What is Military: Definition and 114 Discussions

A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically officially authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct military uniform. It may consist of one or more military branches such as an army, navy, air force, space force, marines, or coast guard. The main task of the military is usually defined as defence of the state and its interests against external armed threats.
In broad usage, the terms armed forces and military are often treated as synonymous, although in technical usage a distinction is sometimes made in which a country's armed forces may include both its military and other paramilitary forces. There are various forms of irregular military forces, not belonging to a recognized state; though they share many attributes with regular military forces, they are less often referred to as simply military.

A nation's military may function as a discrete social subculture, with dedicated infrastructure such as military housing, schools, utilities, logistics, hospitals, legal services, food production, finance, and banking services. Beyond warfare, the military may be employed in additional sanctioned and non-sanctioned functions within the state, including internal security threats, population control, the promotion of a political agenda, emergency services and reconstruction, protecting corporate economic interests, social ceremonies and national honour guards.The profession of soldiering as part of a military is older than recorded history itself. Some of the most enduring images of classical antiquity portray the power and feats of its military leaders. The Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC was one of the defining points of Pharaoh Ramses II's reign, and his monuments commemorate it in bas-relief. A thousand years later, the first emperor of unified China, Qin Shi Huang, was so determined to impress the gods with his military might that he had himself buried with an army of terracotta soldiers.
The Romans paid considerable attention to military matters, leaving to posterity many treatises and writings on the subject, as well as many lavishly carved triumphal arches and victory columns.

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  1. C

    What is the best engineering major for those interested in joining the military?

    I like both civil and mechanical engineer. But I don't like working a lot indoors. I would rather work indoors and outdoors once I get my degree. If I wanted to join the military with an engineering degree, what would be the best major that could get me to work during military operations ...
  2. S

    Schools Joining the military to pay for college

    I'm about to finish my first semester of college, and due to complicated reasons, am now not receiving financial aid. This means that the school will probably slam me with a 20,000 bill in two weeks, and that I probably won't return in the spring. I'm trying to consider all my options here...
  3. W

    U.S. Military Programs for MS Engineering Degree

    I was wondering if anyone could point me in the direction of programs by the u.s. military(any branch) that would pay for me to get a MS in engineering and work for them.
  4. Pattonias

    News ABC News->US Military: Global Warming Helps Taliban

    ABC News-->US Military: Global Warming Helps Taliban Apparently terrorism is our fault due to our greenhouse gas emissions. We have been supporting it for years. This is probably one of the most far reaching news stories I have ever seen. Listen for yourself. I can't believe that they are...
  5. C

    Military Option - Why So Few Interested?

    Okay, so I'm curious as to why more of the people on these forums that want a career in math, physics, and/or engineering haven't mentioned/thought of the military option. I'm currently enlisted in the USAF with hopes of one day becoming an officer; and just today, I found out from an active...
  6. B

    Military Covering up Fireballs from Space

    This infuriates me beyond nearly anything I have ever read. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525832,00.html" What happened to Obama's 'resurrection of science'? :mad: Tell me what you guys think of this. - And please do so quickly, before I go insane. :smile:
  7. P

    Exploring Career Options in Science and Military

    I have been having serious doubts all of a sudden. I have a deep interest in nanotechnology, cellular biology, physics, oceanography, chemistry, political science, and the military (primarily air-force). I want to do all of what I stated above but I won't be able to do it all, so I was...
  8. J

    Math Are There Opportunities for Mathematicians in Military Weapon Development?

    Hey all, I've made a thread before asking for jobs for pure mathematicians in the defense industry. I was told that I could work for the Canadian equivalent of the NSA. I don't think I would like to work for the NSA. I was wondering if there are jobs in the military for pure...
  9. C

    News No military option against the Iranian nuclear program

    http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1242212417034&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull"
  10. E

    The Mongols: The Greatest MILITARY Force

    I declare that the Mongol Empire was the most impressive military force in the history of man. Proof of this can first be seen in the simple expansion and breadth of their empire. Within a hundred years, they had established the largest contiguous empire in the history of man. It spanned...
  11. R

    Physics How Can I Combine My Love for Physics and Desire to Join the Military?

    I am 16 years old and officially decided that I LOVE physics as a Junior in High School. My high school physics teacher has done the greatest job in teaching me how physics is everything, and truly how interesting it is in upper level physics, since he does hold a ph.D. in Carbon Nanotube...
  12. N

    Engineering Can rubber tracks replace steel tracks on military vehicles?

    Hello, guys. I was just wondering if any of you knew about universities in the US with military technology education? Ps. Is it the same as "aeronautical engineering"? Kind regards, - Timothy
  13. S

    Me out military service? or ph.d in local univ?

    please help me out! military service? or ph.d in local univ? hello~ i just started my Masters in Physics. and i have a problem. AS A VICTIM OF Kim Jong-il(i live in S.Korea lol), i got to do my military service. And I can think of only 2 options for now 1. keep studying here and finish my...
  14. edward

    News Bush stacked news media with military anlysists

    We all knew that Bush had fake news correspondents attend his press meetings. Here is a new twist. The Bush administration provided military analysts to the general media. Their excuse: It was a better way to inform the public. There was a New York Times Article on this last week, the main...
  15. Q

    Saw a new military weapon that

    Saw a new military weapon that... was used to heat the surface of the skin and is freaks the crap out of the enemy and hurts so they run away, it was a big unit on a vehicle with decent range and shot our a wave of some sort? Anyone know what this is? (Edit, not sure if we can discuss this...
  16. mbrmbrg

    What is the significance of military patches for classified branches?

    Yesterday's Science section of the New York Times ran an article called http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/01/science/01patc.html?scp=1&sq=inside+black+budget&st=nyt". The article discusses patches worn by classified brances of the U.S. military. I guess this is what happens when you put a group of...
  17. wolram

    Controlled Flight of 4-Rotor Crafts: Beyond Military Use

    How would one control a craft with 4 rotors in a square pattern, i imagine it would be best to have one power source and vary the rotor pitch, may be with a gyro controlling out of limit dynamics, apart from the military has anyone had one of these in controlled flight?
  18. M

    Programs Physics Degree and Military Service

    Hello, So I will be getting my physics degree soon but I've always wanted to go into the military. I will be enlisting soon (I can't be an officer right away because I am not a citizen yet) but I don't want to detach myself from physics. Are there any physicists that are in the military...
  19. L

    Are most notable inventions derivative of military purpose?

    I keep hearing about most of our notable inventions being derivative of military purpose. I tried searching for more information to see if this was actually true, but couldn't find anything substantive. So is it true?
  20. Ivan Seeking

    News Double your chances of being homeless: Join the military

    Okay, that's probably not fair, but the stats don't bode well for military service. http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/homeless.veterans/index.html I have long argued that joining the military is no way to improve your life. Sure, it can work out great for some, but not everyone who smokes...
  21. D

    Military Standards / ANSI / Mil Spec

    Does anyone know of a good cross reference that shows the descriptions of different Military Standards / ANSI / Mil Spec descriptions? Most web-sites that sell Mil Spec / ANSI hardware can tell you the description of 1 item (after requesting a quote), but I am looking for a .PDF file, or an...
  22. B

    Schools Joining the military after college

    Once I earned my physics and math degrees, I planned to go to graduate school. Problem is, I don't think I will be able to afford to go to graduate school because I will be drowning in college loans I will have to pay back. Think it will be a good idea to join the military since they pay for...
  23. N

    Physics Careers in the Military

    Are there many jobs for physics working for the military? What kind of work would you be doing? How is the pay compared to working in academia or in industry? How does it look on your CV later when applying to academia or industry?
  24. S

    Calculating Speed of Military Airplane at Mach 2.00

    Homework Statement A military airplane can travel at mach 2.00 What is the speed in km/h at sea level and at 0 degress Homework Equations mach number=speed of object/speed of sound The Attempt at a Solution speed of object=speed of sound divided by mach number 322meters per...
  25. Evo

    News Senior Democrat renews call for military draft

    I don't ever want to see another draft in this country. "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An influential Democratic lawmaker on Sunday called for reinstatement of the draft as a way to boost U.S. troop levels and draw a broader section of the population into the military or public service. U.S. Rep...
  26. Q

    USA Military paper about Psi phenomenon Paradigm Shift?

    USA Military paper about “Psi phenomenon”... Paradigm Shift? Hi everybody, The USA Military has recently (year 2004) approved for public release and distribution a very interesting and controversial research document titled “Teleportation Physics Study.” In this document they talk about...
  27. C

    US Military Serving Overseas: Math Degree Online Options

    I'm currently in the US military and stationed overseas in the UK. I'd like to finish my math degree while I'm in the military since they pay for it, but I've run into a wall. They will only pay for schools that are in the United States, so I can't go off-base to a UK college and earn credits...
  28. F

    A military helicopter dropa BOMB

    A military helicopter on a training mission is flying horizontally at a speed of 65.0 m/s and accidentally drops a bomb (fortunately not armed) at an elevation of 250 m. You can ignore air resistance. How much time is required for the bomb to reach the earth?(s) How far does it travel...
  29. Ivan Seeking

    News No Child Left Behind - the military connection

    http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/pg112.html Of course a parent would have to know about this before requesting that their private information be protected. To me this wreaks of sleeze. The default should be to protect privacy; especially when it comes to children.
  30. Y

    News Thai Military Coup: Rogue Officers Attempt Takeover

    http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-09-19T154508Z_01_BKK256153_RTRUKOC_0_US-THAILAND.xml&WTmodLoc=Home-C2-TopNews-newsOne-2" It seems the Chief of Staff is heading a group of rogue officers on a military coup.
  31. marcus

    Quantum Mechanics for Military Officers

    http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0609124 Quantum mechanics for military officers Andrei Khrennikov Plenary talk at International Conference "Foundations of Probability and Physics-4", Vaxjo, June-2006, and at the Congress of "Quantum Structures Association", Malta, July-2006 "We present a trivial...
  32. edward

    News Military paying $20 million for PR firm to spin Iraq

    Just What Iraq Needs: More Spin Topics: international | propaganda | public relations | Iraq Source: Washington Post, August 31, 2006 I have a gut feeling we are going to be seeing televison (political type) commercials spinning Iraq to the American people, and taxpayer funded obviously...
  33. G

    News What about the Lebanese military?

    Isn't it peculiar that we don't hear much about them? In principle, shouldn't they prevent war from happening in their country?
  34. Cyrus

    News Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq

    Tonight on Charlie Rose there was an interview with Thomas Ricks, reporter for the Washington post, concerning his new book: “Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq.” It was really sad to hear him tell account after account of how the US did nothing short of sell a war that was a...
  35. Astronuc

    News Supreme Court Rules Bush's Military Tribunals Illegal

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_guantanamo_trials_4;_ylt=AnAA3ePu334f9K110LZV6yg3NiUi;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/guantanamo_detainees It's about time. Imagine that - this president doing something illegal! Who'd've...
  36. BobG

    News Rumsfeld's war against the military

    I think it's reached the time where Rumsfeld has to resign. From this article, it's apparent the military has lost all confidence in Rumsfeld. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060414/pl_nm/iraq_usa_dc_11 Rumsfeld is losing his war against retired generals 6-1, so far (and DeLong's full...
  37. Mk

    Singapore spends $1,003 per capita on military

    Wow, who would attack Singapore? Taiwan??
  38. 0TheSwerve0

    News More Valuable: Military or Police

    On which do you place more value? Would you rather have a better military or Police Force? I realize this value changes in the real world, but I don't think it's a worthless or unanswerable question. Feel free to post reasons, or dissect/flesh out the question further.
  39. L

    Impressive military cleverness

    Which people's fighting performance is more impressive, Japanese ( what they did in WW II ) or Israeli ( what they did in Israel-Arab wars)? What do you think?
  40. A

    News The US military & the Iraqi press

    It appears that the US military whilst contracting out 'killing' to private contractors are taking upon themselves new duties in the field of journalism. Apart from it's legality being highly suspect is it right that the U.S., whilst expounding upon the greatness of democracy to the point...
  41. Ivan Seeking

    News Is it immoral to sell kids on the military?

    I think so. I see commercial after commercial about how the military will do this or that or the other thing for a person - provide education, skills, travel, teach you to look a man in the eye and shake hands firmly, :rolleyes: - and I have seen the results - mental problems, alcoholism, a lack...
  42. edward

    News Military is pulling choppers out of the bone yard

    The military is pulling retired helicopters out of a huge storage facility in Southern Arizona. Known as the bone yard to locals, the facility contains thousands of retired aircraft from all of the military services including the National guard. The Super Stallion, and Sea Dragon choppers...
  43. D

    Projectory: Super Hard Apparently From The Military Gah Hard

    Projectory: Super Hard Apparently From The Military! Gah Hard hey all i got a very difficult question, apparently some guy from the military working with projectory wrote this and below is the questions and i could not do sections 7 & 8 at all below i have posted my answers not sure if theya...
  44. P

    News Compassion versus Military Action - Which Will End Global Terrorism?

    Hey kat, I still don't have an axe to grind, but I saw a report that I found really chilling just now and it applies directly to you comment about an attack on Iran: Check the link. http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=20050802&articleId=791 I thought I...
  45. Pengwuino

    Flat Feet and Military Service: A Barrier to Joining the Ranks?

    So why exactly does the military refuse you if you have flat feet? My friend is trying to join the US Marines but they refused him because he has flat feet. Does this make you unable to do something required of a soldier or what?
  46. grant555

    Space & Military: Militarization of Space?

    I was wondering how many people think that we are moving towards a militarization of space? I am really impressed with the probes like Cassini and the latest probe, but I feel that ulterior motives could be at work.
  47. C

    Can Military Experience Boost Your Resume and College Application?

    I've been in the Air Force for approximately 3-months now and some questions have arised within my head over the past few days. Basically, I tried college for 2-years and ended up with a 1.8 GPA and was put on academic probation for the following semester (which I didn't go to because I left for...
  48. C

    News Serving Your Country: The Emotional Toll of Military Service

    Anyone who was/is miliatry personal here? How do you feel in battle field fighting someone who has not/has done anything bad to you? Do u feel very patriotic(as shown in movies)? Do you feel disgusted? Do you just shrug it off as a part of your work(like a butcher who kills many animals)? In a...
  49. A

    Military to Peace: A World Without War

    Military>>>Peace? If every soilder from militarry quit at this second, what the world is like for the next second ? :approve:
  50. K

    US Military Funds Weapon that Delivers Agonizing Pain

    "The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Intended for use against rioters, it is meant to leave victims unharmed. But pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a...
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