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Latest revision as of 23:13, 5 December 2025
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This article uses a conjectural title. The name "Directed EAM" is speculative. |
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This draft was created using AI and requires human review. This article was generated by Claude, an AI assistant, and and should be reviewed for errors and unverified information. |
Directed EAMs (also FOR Messages, Specifically Addressed Messages, Addressee Messages, or others[Note 1]) are EAMs that specify intended recipients using the format "FOR [CALLSIGN]." These messages constitute approximately 47% of Group 2 EAM traffic and represent the only message category where intended recipients are explicitly identified during broadcast.
Directed EAMs are distinctive within the EAM taxonomy because they are immediately and definitively identifiable upon hearing a single transmission. Unlike other message classifications which require observing prefix behavior patterns over time, a Directed EAM announces its category through the operator's verbal specification of "FOR [CALLSIGN]" during transmission.
Structure and Identification
Directed EAMs follow the standard EAM broadcast format but include an addressee designation announced by the ground station operator before the message content. The operator states "FOR [CALLSIGN]" or "FOR [CALLSIGN], [CALLSIGN]" when multiple recipients are designated, then proceeds with the message reading.
Directed EAMs are almost always exactly 30 characters long, matching the standard EAM baseline length. Longer Directed EAMs exist but are rare exceptions.
All documented Directed EAMs belong to Group 2. No Directed EAMs using Group 1, Group 3, or Group 4 prefixes have been observed. This appears to be a structural rule rather than a statistical tendency.
Callsign Categories
Analysis of Directed EAMs reveals four distinct categories of callsign usage, suggesting different operational purposes, command structures, and platform types.
ALPHABET FORCE Messages
ALPHABET FORCE Messages are directed to one or multiple "[PHONETIC LETTER] FORCE". These callsigns have been documented consistently across the years during notable activity periods such as the annual Global Thunder exercises, suggesting the designations are persistent designators of standing organizational entities rather than tactical or mission-specific designations. Observed ALPHABET FORCE callsigns include ALPHA FORCE, BRAVO FORCE, CHARLIE FORCE, FOXTROT FORCE, GOLF FORCE, KILO FORCE, ROMEO FORCE, SIERRA FORCE, and TANGO FORCE.
ALPHABET REGION Messages
Similarly, ALPHABET REGION Messages are directed to one or multiple "REGION [PHONETIC LETTER]". Only three individual REGION designations (ALPHA, BRAVO, CHARLIE) have been documented, with REGION CHARLIE being the most frequently documented. There have also been messages directed to "ALL REGIONS". That these messages are for REGIONS may or may not suggest the messages are for geographic or operational areas of responsibility.
Directed EAMs for E-6B Mercurys
Messages are for numbered callsigns ("[WORD] [NUMBER]") are very strongly associated with E-6Bs. During a comprehensive monitoring period from June 23 2023 through February 01 2024, the majority of numbered callsign messages were readily identified as transmissions for E-6B aircraft based on identification of E-6Bs using the numbered callsign when searching for them on flight tracking sites such as ADSBExchange or Flightradar24.
Directed EAMs for all other callsigns
Unnumbered callsigns not for FORCES or REGIONS represent the largest category of Directed EAMs. Several hundred unique word-only callsigns have been observed across monitoring periods. Usage patterns vary considerably. Some word-only callsigns appear in concentrated bursts with multiple messages within hours, then never appear again in monitoring records. Others appear sporadically over multi-day periods. This variability may suggest usage for temporary operations, specific missions, exercises, deployed units, or other time-limited communication requirements.
Multi-addressee Messages
Approximately 8% of Directed EAMs specify multiple recipients in a single transmission.
Multi-addressee messages can combine callsigns from the same category or mix different categories:
Same-category examples:
- FORCE: ALPHA FORCE with CHARLIE FORCE (frequently paired); FOXTROT FORCE with ROMEO FORCE and VICTOR FORCE; GOLF FORCE with MIKE FORCE
- REGION: REGION ALPHA with REGION BRAVO
- Other: PREXIE with APPOINT and VELLO; TORCHBEARER with TURMOIL; CLEMSON with LESLIE or TEQUILA
Mixed-category examples:
- FORCE + word-only: ALPHA FORCE with ERNIE; GOLF FORCE and MIKE FORCE with ERNIE
- FORCE + numbered: Various combinations observed
- REGION + N/A: So far, REGION messages have not been documented as used in combination with other callsigns.
The largest documented multi-addressee message was directed to ten callsigns: UPSTAGE, NYLON TIRES, PARLOR, ASPHALT TILE, SNOBBY, ZIGZAG, BIG CROSS, WINKER, COTTON CANDY, and RICOTTA.
Relationship to non-directed Group 2 Messages
Directed EAMs share the same prefix rotation system as non-directed Group 2 Messages. At any given time, both Directed EAMs and non-directed Group 2 messages use the same 2-character prefix. That these different messages appear to be part of the same group may suggest that Directed EAMs and non-directed Group 2 messages are part of the same communication architecture.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Need a section discussing the possible names of this thing, including mention that the hfgcs github documentation doesn't appear to have any internal name for them, maybe.