200 px|right|thumb|Cover of CHQ's commercial reprint of the MIL-STD-188 Military Standards series

MIL-STD-188 is a series of U.S. military standards relating to telecommunications.

Purpose

Faced with "past technical deficiencies in telecommunications systems and equipment and software…that were traced to basic inadequacies in the application of telecommunication standards and to the lack of a well defined…program for their review, control and implementation", the U.S. Department of Defense looked to develop a series of standards that would alleviate the problem.

By 1988, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued Instruction 4630.8 (reissued in 1992, 2002, 2004) stating its policy that "all forces for joint and combined operations be supported through compatible, interoperable, and integrated Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence systems. …[and that all such] systems developed for use by U.S. forces are considered to be for joint use." To achieve this the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is charged with "developing information technology standards to achieve interoperability and compatibility…[and ensure that all] systems and equipment shall conform to technical and procedural standards for interface, interoperability, and compatibility".). The Defense Information Systems Agency published circulars which announced both standards and engineering criteria relating to the long-haul Defense Communications System and to the technical support of the Worldwide Military Command and Control System.

Deviations and waivers

For any manufacturer seeking to deviate from the MIL–STD-188 series standards (prior to the manufacture of an item) they must request to do so with the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) which is constituted under the Defense Communications Agency. For any DoD Agency to get a waiver to receive an item that deviates from the standards they also must apply to the JSC.

  • 105 - Interoperability and Performance Standards for the All Digital Tactical-To-Strategic Gateway
  • 110D - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Data Modems
  • 111A - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Fiber Optic Communications Systems
  • 112 - Subsystem Design And Engineering Standards For Common Long Haul Tactical Cable And Wire Communications
  • 113 - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Analog- To- Digital Conversion Techniques
  • 114A - Electrical Characteristics of Digital Interface Circuits (can interoperate with RS-422 and RS-423, but not identical)
  • 115 - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Communications Timing And Synchronization Subsystems
  • 116 - Interoperability Standards For Information And Record Traffic Exchange Mode
  • 120 - Military Communication System Standards Terms And Definitions
  • 124B - Grounding, Bonding And Shielding For Common Long Haul/Tactical Communication Systems Including Ground Based Communications-Electronics Facilities And Equipments
  • 125A - High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) Protection For Ground-Based Facilities Performing Critical, Time-Urgent Missions
  • 136A - Satellite Data Link Standard (SDLS) For EHF Medium Data Rate (MDR) Uplinks And Downlinks
  • 140A - Equipment Technical Design Standards For Common Long Haul/Tactical Radio Communications In The Low Frequency Band And Lower Frequency Bands
  • 141D - Interoperability and Performance Standards for Medium and High Frequency Radio Systems (includes standards for automatic link establishment)
  • 145 - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Digital Line of sight Microwave Radio Equipment
  • 146 - Interoperability And Performance Standards For Satellite Communications
  • 148B - Interoperability Standard for Anti Jam (AJ) Communications In The High Frequency (2-30 MHz) Band
  • 154A - Subsystem, Equipment, And Interface Standards For Common Long Haul And Tactical Telecommunications Control Facilities
  • 161D - Interoperability and Performance Standards for Digital Facsimile Equipment
  • 164A - Interoperability and Performance Standards for C-Band, X-Band, and Ku-Band SHF Satellite Communications Earth Terminals
  • 165A - Interoperability and Performance Standards for SHF Satellite Communications PSK Modems (Fdma Operation)
  • 166 - Interface Standard, Interoperability and Performance Standard for SHF SATCOM Link Control
  • 167 - Interface Standard, Message Format for SHF SATCOM Link Control
  • 168 - Interface Standard, Interoperability and Performance Standards for SHF Satellite Communications Multiplexers and Demultiplexers
  • 171 - Interoperability Standards For Information And Record Traffic Exchange Mode I
  • 172 - Interoperability Standards For Information And Record Traffic Exchange Mode Ii
  • 173 - Interoperability Standards For Information And Record Traffic Exchange Mode V
  • 174 - Interoperability Standards For Information And Record Traffic Exchange Mode Vi
  • 176 - Standardized Profile For Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
  • 181B - Advanced Narrowband Digital Voice Terminal (ANDVT) and 56 kbit/s data
  • 181C - Interoperability Standard For Access To 5-kHz And 25-kHz UHF Satellite Communications Channels
  • 182B - Interoperability Standard For UHF SATCOM Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) Orderwire Messages And Protocols
  • 183B - Interoperability Standard For Multiple-Access 5-kHz And 25-kHz UHF Satellite Communications Channels
  • 184 - Interoperability and Performance Standard for the Data Control Waveform
  • 185 - Interoperability UHF Milsatcom DAMA Control System
  • 186 - Interoperability Standard For UHF SATCOM Short-Delay Report-Broadcast Service
  • 187 - Interoperability Standard for Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Terminals
  • 190 - Methods for Communication System Measure
  • 194 - Integrated Services Digital Network Profile
  • 196 - Bi-Level Image Compression for the National Imagery Transmission Format Standard
  • 197A - Adaptive Recursive Interpolated Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ARIDPCM) Compression Algorithm For The National Imagery Transmission Format Standard
  • 198A - Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Image Compression for the National Imagery Transmission Format Standard
  • 199 - Vector Quantization Decompression for the National Imagery Transmission Format Standard
  • 203-1A - Interoperability and Performance Standards for Tactical Digital Information Link (Tadil) A (Link 11)

MIL-STD-188-200 series

According to the DoD the MIL-STD-188-200 series "contains current tactical communications, technical standards and design objectives…[this series includes] appropriate unclassified design objectives and tactical communications systems technical standards…[and] Appropriate communications-electronics systems standards and design objectives developed under joint projects…[which are] integrated in the tactical communications standards."