Precise time measurement is the cornerstone for improving the modernization effectiveness of weaponry and equipment. As a core support, atomic clocks possess extremely high timing accuracy and can significantly enhance the coordination, precision, and autonomy of weaponry and equipment, playing an important strategic role. Nowadays, atomic clocks have been widely used in equipment such as warships, aircraft, and missiles, becoming an indispensable "time heart" in the process of weaponry and equipment modernization.

- Navigation, Positioning and Precision Strikes. The navigation systems of traditional ballistic missiles highly rely on inertial navigation and satellite positioning signals. In a war environment, satellite signals are prone to encountering situations like electronic interference, signal loss, or spoofing attacks, which will affect the precision and stability of ballistic missiles. For example, the fastest intercontinental missiles can fly at a speed of 8,800 meters per second. When the GPS signals are interfered with, even with a deviation of only 0.3 seconds, the strike accuracy will deviate from the target by about 3 kilometers. The introduction of atomic clocks provides missiles with an ultra-high-precision self-time synchronization capability, enabling them to achieve precise navigation and positioning even when the GPS is unavailable.

The GPS satellite navigation system in the United States adopts a combination of cesium atomic clocks and rubidium atomic clocks, with stable performance and high precision. Russia started with the GLONASS satellite navigation system in the 1980s. In the early stage, it was equipped with cesium atomic clocks, and now it has stepped into the era of hydrogen atomic clocks. The stability of the hydrogen atomic clocks on its GLONASS-K2 series satellites reaches 1×10⁻¹⁴ per day. The Galileo system of the European Union mainly uses rubidium atomic clocks and passive hydrogen atomic clocks, aiming for higher precision and reliability. The development of atomic clock technology has not only promoted the upgrading of satellite navigation systems in various countries but also provided a solid time reference for precision guidance, demonstrating the crucial supporting role of atomic clocks in the modern military application field.

- High-Precision Time Synchronization. On the eve of a major battle, in order to facilitate unified actions, soldiers would always synchronize their watches in advance to correct the time. In modern warfare, atomic clocks have replaced the time synchronization ceremony based on mechanical watches, allowing the gears of the war machine to operate without the slightest error in time. Especially in the transmission of military communication data, atomic clocks can provide ultra-high-precision time synchronization, greatly improving the reliability and security of military communication systems. The "Milstar" satellite communication system in the United States is equipped with high-precision atomic clocks, providing a reliable time reference for military communications.

With its outstanding high-precision time synchronization performance, atomic clocks have extended their applications in the military field to multiple aspects, covering multiple key areas such as electronic countermeasures, network security, and missile defense. In the field of electronic countermeasures, the high-precision time synchronization ability of atomic clocks can significantly enhance the effectiveness of interference and anti-interference; in the field of network security, atomic clocks can provide a more reliable time reference for encrypted communications; in the field of missile defense, atomic clocks can effectively improve the response speed and accuracy of the early warning system. Atomic clocks are gradually becoming an indispensable core component in modern weapon systems, providing crucial time support for various combat platforms.

- The Miniaturization and Portability of Atomic Clocks Are Expected to Enter Tactical Applications. High-precision and portable atomic clocks as well as miniaturized or even chip-scale atomic clock equipment can provide a reliable and stable time source, ensuring accurate timekeeping in various complex environments. Since the beginning of the 21st century, with the advent of chip-scale atomic clocks, the guidance accuracy of missiles has been greatly improved. The CPT atomic clock developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the United States based on the principle of coherent population trapping of atoms is even smaller than a grain of rice and can be deployed on multiple platforms such as satellites, missiles, and warships, greatly improving the positioning accuracy of weapons. Nowadays, military atomic clocks are developing rapidly along the research directions of higher precision, smaller size, and lower power consumption.