diff --git a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Util.java b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Util.java
index ddcf6eb0b2..57bd571063 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/hudson/Util.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/hudson/Util.java
@@ -487,6 +487,8 @@ public class Util {
         long minutes = duration / ONE_MINUTE_MS;
         duration %= ONE_MINUTE_MS;
         long seconds = duration / ONE_SECOND_MS;
+        duration %= ONE_SECOND_MS;
+        long millisecs = duration;
 
         if (years > 0)
             return makeTimeSpanString(years, Messages.Util_year(years), months, Messages.Util_month(months));
@@ -498,9 +500,14 @@ public class Util {
             return makeTimeSpanString(hours, Messages.Util_hour(hours), minutes, Messages.Util_minute(minutes));
         else if (minutes > 0)
             return makeTimeSpanString(minutes, Messages.Util_minute(minutes), seconds, Messages.Util_second(seconds));
-        else
-            // Durations less than a minute are only expressed in seconds (no ms).
+        else if (seconds >= 10)
             return Messages.Util_second(seconds);
+        else if (seconds >= 1)
+            return Messages.Util_second(seconds+"."+millisecs/100); // render "1.2 sec"
+        else if(millisecs>=100)
+            return Messages.Util_second(String.format("0.%02d",millisecs/10)); // render "0.12 sec".
+        else
+            return Messages.Util_millisecond(millisecs);
     }
 
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties b/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
index 48c4a43875..3c5c6c955b 100644
--- a/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
+++ b/core/src/main/resources/hudson/Messages.properties
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ FilePath.validateAntFileMask.whitespaceSeprator=\
 FilePath.validateAntFileMask.doesntMatchAndSuggest=\
   ''{0}'' doesn''t match anything, but ''{1}'' does. Perhaps that''s what you mean?
 
+Util.millisecond={0} ms
 Util.second={0} sec
 Util.minute={0} min
 Util.hour  ={0} hr
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/hudson/UtilTest.java b/core/src/test/java/hudson/UtilTest.java
index 72d5d2b985..e84fe301c8 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/hudson/UtilTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/hudson/UtilTest.java
@@ -55,6 +55,16 @@ public class UtilTest extends TestCase {
         assertEquals(Messages.Util_minute(1) + " " + Messages.Util_second(7), Util.getTimeSpanString(67000L));
         // 17 seconds - Check that times less than a minute only use seconds.
         assertEquals(Messages.Util_second(17), Util.getTimeSpanString(17000L));
+        // 1712ms -> 1.7sec
+        assertEquals(Messages.Util_second(1.7), Util.getTimeSpanString(1712L));
+        // 171ms -> 0.17sec
+        assertEquals(Messages.Util_second(0.17), Util.getTimeSpanString(171L));
+        // 101ms -> 0.10sec
+        assertEquals(Messages.Util_second("0.10"), Util.getTimeSpanString(101L));
+        // 17ms
+        assertEquals(Messages.Util_millisecond(17), Util.getTimeSpanString(17L));
+        // 1ms
+        assertEquals(Messages.Util_millisecond(1), Util.getTimeSpanString(1L));
     }