Military, 9 W-FOR
Armies, navies, air forces, and other military institutions have defended states, projected power, and driven technological change. Explore the structures and traditions behind organized force.
Military Encyclopedia Articles By Title
9 Worst Generals in History
Alexander, Napoleon, Rommel. Military greatness can most easily be defined by comparison. These battlefield bumblers......
adjutant
adjutant, an officer who assists the commander of a military unit. In British and Commonwealth armed forces the......
adjutant general
adjutant general, an army or air force official, originally the chief assistant or staff officer to a general in......
admiral
admiral, the title and rank of a senior naval officer, often referred to as a flag officer, who commands a fleet......
Admiralty
Admiralty, in Great Britain, until 1964, the government department that managed naval affairs. In that year the......
aide-de-camp
aide-de-camp, (French: âcamp assistantâ), an officer on the personal staff of a general, admiral, or other high-ranking......
air force
air force, military organization of a nation that is primarily responsible for the conduct of air warfare. The......
Akrotiri
Akrotiri, British military enclave in south-central Cyprus that was retained as a âsovereign base areaâ by the......
AlcĂĄntara, Order of
Order of AlcĂĄntara, major military and religious order in Spain. It was founded in 1156 or 1166 by Don Suero FernĂĄndez......
all-volunteer force
all-volunteer force (AVF), military force composed solely of volunteers, without resorting to a military draft.......
American Legion
American Legion, organization of U.S. war veterans. It was founded in Paris on March 15â17, 1919, by delegates......
Anaconda plan
Anaconda plan, military strategy proposed by Union General Winfield Scott early in the American Civil War. The......
Andes, Army of the
Army of the Andes, military force of 3,500 soldiers organized by the South American independence leader José de......
ANZAC
ANZAC, combined corps that served with distinction in World War I during the ill-fated 1915 Gallipoli Campaign,......
ANZUS Pact
ANZUS Pact, security treaty between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States that was signed in San Francisco,......
Arab League
Arab League, regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa, formed in Cairo on March......
Arab Legion
Arab Legion, police force raised in 1923 by British Lieut. Col. Frederick Gerard Peake (who had served with T.E.......
Area 51
Area 51, secret U.S. Air Force military installation located at Groom Lake in southern Nevada. It is administered......
armatole
armatole, any of the Greeks who discharged certain military and police duties under Ottoman authority in districts......
armed force
armed force, constituent element of a countryâs combined military services. Modern armed forces are commonly divided......
army
army, a large organized armed force trained for war, especially on land. The term may be applied to a large unit......
artillery
artillery, in military science, crew-served big guns, howitzers, or mortars having a calibre greater than that......
ASEAN
ASEAN, international organization established by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,......
ASEAN Regional Forum
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the first regionwide Asia-Pacific multilateral forum for official consultations on......
Axis of Resistance
Axis of Resistance, loose and informal military network of militant groups in the Middle East that are supported......
Balkan Entente
Balkan Entente, (Feb. 9, 1934), mutual-defense agreement between Greece, Turkey, Romania, and Yugoslavia, intended......
Balloon Corps
Balloon Corps, civilian aeronautical unit (1861â63) created during the American Civil War to provide aerial surveillance......
Baltic Entente
Baltic Entente, mutual-defense pact signed by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia on Sept. 12, 1934, that laid the basis......
Banner system
Banner system, the military organization used by the Manchu tribes of Manchuria (now Northeast China) to conquer......
bashi-bazouk
bashi-bazouk, (âcorrupted head,â or âleaderlessâ), mercenary soldier belonging to the skirmishing or irregular......
battalion
battalion, a tactical military organization composed basically of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries,......
Beretta SpA
Beretta SpA, Italian-based manufacturer of sporting, military, and personal firearms, one of the worldâs oldest......
Bonus Army
Bonus Army, gathering of probably 10,000 to 25,000 World War I veterans (estimates vary widely) who, with their......
Bounty System
Bounty System, in U.S. history, program of cash bonuses paid to entice enlistees into the army; the system was......
brevet
brevet, form of military commission formerly used in the U.S. and British armies. Under the system in which an......
brigade
brigade, a unit in military organization commanded by a brigadier general or colonel and composed of two or more......
brigadier
brigadier, the highest field grade officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking above colonel and below......
brigadier general
brigadier general, military rank just above that of colonel. In both the British and U.S. armies of World War I,......
British army
British army, in the United Kingdom, the military force charged with national defense and the fulfillment of international......
British commandos
British commandos, British special operations troops, designed originally to take part in light amphibious raids,......
British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (BEF), the home-based British army forces that went to northern France at the start......
Brothers of the Sword, Order of the
Order of the Brothers of the Sword, organization of crusading knights that began the successful conquest and Christianization......
BushidĆ
BushidĆ, the code of conduct of the samurai, or bushi (warrior), class of premodern Japan. In the mid-19th century,......
Calatrava, Order of
Order of Calatrava, major military and religious order in Spain. The order was originated in 1158 when King Sancho......
Camp X
Camp X, training school for covert agents and radio communications centre in Canada that operated close to Whitby,......
captain
captain, a rank in the military and maritime service, and the highest-ranking company officer. In most armies and......
Casablanca Conference
Casablanca Conference, (January 12â23, 1943), meeting during World War II in Casablanca, Morocco, between U.S.......
cavalier
cavalier, (from Late Latin caballarius, âhorsemanâ), originally a rider or cavalryman; the term had the same derivation......
cavalry
cavalry, military force mounted on horseback, formerly an important element in the armies of all major powers.......
Central Treaty Organization
Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), mutual security organization dating from 1955 to 1979 and composed of Turkey,......
centurion
centurion, the principal professional officer in the armies of ancient Rome and its empire. The centurion was the......
chasseur
chasseur, (French: âhunterâ), member of various branches of the French army. Originally (1743) chasseurs, or chasseurs......
Cincinnati, Society of the
Society of the Cincinnati, hereditary, military, and patriotic organization formed in May 1783 by officers who......
civil defense
civil defense, in war or national defense, all nonmilitary actions taken to reduce loss of life and property resulting......
Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base, former U.S. military air base, central Luzon, Philippines. It covered an area of about 12 square......
coast guard
coast guard, a force, usually naval, that enforces a countryâs maritime laws and assists vessels wrecked or in......
Coast Guard Womenâs Reserve
Coast Guard Womenâs Reserve, U.S. military service group, founded in 1942 for the purpose of making more men available......
Cold War
Cold War, the open yet restricted rivalry that developed after World War II between the United States and the Soviet......
Collective Security Treaty Organization
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a military alliance of six post-Soviet states: Russia, Armenia,......
colonel
colonel, the highest field-grade officer, ranking just below the general officer grades in most armies or below......
combat effectiveness
combat effectiveness, the readiness of a military unit to engage in combat based on behavioral, operational, and......
comitatus
comitatus, (Latin: âretinueâ), in ancient Republican Rome, an elite company of one of the army commanders. A comitatus......
commandant
commandant, commander of a single place or body of men, such as a military school or training unit, or of a larger......
commando
commando, military unitâroughly equivalent to an infantry battalionâconsisting of men especially trained to employ......
company
company, in military service, the smallest body of troops that functions as a complete administrative and tactical......
Condor Legion
Condor Legion, a unit of the German air force, or Luftwaffe, detailed by Hermann Göring for special duty with General......
condottiere
condottiere, leader of a band of mercenaries engaged to fight in numerous wars among the Italian states from the......
conscientious objector
conscientious objector, one who opposes bearing arms or who objects to any type of military training and service.......
conscription
conscription, compulsory enrollment for service in a countryâs armed forces. It has existed at least from the time......
Coriolanus, Gnaeus Marcius
Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, legendary Roman hero of patrician descent who was said to have lived in the late 6th......
counterforce doctrine
counterforce doctrine, in nuclear strategy, the targeting of an opponentâs military infrastructure with a nuclear......
countervalue targeting
countervalue targeting, in nuclear strategy, the targeting of an enemyâs cities and civilian population with nuclear......
Croix de Guerre
Croix de Guerre, (French: âWar Crossâ), French military decoration created in 1915 and 1939 to reward feats of......
Dahomey women warriors
Dahomey women warriors, women soldiers of the western African kingdom of Dahomey known for their fierceness and......
Defense, U.S. Department of
U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), executive division of the U.S. federal government responsible for ensuring national......
Delta Force
Delta Force, tier-one special missions unit within the U.S. armed forces. It has also been referred to as the Combat......
Did Elvis Presley join the army?
Elvis Presley, the âKing of Rock and Roll,â was drafted into the U.S. Army in early 1958. This was a moment of......
Distant Early Warning Line
Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line), Cold War communications network, made up of more than 60 manned radar installations......
Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order, British military decoration awarded to officers who have performed meritorious or......
division
division, in modern military organizations, the smallest formation that comprises a balanced team of all the arms......
Donât Ask, Donât Tell
Donât Ask, Donât Tell (DADT), byname for the former official U.S. policy (1993â2011) regarding the service of homosexuals......
doughboy
doughboy, nickname popularly given to United States soldiers during World War I. The term was first used during......
dragoon
dragoon, in late 16th-century Europe, a mounted soldier who fought as a light cavalryman on attack and as a dismounted......
Dreyfus affair
Dreyfus affair, political crisis, beginning in 1894 and continuing through 1906, in France during the Third Republic.......
drill
drill, preparation of soldiers for performance of their duties in peace and war through the practice and rehearsal......
duck and cover
duck and cover, preparedness measure in the United States designed to be a civil-defense response in case of a......
Eighth Route Army
Eighth Route Army, larger of the two major Chinese communist forces that fought the Japanese from 1937 to 1945.......
Einsatzgruppen
Einsatzgruppen, units of the Nazi security forces composed of members of the SS, the Sicherheitspolizei (Sipo;......
ensign
ensign, junior officer, generally the lowest commissioned rank in military services where such a rank exists. In......
ephebus
ephebus, in ancient Greece, any male who had attained the age of puberty. In Athens it acquired a technical sense,......
eques
eques, in ancient Rome, a knight, originally a member of the cavalry and later of a political and administrative......
EsterhĂĄzy Family
EsterhĂĄzy Family, aristocratic Magyar family that produced numerous Hungarian diplomats, army officers, and patrons......
European Defense Community
European Defense Community (EDC), an abortive attempt by western European powers, with United States support, to......
European Union
European Union (EU), international organization comprising 27 European countries and governing common economic,......
evzones
evzones, members of elite mountain infantry units in the Greek army, analogous to Scottish Highlanders. They are......
first strike
first strike, attack on an enemyâs nuclear arsenal that effectively prevents retaliation against the attacker.......
Five Downed Military Pilots Who Made History
Pilots have been flying wartime missions since World War I, when aerial fighting in the skies of Europe was dominated......
Flexible Response
Flexible Response, U.S. defense strategy in which a wide range of diplomatic, political, economic, and military......
Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers, American volunteer pilots recruited by Claire L. Chennault, a retired U.S. Army captain, to fight......
Foreign Legion, French
French Foreign Legion, an elite military force originally consisting of foreign volunteers in the pay of France......