Military, FOR-PEN
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
forward basing
forward basing, the practice by superpowersâmost notably, the United Statesâof establishing an enduring military......
frogman
frogman, member of a U.S. naval underwater demolition team. In World War II their efforts reduced troop losses......
From Pirate to Admiral: The Tale of Barbarossa
The island of LĂ©sbos, in the Aegean Sea, is now part of Greece, but between 1462 and 1912, it lay under Turkish......
fubing system
fubing system, peasant âmilitiaâ system established in China about the 6th century ad. The fubing was first begun......
fyrd
fyrd, tribal militia-like arrangement existing in Anglo-Saxon England from approximately ad 605. Local in character,......
G.I. Bill
G.I. Bill, U.S. legislation adopted in 1944 that provided various benefits to veterans of World War II. Through......
general
general, title and rank of a senior army officer, usually one who commands units larger than a regiment or its......
general staff
general staff, in the military, a group of officers that assists the commander of a division or larger unit by......
Geuzen
Geuzen, the largely Calvinist Dutch guerrilla and privateering forces whose military actions initiated the Netherlandsâ......
Grand Army of the Republic
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), patriotic organization of American Civil War veterans who served in the Union......
Green Berets
Green Berets, elite armed force and unit of the U.S. Army specializing in counterinsurgency. The Green Berets (whose......
grenadier
grenadier, soldier particularly selected and trained to hurl grenades. The earliest grenadiers (late 16th century)......
GSG 9
GSG 9, that exists within Germanyâs Federal Police (Bundespolizei). It was formed in the wake of the massacre at......
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 5,......
Gurkha
Gurkha, soldier from Nepal serving in either the British or Indian army. The term Gurkha refers to the region around......
Haganah
Haganah, (Hebrew: âDefenseâ), Zionist military organization representing the majority of the Jews in Palestine......
Harlem Hellfighters
Harlem Hellfighters, nickname given to the 369th Infantry Regiment of the United States Army during World War I.......
hetman
hetman, military title used in the PolishâLithuanian state (16thâ18th century); the hetman wielki (âgreat hetmanâ)......
Hewlett-Packard Company
Hewlett-Packard Company, American manufacturer of software and computer services and a major brand in the history......
Honor, Medal of
Medal of Honor, the foremost U.S. military decoration, instituted by Congress in 1861 for the navy and in 1862......
hoplite
hoplite, heavily armed ancient Greek foot soldier whose function was to fight in close formation. Until his appearance,......
Houthi movement
Houthi movement, Islamic fundamentalist movement in northern Yemen, one of the main actors in the Yemeni Civil......
How was Ulysses S. Grant involved in the Civil War?
When American Civil War hostilities broke out in April 1861, Ulysses S. Grant quickly rose up the Union ranks,......
hussar
hussar, member of a European light-cavalry unit employed for scouting, modeled on the 15th-century Hungarian light-horse......
hwarangdo
hwarangdo, youth group following a unique military and philosophical code developed in the ancient Korean state......
HĂŒnkĂąr Ä°skelesi, Treaty of
Treaty of HĂŒnkĂąr Ä°skelesi, (July 8, 1833), defensive alliance signed between the Ottoman Empire and Russia at the......
impressment
impressment, enforcement of military or naval service on able-bodied but unwilling men through crude and violent......
infantry
infantry, troops who fight on foot, even though transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, aircraft, tanks......
International Brigades
International Brigades, groups of foreign volunteers who fought on the Republican side against the Nationalist......
Iron Cross
Iron Cross, Prussian military decoration instituted in 1813 by Frederick William III for distinguished service......
Iron Dome
Iron Dome, short-range mobile air defense system developed for Israel by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel......
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the most powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces, independent of......
Islamic StateâKhorasan Province
Islamic StateâKhorasan Province (ISKP), transnational jihad movement that is loosely affiliated with the Islamic......
Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces (IDF), armed forces of Israel, comprising the Israeli army, navy, and air force. The order......
Janissary
Janissary, member of an elite corps in the standing army of the Ottoman Empire from the late 14th century to 1826.......
Janjaweed
Janjaweed, Arab militia in Sudan, particularly in the Darfur region, that was most active in the first decade of......
Japan Self-Defense Forces
Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), Japanâs increasingly advanced and capable military, charged with ensuring the......
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff, panel of high-ranking U.S. military officers who advise the president of the United States......
knight
knight, now a title of honour bestowed for a variety of services, as in the British system of nobility and peerage,......
Knox, Fort
Fort Knox, major U.S. military reservation in Meade, Hardin, and Bullitt counties, northern Kentucky, U.S. It lies......
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Korean War Veterans Memorial, monument in Washington, D.C., honoring the U.S. military personnel who served in......
Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), ethnic Albanian Kosovar militant group active during the 1990s that sought Kosovoâs......
La Trémoille Family
La TrĂ©moille Family, noble family that contributed numerous generals to France. The familyâs name was taken from......
Landsknecht
Landsknecht, German mercenary pikeman of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. At the height of their success,......
launch on warning
launch on warning (LOW), military strategy that allows high-level commanders to launch a retaliatory nuclear-weapons......
legion
legion, a military organization, originally the largest permanent organization in the armies of ancient Rome. The......
levée en masse
levée en masse, a French policy for military conscription. It was first decreed during the French Revolutionary......
lieutenant
lieutenant, company grade officer, the lowest rank of commissioned officer in most armies of the world. The lieutenant......
limited nuclear options
limited nuclear options (LNO), military strategy of the Cold War era that envisioned a direct confrontation between......
list of U.S. military ranks
In the early days of the Continental Army, military dress was anything but uniform. Militiamen often wore civilian......
Little Entente
Little Entente, mutual defense arrangement among Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Romania during the period between......
Locarno, Pact of
Pact of Locarno, (Dec. 1, 1925), series of agreements whereby Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy......
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe, component of the German armed forces tasked with the air defense of Germany and fulfillment of the countryâs......
major
major, a military rank standing above captain. It is the lowest field-grade rank. The term was originally used......
Mamluk
Mamluk, slave soldier, a member of one of the armies of slaves established during the Abbasid era that later won......
marine
marine, member of a military force especially recruited, trained, and organized for service at sea and in land......
marshal
marshal, in some past and present armies, including those of Britain, France, Germany, Russia or the Soviet Union,......
Mecca Pact
Mecca Pact, mutual security arrangement between Saudi Arabia, Turkey (TĂŒrkiye), and Pakistan, signed in August......
Mercedarian
Mercedarian, member of a Roman Catholic religious order founded by St. Peter Nolasco in Spain in 1218 for the purpose......
mercenary
mercenary, hired professional soldier who fights for any state or nation without regard to political interests......
Merit, Legion of
Legion of Merit, the only U.S. military decoration that has distinct ranks, and the first U.S. medal to be awarded......
midshipman
midshipman, title used in the Royal Navy from about 1660 for âyoung gentlemenâ in training at sea to qualify for......
military aircraft
military aircraft, any type of aircraft that has been adapted for military use. Aircraft have been a fundamental......
- Introduction
- WWI, Aviation, Combat
- Fighters, Combat, Defense
- Interwar, Developments, Technology
- Bombers, Jet Engines, Stealth
- Night Fighters, Radar, Combat
- Jet Engines, Supersonic Flight, Stealth
- Transonic Flight, Supersonic Speed, Aerodynamics
- Multimission, Versatility, Combat
- Stealth, Radar, Design
- Helicopters, Rotors, Engines
- UAVs, Drones, Autonomy
Military Commanders of World War I
Here are the key military leaders who controlled the battlefields of World War I. list, World War I, generals,......
military intelligence
military intelligence, in military science, information concerning an enemy or an area. The term is also used for......
Military law
Military law, the body of law concerned with the maintenance of discipline in the armed forces. Every state requires......
Military League
Military League, group of young Greek army officers who, emulating the Young Turk Committee of Union and Progress,......
military police
military police, disciplinary force, composed of soldiers, that exercises police and related functions in armies.......
military unit
military unit, a group having a prescribed size and a specific combat or support role within a larger military......
military, naval, and air academies
military, naval, and air academies, schools for the education and training of officers for the armed forces. Their......
military-industrial complex
military-industrial complex, network of individuals and institutions involved in the production of weapons and......
militia
militia, military organization of citizens with limited military training, which is available for emergency service,......
minuteman
minuteman, in U.S. history, an American Revolution militiaman who agreed to be ready for military duty âat a minuteâs......
Mocenigo Family
Mocenigo Family, one of the most renowned patrician families of the Venetian Republic, to which it supplied military......
Morosini family
Morosini family, noble Venetian family that gave four doges and several generals and admirals to the Republic,......
mutual assured destruction
mutual assured destruction, principle of deterrence founded on the notion that a nuclear attack by one superpower......
National Guard, U.S.
U.S. National Guard, reserve group organized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. Every state and territory of......
National Security Act
National Security Act, U.S. military- and foreign-policy reform legislation, signed into law by Pres. Harry S.......
National Terrorism Advisory System
National Terrorism Advisory System, two-tiered indicator system that communicates the likelihood of a forthcoming......
National World War II Memorial
National World War II Memorial, monument in Washington, D.C., dedicated both to the Americans who served in World......
nauarch
nauarch, in ancient Greece, an admiral or supreme commander of the navy, used as an official title primarily in......
navy
navy, a nationâs warships and craft of every kind maintained by armed forces for fighting on, under, or over the......
Navy SEAL
Navy SEAL, in the U.S. Navy, a member of an elite armed force trained to engage in direct raids or assaults on......
New Look
New Look, U.S. military strategy developed by the administration of Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower and articulated......
New Model Army
New Model Army, army formed in February 1645 that won the English Civil War for Parliament and itself came to exercise......
New South Wales Corps
New South Wales Corps, (1789â1818), British military force formed for service in the convict colony of New South......
noncommissioned officer
noncommissioned officer (NCO), military officer appointed by a commissioned officer, generally to supervise enlisted......
NORAD
NORAD, binational military organization involving the United States and Canada. Established in 1957, with a formal......
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), military alliance established in 1949 that sought to create a counterweight......
Notitia Dignitatum
Notitia Dignitatum, official list of all ancient Roman civil and military posts, surviving as a 1551 copy of the......
nuclear proliferation
nuclear proliferation, the spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons technology, or fissile material to countries......
nuclear strategy
nuclear strategy, the formation of tenets and strategies for producing and using nuclear weapons. Nuclear strategy......
nuclear triad
nuclear triad, a three-sided military-force structure consisting of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed......
officer cadet
officer cadet, a young person undergoing training to become an armed forces officer. The term cadet arose in France,......
Organization of American States
Organization of American States (OAS), organization formed to promote economic, military, and cultural cooperation......
Pan-American conferences
Pan-American conferences, various meetings between representatives of some or all of the independent states of......
panzer division
panzer division, (âarmoured divisionâ), a self-contained combined-arms military unit of the German army, built......
paramilitary
paramilitary, group or organization that operates outside a countryâs formal military structure. Paramilitaries......
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, naval base and headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Honolulu county, southern Oahu Island, Hawaii,......
Pentagon
Pentagon, large five-sided building in Arlington county, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., that serves as the headquarters......