<P> Present - day military forces of an informational society conduct intense and complicated communicating activities on a daily basis, using modern telecommunications and computing methods . Only a small portion of these activities are directly related to combat actions . </P> <P> Modern concepts of network - centric warfare (NCW) rely on network - oriented methods of communications and control to make existing forces more effective . </P> <P> Drums, horns, flags, and riders on horseback were some of the early methods the military used to send messages over distances . In the middle 20th century radio equipment came to dominate the field </P> <P> Many modern pieces of military communications equipment are built to both encrypt and decode transmissions and survive rough treatment in hostile climates . They use different frequencies to send signals to other radios and to satellites . </P>

Group of military operations with a set purpose usually in one area