Below are common questions around calculating military time. The U.S. Army didn’t officially adopt military time until 1942. Why does the military call this time “Zulu time?” You would think that the world could be divided equally into 24 one-hour equals a day. Where this gets confusing is when you have to translate to the current time in your location. The East Coast of the United States is five hours later than Greenwich Mean Time. So, 1300Z at GMT is the same as 0800 on the East Coast. “The Commander wants to see you at fifteen hundred (1500) hrs,” means you need to be in the Commander’s office at three p.m., local time. When using local time, the Military observes Daylight Savings Time, if recognized by the state or country that the base is located in. When you first hear someone in the military give you the time, you may have to pause a few seconds and do the quick math in order to determine the time of day. For those of you who are interested in a simple conversion formula, continue reading and find below the formula that helps you understand the conversion of 1400 Military Time. Additionally, the abbreviated format of the 24-hour system makes it easier to send concise communications. When it comes to military drills and critical missions, the efficiency and accuracy of the 24-hour system can actually mean life or death. A 24-hour clock is also used by other organizations in which precision and clarity are essential. In the case of any set time that is not rounded to the hour, the “hundred” is usually not indicated. If you enjoy watching movies or television shows that incorporate characters in the Armed Forces or military culture, you will notice that “military” time is often used. The UK is not on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year. During Daylight Saving Time the correct time zone is British Summer Time (BST).