Military

Soldiers rely on all kinds of high-tech gadgets to help them get their jobs done. Some of them are specially designed for military use, while others are gizmos you might have in your pocket right now.

By Nathan Chandler

There are lots of video games about war, and manipulating game controllers can build hand-eye coordination. But does playing video games prepare you for real-life combat?

By Stephanie Crawford

Over the years, the science-fiction genre has amassed an impressive arsenal. Is anything from those fictional armories remotely close to becoming a reality?

By Susan L. Nasr

Guns come in all shapes and sizes. Put on your safety gear and take a look at this gallery of revolvers, Glocks, shotguns and even flamethrowers.

By Rick Mayda

Whether they're antique rifles or modern handguns and shotguns, firearms are popular in the United States. So which pieces are people packing?

By William Harris

The idea of anyone messing with your mind probably makes you nervous. But what if doctors could put that power to good use without drilling a hole through your skull?

By Robert Lamb

The thrilling roar of fighter jets performing a military flyover is now a common experience at many big events. In fact, the military approves most of the 850 or so flyover requests submitted annually. What does it take to arrange a flyover?

By Jacob Silverman

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

The U.S. national terror alert level is yellow today. Does that mean you can ignore that suspicious ticking package resting by the bus stop or should you report it to the authorities?

By Robert Lamb

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?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

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?

By Susan L. Nasr

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?

By Jacob Silverman

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.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Javelin missiles cost up to $80,000 each. So how does the U.S. Army afford to train its soldiers to fire them?

By Jonathan Strickland

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?

By Jacob Silverman

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?

By Jonathan Strickland

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.

By William Harris

Do you feel your job is unfulfilling? Maybe you should consider becoming a nuclear detective. These modern Sherlocks might just stop nuclear war from happening.

By Robert Lamb

Professional soldiers have influenced history for centuries, fighting alongside colonists in the Revolutionary War and, more recently, providing private security in Iraq. What's life as a hired gun like?

By William Harris

Taking a hit from an explosion probably isn't on your to-do list. But if blasts were all around you, would water or land stop your lungs from imploding?

By Robert Lamb

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

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

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

During the Cold War, the U.S. and USSR kicked nuclear submarine production into high gear. But if the Cold War is over, why are we still making them? What are our nuclear subs up to these days?

By Tom Scheve

Described by government officials as "disruptive," this research and technology organization is supposed to change the face of U.S. spying. Is IARPA a real-life James Bond Q Branch?

By Cristen Conger