenthesis () refer to the appropriate page in appendix
B. If you have need for more detailed descriptions of these symbols and their use, refer to appendix B.
(4) Kinds of symbols. Military symbols usually consist of:
(a) Basic and interservice symbols (App B, p B-6). Geometric figures form the basic
symbols to represent units, installations, and activities. Figure 1-3 shows examples of some basic
symbols.
Figure 1-3. Basic and interservice symbols
1-6
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