MESSAGE AND ROUTING ADDRESSEES

Most messages have at least one addressee responsible for taking action on the contents and for originating any necessary reply. Addressees who have an official concern in the subject of the message, but who do not have primary responsibility for acting on it, receive the message for information. Although information addressees are usually concerned only indirectly with a message, they occasionally must take action of some kind within their own commands. Some messages contain only information addressees.

Messages may be divided into types, according to the way they are addressed, as follows:

Single-Address- A message that has only one addressee, which may be either for action or information.

Multiple-Address- A message that has two or more addressees, which may be either action or information and where each addressee is informed of all other recipients.

Book- A message destined for two or more addressees but where the drafter considers it unnecessary that each addressee be informed of other addressee(s). Book messages are routed according to each addressee's relay station. All unnessary addressees are deleted from the face of the message before being sent to the addressee(s) served by that particular relay station.

General Message- A message that has a wide, predetermined, standard distribution. General messages are normally titled with a sequential number for the current year; for example, ALCOM 28/96, NAVOP 30/96. The title indicates distribution and serves as the address designator.

ADDRESS GROUPS

Address groups are four-letter groups assigned to represent a command, activity, or unit. In military communications, address groups can be used in the same manner as call signs to establish and maintain communications. Generally speaking, the Navy uses address groups the same way as call signs. Address groups never start with the letter N; hence, they are easily distinguishable from naval radio call signs. Address groups, however, follow no distinctive pattern, and the arrangement of the four letters that constitute them conveys no significance whatsoever.

Afloat commands (except individual ships) and shore-based commands or activities not served by their own communications facilities are assigned address groups. For example:

l Senior commands and commanders ashore, such as the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy;

l Navy bureaus, systems commands, and district commandants; and

l Elements of the shore establishment having a need for direct addressing and receipt of message traffic (such as weather centrals).

Among other uses, address groups facilitate delivery of message traffic when a communications center serves so many activities that its own call sign is insufficient to identify the addressee. Address groups are contained in Allied Call Sign and Address Group System-Instructions and Assignments, ACP 100, and in U.S. Call Sign &Address Group System Instructions & Assignments (U.S. Supplement No. 1), ACP 100 U.S. SUPP-1. Like call signs, address groups are divided into the following types: l Individual activity; l Collective; l Conjunctive; l Geographic; l Address indicating; and

l Special operating.

Individual Activity Address Groups

Individual activity address groups are

representative of a single command or unit, either afloat

or ashore. For example:

DTCI-COMNAVSURFLANT; and SSMA-CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS (CNO).

Collective Address Groups

Collective address groups represent two or more commands or activities. Included in this group are commanders and their subordinate commanders. For example:

JTBC-DESRON 6; and YQHV-SUBRON 16.

Conjunctive and Geographic Address Groups

Conjunctive and geographic address groups are discussed together because they are interrelated in their usage.

Conjunctive address groups have incomplete meanings and must have geographic address groups added to them to denote a specific command or location. For this reason, conjunctive address groups are used only with one or more geographic address groups. For example, the conjunctive address group XZKW means "All ships present at ___ ." To complete the meaning, it must be followed by a geographic address group.

Geographic address groups are the equivalent of geographical locations or areas. They are always preceded by conjunctive address groups. For example, the address group DEXL could represent Newport, R.I. Therefore, all ships present at Newport would be addressed XZKW DEXL.

Address Indicating Groups

Address indicating groups (AIGs) represent 16 or more specific and frequently recurring combinations of action and/or information addressees. The purpose of AIGs is to increase the speed-of-traffic handling. They shorten the message address by providing a single address group to represent a large number of addressees. This eliminates individual designators for each address used in the heading.

Messages that are repetitively addressed to a constant group of 16 or more addressees can effectively

be processed by an AIG address designator. For example, let's assume that a hypothetical AIG (AIG 31) is used to address SUBMISS/SUBSUNK message traffic by COMSUBLANT to 30 action addressees and 35 information addressees. Since a single AIG (AIG

31) is used, 65 call signs and address groups are eliminated from the heading of the message.

AIGs are normally created when particular types of message traffic become repetitive enough (at least 12 times a year) and are addressed to enough of the same addressees to warrant it. Among such message traffic are:

l Alerts, air defense warnings, operational or emergency actions, and so forth;

l Destructive weather warnings, such as hurricanes and typhoons;

l Logistical transactions and reports;

l Intelligence summaries;

l Movement reports, such as aircraft, ships, and personnel; and

l Notices to airmen (NOTAMs).

A point for you to remember is that an AIG will not be established for groups of addressees numbering fewer than 16. A complete listing of AIGs by number, cognizant authority, and purpose is contained in U.S. Navy Address Indicating Group (AIG) and Collective Address Designator (CAD) Handbook, NTP 3 SUPP-1. A partial listing of AIGs, along with specific action and information addressees, can be found in ACP 100 U.S. SUPP 1.

Special Operating Groups

Special operating groups (SOGs) are four-letter groups that are identical in appearance to address groups. SOGs are provided for use in the headings of messages to give special instructions. However, SOGs are not used unless specifically authorized by CNO. They must always be encrypted. SOGs may be used singly or with encrypted or unencrypted call signs or address groups.