A vedette is a mounted sentry or picket, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops.[1][a] In modern terms, the soldiers who man listening-posts are the equivalent of vedettes.
All around Salisbury Plain in southern England, the roads connecting the plain with the surrounding countryside feature brick-built guard-posts, staffed by security officers whenever there is military activity beyond such points. They are known as vedettes, and each one is named for a local geographic feature.[2]
The Gardjola is a prominent guard tower on Maltese forts in Malta and an example of a vedette.[3][4][5] It may be referred to in French as an échauguette.[6]