or  less;  and  all  oceanographic  observations. Speed-of-service  objective:  Within  3  hours. IMMEDIATE   (Precedence   prosign   0)—Re- served  for  messages  relating  to  situations  that gravely  affect  the  armed  forces  or  populace  and require  immediate  delivery.  Examples:  Amplify- ing  reports  of  initial  enemy  contact;  reports  of unusual   movements   of   the   military   forces   of foreign powers in time of peace or strained rela- tions; attack orders to commit a force in reserve without   delay; reports  of  widespread  civil disturbance;   and   requests   for,   or   directions concerning  distress  assistance.  Speed-of-service objective:  Within  30  minutes. FLASH  (Precedence  prosign  Z)—This  prece- dence indicator is reserved for initial enemy con- tact  reports  or  operational  combat  messages  of extreme  urgency.  Examples:  Initial  enemy  con- tacts;  messages  recalling  or  diverting  friendly aircraft  about  to  bomb  targets  unexpectedly occupied by friendly forces; warnings of imminent large-scale attacks; extremely urgent intelligence messages;  messages  containing  major  strategic decisions of great urgency; and reports of tropical storms,  typhoons,  or  hurricanes  believed  to  be previously undetected. Speed-of-service objective: As fast as possible, with objective of less than 10 minutes. In  addition  to  the  above  categories,  there  is  an EMERGENCY   COMMAND   PRECEDENCE (precedence prosign Y), which is limited to use by the  National  Command  Authority  and  certain designated commanders of unified and specified commands. Messages that have both action and informa- tion  addressees  may  be  assigned  a  single  pre- cedence;  however,  they  may  be  assigned  a  dual precedence when a higher precedence is desired for the action addressee than is desired for the infor- mation addressees. It is important that the assign- ment  of  dual  precedence  be  considered  on  all messages  with  information  addressees  when  other than Routine precedence is assigned to the action addressee(s). Message Text The text is that part of a message that contains the thought or idea the drafter wishes to communi- cate. The text must be clear, accurate, and concise. Brevity is encouraged, but not at the expense of  accuracy;  brevity  should  be  achieved  through the   proper   choice   of   words   and   good   writing techniques.  Uncommon  phrases  or  expressions must  not  be  used  to  such  an  extent  that the   meaning   becomes   ambiguous   or   obscure. Abbreviations  in  the  text  should  be  limited  to those  whose  meanings  are  self-evident  or  those that  are  recognizable  by  virtue  of  long-established usage. The   only   exception   would   be   for administrative  or  technical  material  in  which authorized  abbreviations  are  used,  and  persons familiar  with  the  abbreviations  will  be  the  only ones  handling  the  message.  If  in  doubt,  clarity should never be sacrificed for the sake of brevity. Incoming Messages and Routing Procedures Communications  centers  process  large amounts  of  message  traffic  every  day.  Copies  of many  of  these  messages  will  be  routed  to  the chaplain.   American   Red   Cross   messages, messages  concerning  events  in  which  the  chaplain participates, general messages to all hands, and publication correction messages are but a few of the  messages  received  daily  in  the  office  of  the chaplain.  The  leading  P  is  responsible  for ensuring that a ‘‘message run” to the communica- tions  center  is  made  whenever  necessary,  but certainly one should be made at least once each morning. The leading RP should also monitor all incoming messages. If anyone in addition to the chaplain  should  note  or  have  a  copy  of  the message,  the  chaplain  will  so  indicate. Whenever messages that require a reply are received,  the  leading  RP  must  ensure  that  the entire  RP  staff  works  closely  with  the  chaplain in  rendering  a  timely  response.  Also,  when  the chaplain has released a very important message, the  leading  RP  should  coordinate  with  the  com- munications center to determine when the message was  sent  so  that  the  chaplain  can  be  notified. After  the  chaplain,  leading  RP,  and  other concerned   individuals   have   noted   incoming messages, those that are informative to all hands should be placed on the ship or station message board. This message board is usually a clipboard or binder suitable for holding several messages. The message board should be read and initialed daily  by  RP  staff  members. American Red Cross (AMCROSS) Messages There  are  over  3,000  American  Red  Cross chapters in the United States, averaging about one per county. Red Cross chapters are listed in the white  pages  of  the  local  phone  directory,  either under  the  heading  of  “Red  Cross”  or  under  the county  government.  Whenever  an  emergency arises at home, such as the severe illness or death of  an  immediate  family  member,  service  members may be notified through the American Red Cross. 3-19