APP-6D standard

Military symbols play a key role in the command and control of military forces. By communicating information that meets basic requirements, situational awareness can be quickly achieved; by its graphical nature, it provides a common operating language that greatly facilitates interaction across cultural and linguistic barriers. With the advent of information technology, the need arose for rapidly recognized international standards that could then be taught to computers. The fusion of high standard air, sea and land symbols on APP-6 paper resulted in Mil-Std-2525 and NATO APP-6D.