Why Yankee Foxtrot?

Before the advent of radios and advanced electronic communications, flags were the only way to communicate at sea. Each letter and number was represented by a colorful flag flown from a visible point on a ship. The messages could be seen and read across long distances on the ocean. Today they are still widely used to communicate when operations call for radio silence.

Yankee Foxtrot, Inc. derives its name from two nautical signal flags.

By itself, the yellow and red striped flag stands for the letter “Y” or Yankee in the maritime international alphabetical code. When flown alone by a ship it means “I am dragging my anchor; keep clear”.

The red diamond shape on a white background flag by itself, stands for the letter “F” or Foxtrot and when flown alone means “I am disabled; communicate with me”.

However, when certain combinations of two flags were flown together, that meant an urgent and important signal which had a very specific meaning, was about to be communicated.

Yankee Foxtrot was such a combination from the International Signal Book. When the flags were flown together, their meaning was “Need immediate assistance”. In sailing days of old, one could clearly visualize a ship's Captain striking those flags when his ship was in need of immediate assistance.

Our Clients and CEO’s today fortunately do not need to know the exact meanings of two flag signals. However, what they do need is credible experience in solving complex security challenges and a deep understanding of what is technologically possible. That’s just the kind of assistance our clients want. Accordingly, we will respond to the Yankee Foxtrot signal with the provision of security management expertise.