Military

Back in 1983 when the Cold War was in full swing, the U.S. was looking for an effective new tactic to deter a nuclear strike. The "Star Wars" missile defensive initiative, however, wasn't it. Why not?

By Jonathan Atteberry

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but so far NATO has refused. Could a no-fly zone bring Putin's invasion to an end? How would it be enforced?

By Patrick J. Kiger

The U.S. Navy SEALs exemplify unconventional warfare. Find out how conventional and unconventional warfare differ in this article.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

Was a dog really the first to encounter bin Laden? We may never know, but we do know that man's best friend has been serving in wars for centuries, getting soldiers smokes, sniffing out bombs and patrolling borders. Why do canines make such good soldiers?

By William Harris

Members of the U.S. armed forces and their loyal dogs have always had a special relationship - so special that the canine usually outranks its handler. What's behind this military tradition?

By Nathan Chandler

It's a delicate, hair-raising business that usually ends in triumph, but can, in certain circumstances, end in tragedy. Welcome to the world of a bomb squad technician. It's explosive.

By William Harris

Would you believe there are videos showing toddlers opening gun safes? Turns out some of them are not very secure. Why is that, and what should you look for when buying one?

By Julia Layton

New evidence shows that Big Tobacco specifically targeted U.S soldiers, because they were "less educated" among other reasons.

By Alia Hoyt

U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmers routinely jump out of helicopters into dangerous waters, risking their lives to save others.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Manhattan Project built the city of Oak Ridge in rural Tennessee, where secret facilities produced uranium-235 for the atomic bomb.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Underwater military bases sound super-cool, but what are the odds they truly exist?

By Diana Brown

Without question, they save lives - but they aren't 100 percent failsafe.

By Jerad W. Alexander

Sand turned to glass at White Sands Missile Range. What do we know today about the remnants of the world's first nuclear blast?

By Mark Mancini

The Trump administration wants to develop a new generation of low-yield nuclear weapons that could be used without launching an all-out nuclear war.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The ArmaLite AR-15 rifle has become a hot-button issue in the American landscape. Where did the rifle originate and how did it become so controversial?

By Jerad W. Alexander

The search team used a radar-equipped drone to locate a P-38 from the so-called "Lost Squadron" that crash-landed in Greenland in 1942. But the story doesn't end there.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The history of the secret spy training school may be overlooked, but Camp X played a vital role in intelligence gathering during World War II.

By Ed Grabianowski

For instance, gun silencers don't make guns all that quiet.

By Dave Roos

Despite the phrase "going ballistic," the term "ballistic" refers to how a missile travels through the air, not its explosive capability.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The MOAB is the largest nonnuclear bomb ever used by the U.S. So what makes it OK to drop this bomb and not a nuclear warhead? We dive in to find out.

By John Donovan

Would populations boom and violence cease? Or would humans and human nature essentially remain the same?

By Christian Sager

In one of its more bizarre moments, the U.S. Army created voice tapes of allegedly wandering souls to depress Viet Cong morale.

By Alia Hoyt

It may make you run. It may make you throw up. It will definitely make you cry. It's tear gas, and it's no fun to be hit with.

By Robert Lamb

The term "semi-automatic weapon" is used in the U.S. media often. But what does it really mean? Is it just another term for a machine gun?

By Chris Opfer

Why the skies aren't exactly so friendly for drone pilots.

By Chris Opfer