Military
Explore the weapons and combat systems used by the armed services. A broad range of topics in the Military Channel includes tanks, aircraft, biological warfare and stealth technologies.
Watch Your Six: Military Jet Pictures
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Does Army experience help your civilian career?
How NCO Professional Development Ribbons Work
How Army Reconnaissance Jobs Work
How Agent Orange Worked
How Biological and Chemical Warfare Works
How Mustard Gas Works
What Is the Strongest Military in the World?
5 Countries That Ditched Their Military Forces
Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Risk All to Save Lives
Anatomy of an Underwater Explosion
Can You Really Outrun an Explosion?
How Blast-resistant Clothing Works
HowStuffWorks Illustrated: Two Legal Gun Modifications
Gun Pictures
What's the world's smallest gun?
Are robots replacing human soldiers?
Can drones replace fighter jets?
Do wars drive technological advancement?
Submarine Pictures
How the Zumwalt Class Destroyer Works
How Aircraft Carriers Work
How Military Video Conferencing Works
Why a Draft Would Weaken the U.S. Military
What Was the First War?
Top 5 Gadgets on the High-tech Soldier
10 Insane Disguises That Actually Worked
How Code Breakers Work
How Spy Flies Will Work
YOU Can Drive a Tank!
Is the army testing an invisible tank?
Centurion Main Battle Tank
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Game theory isn't about people scratching their heads over a never-ending game of Monopoly. Serious theorists, like Henry Kissinger, used it to form war strategies.
By Tom Scheve
Capable of firing a round of shots from what appears to be out of nowhere, the no-line-of-sight cannon (NLOS-C) can put the kibosh on enemy movement.
By Josh Clark
Somewhere in the world, a prisoner likely is enduring torture right now. Human rights organizations have made it their mission to report these crimes against men, women and children. Here are 10 of the most common ways torture is perpetuated in modern society.
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A gas mask alone won't protect you if enemies lob this chemical weapon at you. Why did so many soldiers learn this the hard way during World War I?
By Josh Briggs
Your most rugged pair of blue jeans can't hold a candle to the cutting-edge blast-resistant clothing and technology. Sure, these fabrics are tough, but can they diffuse bomb blasts?
By Tom Scheve
Fanciful ideas of underwater submersibles fascinated engineers centuries before the nuclear submarine ever took shape. How did the nuclear submarine evolve? And what, exactly, makes it nuclear?
By Tom Scheve
Those same, buzzing insects that seek out molecular hints of the pollen they use to make honey can just as easily detect traces of materials used to bombs. How are honeybees used to find bombs?
By Julia Layton
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The U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) initiative is a massive overhaul of military technology intended to prepare the Army for modern warfare. Learn how.
Unique among the U.S. armed forces, the Coast Guard is perpetually on active duty, entrusted with lots of responsibilities, including saving lives at sea and enforcing maritime laws.
Body armor is about to undergo the biggest change in centuries -- new liquid formations are making Kevlar much lighter and more flexible to wear. Find out about this new technique for making body armor more wearable.
The Kim Jong Un regime continues to demonstrate its desire to threaten the U.S. and its allies with nuclear-armed ICBMs. But can any of these missiles actually reach the U.S. mainland?
By Julia Layton & Sarah Gleim
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In the first reports released since North Korea announced its underground nuclear test on Monday, officials are saying they have found no evidence of a nuclear signature in the air above the blast site.
By Julia Layton
In 2007, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey came under fire for refusing to classify water boarding as torture. What does water boarding entail? Does it work?
By Julia Layton
Sure, llamas are our friends. But little did we know that these fuzzy, camel-like creatures might save us all should the End come in the form of a biological attack.
By Julia Layton
Whether you call it a homemade bomb, a booby trap or an improvised explosive device, an IED is simple to make, easily hidden and extraordinarily destructive. Why are these deadly devices one of the No. 1 killers of soldiers in Iraq.
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The Vietnam War occurred decades ago, but one of its legacies lingers on in Vietnamese soil and the U.S. court system. How did this defoliant do so much damage?
When he needs a new state-of-the-art trick up his sleeve, James Bond asks Q. Who do U.S. soldiers go to for cutting-edge equipment?
Suicide bombings are chillingly logical. By hiding explosives on a willing carrier, individuals smuggle death into densely populated areas. But are these bombers strictly a modern phenomenon?
By Robert Lamb
Whether they're antique rifles or modern handguns and shotguns, firearms are popular in the United States. So which pieces are people packing?
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Once you pass through this school's gates, you leave your civilian clothes and ordinary life behind and join the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. It's a far cry from the adventures of a typical, clueless college freshman. So what's knob life like?
Have you always thought of yourself as more of a Jean-Pierre than a Jon? Good news, you can still be that guy, provided you're willing to fight for France for five years.
You may have thought militaries stopped using napalm after the Vietnam War thanks to the United Nations, but this incendiary weapon lives on in modern warfare. Has it also been used in Iraq?
These 10 technologies changed war and the course of history as we know it. Some of these battlefield innovations, like adding grooves to gun barrels, are surprisingly simple. So what else made our list?
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Early unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) primarily carried out reconnaissance missions in war zones, but the Reaper packs some serious heat. Is there anything more foreboding than a drone with a Hellfire missile?
By Tom Scheve
Bullet-resistant glass seems flimsy once you compare it with transparent aluminum armor. Will this new heavy-duty material soon be shielding soldiers and police officers?
By Tom Scheve