U.S. Army

Signal Corps

From wig-wag signal flags at the Civil War to the SCR-300 backpack radio at Normandy to Blue Force Tracker in Baghdad, the Signal Corps has delivered every communication the Army has ever sent. Every radio net, every satellite link, every command post network, every battlefield video feed. When communications fail, the Army goes blind. The Signal Corps makes sure that doesn't happen.

"Pro Patria Vigilans" Est. 1860

EST. JUNE 21, 1860

Army Signal Corps

Communications · Networks · Information Dominance

MAJ Albert J. Myer

THE FORCE · ALWAYS

Major Albert J. Myer established the Signal Corps in 1860 with wig-wag signal flags. Since then, the Signal Corps has fielded every communications technology the Army has ever used — telegraph, telephone, radio, radar, satellite, fiber optic, and tactical internet. The Army fights on information. The Signal Corps delivers it. Every radio net, every satellite link, every command post network, every battlefield video feed runs on Signal Corps infrastructure. When communications fail, the Army goes blind and deaf. The Signal Corps makes sure that doesn't happen. Read more

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Civil War Through WWI 1860 – 1918

WIG-WAG · TELEGRAPH

Civil War & The Telegraph

Signal Flags · Telegraph · Aerial Observation

Signal Flag System

15,000 Miles of Wire

Aerial Observation

The Signal Corps' first combat test came at the Civil War — signal officers with flags on hilltops relaying messages across battlefields while sharpshooters tried to kill them. The Corps operated 15,000 miles of telegraph wire and manned observation balloons over enemy lines. The Signal Corps also absorbed the Army's weather service and ran it until 1891. From the very beginning, Signal soldiers stood on the most exposed terrain to keep information flowing — and they've never stopped. Read more

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HELLO GIRLS · 1918

WWI — Telephone Warriors

Hello Girls · Field Telephone · Radio

Girls · Bilingual Operators

Telephone Networks

First Military Radio

UNDER ARTILLERY FIRE

In WWI, the Signal Corps laid thousands of miles of field telephone wire across France — often under artillery fire. The "Hello Girls" — bilingual American women who operated the telephone switchboards for the AEF — became the first women to serve in the Army in a non-nursing capacity. Signal soldiers also fielded the first military radio sets. Linemen who spliced wire while shells exploded around them had one of the most dangerous jobs on the Western Front. The wire had to stay up. The calls had to go through. Read more

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WWII — Radio War & Radar 1941 – 1945

SCR-300 · RADAR

WWII — Radio & Radar

SCR-300 · Walkie-Talkie · Radar Networks

First Backpack Radio

Early Warning Networks

Army Global Comms Net

UNIT · EVERY THEATER

The Signal Corps fielded the SCR-300 — the first backpack FM radio — which gave infantry squads and platoons tactical communications for the first time. The Corps also developed and operated radar networks for air defense, established the Army Command and Administrative Network spanning the globe, and photographed the war through the Signal Corps Photographic Center. Every landing, every advance, every headquarters depended on Signal soldiers keeping communications running. The WWII Signal Corps connected the largest military operation in human history. Read more

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Vietnam to GWOT — Digital Battlefield 1965 – Present

SATCOM · TROPO

Vietnam — Troposcatter & Satellites

The First Satellite Communications in Combat

First Combat SATCOM

Troposcatter Network

Integrated Wideband

Vietnam was the first war fought with satellite communications. The Signal Corps built the Integrated Wideband Communications System — a network of troposcatter, microwave, and cable links spanning 12,000 circuit-miles across Vietnam. For the first time, a commander in Saigon could talk to a firebase in the Central Highlands in real time. The Signal Corps also fielded the first tactical satellite terminals in combat. The digital battlefield began in Vietnam. Read more

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NETWORKED WARFARE

GWOT — Networked Warfare

SIPR · NIPR · Blue Force Tracker · Video

Blue Force Tracker

Full Motion Video

FOB · EVERY CP

Iraq and Afghanistan were the most networked wars in history. Blue Force Tracker showed every friendly unit on a digital map in real time. Full-motion video from drones streamed to command posts. SIPR and NIPR networks connected every FOB to higher headquarters. Signal soldiers built and maintained the entire network infrastructure — towers, switches, servers, satellite terminals, and fiber runs across combat zones. When the network went down, operations stopped. Signal kept it up. Read more

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Fort Eisenhower & Signal School

Home of the Signal Corps

Fort Eisenhower, GA

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

Fort Eisenhower, Georgia — formerly Fort Gordon — is the home of the Signal Corps and the Cyber Center of Excellence. Every Signal soldier trains here, from 25B Information Technology Specialists to 25S Satellite Communication Systems Operators. The school also houses the Cyber branch's training infrastructure. In the Georgia pine forests, the Army builds the communications professionals who connect the force from the squad to the combatant command. Read more

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164

Years of Service

Every

Unit Connected

25-Series

Signal Specialties

Pro Patria

Vigilans