The names were kept in strict confidence-even the smallest compromises were call for alarm. The heroes of antiquity, figures from Greek and Roman mythology, the constellations and stars, famous racehorses, names of British and American war heroes, could be used, provided they fall within the rules above. Names of living people-Ministers and Commanders-should be avoided.Ģ.the world is wide, and intelligent thought will readily supply an unlimited number of well-sounding names which do not suggest the character of the operation or disparage it in any way and do not enable some widow or mother to say that her son was killed in an operation called "Bunnyhug" or "Ballyhoo."ģ. They ought not to be names of a frivolous character.
COMMANDER NAME GENERATOR CODE
Operations in which large numbers of men may lose their lives ought not to be described by code words which imply a boastful or overconfident sentiment. He quickly realized the impossibility of such a large task and settled for listing some guidelines in a 1943 memo:ġ. At one point in the war, he insisted on personally approving every operation name before it was carried out. Winston Churchill, who personally named the Normandy invasion, warned against the dangers of revelatory code names. The title came from Frederick I Barbarossa, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, who “extended German authority over the Slavs in the east and who, legend said, would rise again to establish a new German Empire.” Churchill's Rules Hitler must have sensed the inadequacy of the name and upped the ante with a more regal moniker: Operation Barbarossa. It was originally named Operation Fritz, after the son of one of the planners. Nazi Germany was simultaneously planning its invasion of Soviet Russia, which to this day is the largest military operation in history. Marines land on Iceland to secure it against possible Axis invasion. even entered the war, Operation Indigo saw U.S. The Germans pioneered it during World War I, and the idea took hold in the interwar period, especially as radio became a predominant means of communication.īefore the U.S. It’s a relatively new practice, actually-less than a hundred years old. While watching the news, I was struck by a curiosity many of you might have shared: just where exactly do these names come from? But realize that if your general employee population finds out that you use this approach, they might be able to figure out who your acquisition target is.Last month the world watched rebel forces pour into Tripoli under the banner of Operation Mermaid Dawn. You’ll see such category groupings below.įor companies that are active acquirers (M&A), consider using a code name that has the same first letter as the target company. For example, one of the companies I worked for in the past used names of philosophers for one product line, types of snakes for another and Greek/Roman gods for another. It will help your employees and business partners more easily remember what the code name stands for. If your company has multiple products or product lines, consider assigning a theme to each and then using code names from those themes. See related articles in the M&A Category.Will Revolutionize the Marketing Function“ See related article titled “ A Secret to Securing a Strategic Partnership“.Strategic partnerships – during the courtship and negotiation phase.See related article titled “ Prioritizing Your Roadmap“.Product roadmap and innovation programs.The most common business use cases for code names happen to correspond to articles I’ve written and published on this site. Haven’t you ever been in a coffee shop or restaurant and overhead a conversation that was clearly confidential? The key reason for business settings usually relates to confidential programs and activities that are talked and written about in ways that could possibly be exposed to people that shouldn’t have knowledge, including the general public. Why Are Code Names Needed?įirst, it’s fundamentally fun and cool to use code names, but that’s not necessarily the reason to start using them. I’ve used many of these over the years and hope you enjoy using them too. In fact, one column includes code names grouped by a particular theme and another column just lists a bunch of cool words and phrases to consider for code names. This article includes a list of more than 500 code names to consider for your use. Even adventure games, video game characters for Fortnite or Minecraft, and team names for any sort of competition can benefit from really cool names. How cool is it to use a code name for an important project rather than “version 2.5” or “next gen”? Same for a company acquisition or game-changing strategic initiative that will fundamentally change the landscape and trajectory for the company.