Military, PEO-WOM
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
People’s Liberation Army
People’s Liberation Army, Unified organization of China’s land, sea, and air forces. It is one of the largest military......
Persian Cossack Brigade
Persian Cossack Brigade, cavalry unit founded in Iran in 1879 and modeled after Russian Cossack formations. It......
phalanx
phalanx, in military science, tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily armed infantry standing shoulder......
Pituffik Space Base
Pituffik Space Base, U.S. military base and communications center, northwestern Greenland. It lies on Cape Atholl......
platoon
platoon, principal subdivision of a military company, battery, or troop. Usually commanded by a lieutenant, it......
police action
police action, isolated military undertaking that does not require a declaration of war. Police action is intended......
Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference, (July 17–August 2, 1945), Allied conference of World War II held at Potsdam, a historic town......
Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite, distinguished Prussian order established by Frederick II the Great in 1740, which had a military......
private
private, in most armies, the lowest grade of enlisted personnel. In the armies of the United States, Germany, and......
private military company
private military company (PMC), independent corporation that offers military services to national governments,......
Purple Heart
Purple Heart, the first U.S. military decoration, instituted by General George Washington in 1782 and awarded for......
Quartering Act
Quartering Act, (1765), in American colonial history, the British parliamentary provision (actually an amendment......
quartermaster
quartermaster, officer who superintends arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops. In Europe the office......
Quds Force
Quds Force, elite clandestine wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), responsible primarily for......
ranger
ranger, in U.S. military usage, a soldier specially trained to act in small groups that make rapid surprise raids......
Ranks, Table of
Table of Ranks, (Jan. 24, 1722), classification of grades in the Russian military, naval, and civil services into......
Red Army
Red Army, Soviet army created by the Communist government after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The name Red......
regiment
regiment, in most armies, a body of troops headed by a colonel and organized for tactical control into companies,......
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), elective military education program hosted by colleges and universities......
Rosyth
Rosyth, town and naval base in Fife council area and historic county, Scotland, on the north shore of the Firth......
Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force (RAF), youngest of the three British armed services, charged with the air defense of the United......
Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Canadian armed force in charge of that nation’s air defense. Since its inception......
Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), naval military organization of Canada, charged with the national defense at sea, protection......
Royal Navy
Royal Navy, naval military organization of the United Kingdom, charged with the national defense at sea, protection......
rōnin
rōnin, any of the masterless samurai warrior aristocrats of the late Muromachi (1138–1573) and Tokugawa (1603–1867)......
samurai
samurai, member of the Japanese warrior caste. The term samurai was originally used to denote the aristocratic......
Santiago, Order of
Order of Santiago, Christian military-religious order of knights founded about 1160 in Spain for the purpose of......
Schlieffen Plan
Schlieffen Plan, battle plan first proposed in 1905 by Alfred, Graf (count) von Schlieffen, chief of the German......
Schmalkaldic League
Schmalkaldic League, during the Reformation, a defensive alliance formed by Protestant territories of the Holy......
SEAL Team 6
SEAL Team 6, common name for an elite U.S. military special missions unit consisting of Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, and......
secure second strike
secure second strike, the ability, after being struck by a nuclear attack, to strike back with nuclear weapons......
Signal Corps
Signal Corps, branch of the U.S. Army whose mission is to manage all aspects of communications and information......
sipahi
sipahi, feudal cavalryman of the Ottoman Empire whose status resembled that of the medieval European knight. The......
Skate
Skate, first production-model nuclear-powered attack submarine of the U.S. Navy. Launched and commissioned in 1957,......
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), regional-defense organization from 1955 to 1977, created by the Southeast......
Spanish treasure fleet
Spanish treasure fleet, from the 16th to the 18th century, Spanish convoy of ships transporting European goods......
Special Air Service
Special Air Service (SAS), elite British military force organized and trained for special operations, surveillance,......
Special Air Service Regiment
Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), Australian special forces unit that exists within Australia’s Special Operations......
Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service (SBS), elite British special operations warfare unit. With the Special Air Service (SAS),......
Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC), U.S. military command that served as the bombardment arm of the U.S. Air Force and......
strategic bombing
strategic bombing, approach to aerial bombardment designed to destroy a country’s ability to wage war by demoralizing......
strategic weapons system
strategic weapons system, any weapons system designed to strike an enemy at the source of his military, economic,......
strategy
strategy, in warfare, the science or art of employing all the military, economic, political, and other resources......
- Introduction
- Ancient Warfare, Tactics, Logistics
- Medieval Warfare, Tactics, Logistics
- French Revolution, Modern Strategies
- Total War, Tactics, Logistics
- Nuclear Deterrence, Arms Race, Cold War
- Arms Control, Negotiation, Diplomacy
- National Liberation, Wars, Tactics
- Terrorism, Tactics, Planning
- 21st Century, Transformation, Military
streltsy
streltsy, (Russian: “musketeer”), Russian military corps established in the middle of the 16th century that formed......
Swiss Guards
Swiss Guards, corps of Swiss soldiers responsible for the safety of the pope. Often called “the world’s smallest......
tank
tank, any heavily armed and armoured combat vehicle that moves on two endless metal chains called tracks. Tanks......
tank destroyer
tank destroyer, a highly mobile lightly armoured tank-type vehicle that was used to fight tanks in World War II.......
Tehrān Conference
Tehrān Conference, (November 28–December 1, 1943), meeting between U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British......
Templar
Templar, member of the Poor Knights of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, a religious military order of knighthood......
Ten Thousand Immortals
Ten Thousand Immortals, in Persian history, core troops in the Achaemenian army, so named because their number......
Tennessee, Army of
Army of Tennessee, primary Confederate army of the Western Theatre during the American Civil War (1861–65). Although......
Teutonic Order
Teutonic Order, religious order that played a major role in eastern Europe in the late Middle Ages and that underwent......
Texas Rangers
Texas Rangers, loosely organized military force that policed Texas from the time of their initial organization......
The Quad
The Quad, informal security grouping comprising four countries—Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.......
The Time Julius Caesar Was Captured by Pirates
In the 1st century BCE the Mediterranean Sea had a crime problem. Specifically, it had a pirate problem. The rugged......
theatre missile defense
theatre missile defense (TMD), deployment of nuclear and conventional missiles for the purpose of maintaining security......
Thresher
Thresher, first of a class of U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines, launched in 1960. On April 10, 1963, during......
Today in History—April 26: The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington
Paul Revere, but make it a 16-year-old girl. Enter Sybil Ludington. On this day in 1777, she rode some 40 miles......
Today in History—August 4: The Creation of the U.S. Coast Guard
On this day in 1790, George Washington signed the law creating the Revenue Marine. The fleet of 10 boats would......
Today in History—May 16: The WWII Story That Inspired Saving Private Ryan
It was May 1944, and D-Day—the coordinated landing of nearly 160,000 Allied soldiers along the Normandy coast and......
Today in History—November 15: General Sherman Begins His March to the Sea
Hard war. Scorched earth. Later generations would call it “shock and awe”: On this day in 1864, Maj. Gen. William......
total war
total war, military conflict in which the contenders are willing to make any sacrifice in lives and other resources......
Townshend Acts
Townshend Acts, (June 15–July 2, 1767), in colonial U.S. history, series of four acts passed by the British Parliament......
Triton
Triton, U.S. nuclear-powered submarine that was the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe underwater. The Triton......
triumph
triumph, a ritual procession that was the highest honour bestowed upon a victorious general in the ancient Roman......
two-theatre war
two-theatre war, a defense-planning model used to estimate the size and composition of U.S. forces necessary for......
U.S. Army Camel Corps
U.S. Army Camel Corps, a failed experiment in the mid-1800s by the United States Army to introduce camels as beasts......
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, combatant arm and a technical service of the United States Army. Alone among the......
U.S. military bases around the world
There are approximately 1.3 million active-duty members of the U.S. armed services. Of these, more than 1.1 million......
United Nations Peacekeeping Forces
United Nations Peacekeeping Forces, international armed forces first used in 1948 to observe cease-fires in Kashmir......
United Service Organizations, Inc.
United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO), private, nonprofit social-service agency first chartered on February......
United States Air Force
United States Air Force (USAF), one of the major components of the United States armed forces, with primary responsibility......
United States Army
United States Army, major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the preservation of peace and security......
United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard (USCG), branch of the U.S. armed forces that is charged with the enforcement of maritime......
United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy, institution of higher learning for the training of commissioned officers for......
United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps (USMC), separate military service within the U.S. Department of the Navy, charged with......
United States Navy
United States Navy (USN), major branch of the United States armed forces charged with the defense of the country......
United States Space Force
United States Space Force (USSF), sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces, whose mission is to lead space-related......
Veterans Affairs, U.S. Department of
In April 1778 Gen. George Washington wrote a letter to fellow Founding Father John Banister in which he noted that......
Veterans for Peace
Veterans for Peace (VFP), American nongovernmental organization founded in 1985 that works to expose the actual......
Veterans of Foreign Wars
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American organization created on August 1, 1914, in the merger of three national......
Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for valour in the British armed forces, awarded for extreme bravery in the......
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Memorial, national monument in Washington, D.C., honoring members of the U.S. armed forces who......
Wagner Group
Wagner Group, Russian mercenary group that has conducted military operations around the world on behalf of the......
Wagner Group: At a Glance
The Wagner Group is a Russian mercenary company that has conducted military operations around the world on behalf......
war college
war college, any one of five U.S. institutions of higher education that offer professional military education to......
War stories: 13 modern writers who served in war
War is one of the most common themes in literature. Some of the earliest great literary works are epics recounting......
warlord
warlord, independent military commander in China in the early and mid-20th century. Warlords ruled various parts......
Washington Conference
Washington Conference, (1921–22), international conference called by the United States to limit the naval arms......
WAVES
WAVES, military unit, established on July 30, 1942, as the U.S. Navy’s corps of female members. During World War......
Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht, the armed forces of the Third Reich. The three primary branches of the Wehrmacht were the Heer (army),......
weisuo
weisuo, (Chinese: “guard post”), any of the military garrison units utilized by China’s Ming dynasty (1368–1644)......
Western European Union
Western European Union (WEU), former association (1955–2011) of 10 countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece,......
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC), U.S. education and training facility for civilian,......
What were Alfred’s military achievements?
Much of Alfred’s reign as king of Wessex was consumed with defending his kingdom against Danish invaders. By the......
When Has the U.S. National Guard Been Deployed?
The U.S. National Guard is a reserve group organized by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. Every state and territory......
Who Was Yasser Abu Shabab?
In the context of the Israel-Hamas War and the Gaza Strip, Yasser Abu Shabab was the leader of a Palestinian militia......
Women Airforce Service Pilots
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), U.S. Army Air Forces program that tasked some 1,100 civilian women with noncombat......
Women’s Armed Services Integration Act
Women’s Armed Services Integration Act, law enacted in 1948 that permitted women to serve as full members of the......
Women’s Army Corps
Women’s Army Corps (WAC), U.S. Army unit created during World War II to enable women to serve in noncombat positions.......