US Military

Transgender People Can Now Serve Openly in the U.S. Military

One of the last restrictions on who can serve in the military has been removed

It's so hard to quit you.

The U.S. Nuclear Program Still Uses Eight-Inch Floppy Disks

Technological change takes forever to boot up

Frances Green, Margaret (Peg) Kirchner, Ann Waldner and Blanche Osborn leaving their plane, "Pistol Packin' Mama," at the four-engine school at Lockbourne AAF, Ohio, during WASP ferry training.

Female WWII Pilots Can Now Be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Seventy-five years later, WASPs have won one last battle

Marines Are Investigating the Identity of a Flag Raiser in the Iconic Iwo Jima Photo

Amateur historians have called into question the identity of a soldier in Joe Rosenthal's 1945 Pulitzer prize-winning image

The Marine Corps Plans to Airlift Over 1,000 Desert Tortoises

Despite the positive intentions behind relocation, conservationists worry that it will hurt the tortoises more than it helps

The Peacekeeper missile was the most powerful weapon in the U.S. military's arsenal until its decommissioning in 2005. This photo is of a test launch in California in 1983.

Wyoming Is Turning a Former Cold War Nuclear Missile Site Into a Tourist Attraction

The U.S. Air Force is working to recreate a Cold War stronghold

Archival Footage of Parachuting Military Dogs

Shot in 1948, this incredible footage shows paratroop dogs landing in the Arctic to learn how to rescue plane crash victims

Soldiers of the 44th Division at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in a gas mask drill. The experiments however, exposed troops to chemical weapons without such protection.

The Tragic Aftermath of Mustard Gas Experiments in World War II

An NPR investigation is looking for victims of the U.S. military tests

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Night Vision Work?

The ability to see in the dark is becoming more accurate and more portable

This concept drawing shows a swarm of "Gremlin" drones.

The U.S. Military Named Their Swarming Drones After This Fairy Tale

These "Gremlins" take their cue from WWII fighter pilots' lucky charms

U.S. Army Spc. Amanda Vasquez, with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, salutes the flag in 2009.

The First Two Female Army Rangers Are About to Graduate

After completing a grueling course, two women have proved they have what it takes to join the Army's best

The motor convoy departed D.C. on July 7, 1919.

How a Hellish Road Trip Revolutionized American Highways

Quicksand, food rationing, and embarrassment may have prompted Ike to push for a better highway system

Whatever Happened to the Wild Camels of the American West?

Initially seen as the Army's answer to how to settle the frontier, the camels eventually became a literal beast of burden, with no home on the range

A new campaign encourages fireworks enthusiasts to be courteous with their explosions this 4th of July.

For Veterans' Sake, Make A Little Less Noise With Your 4th of July Fireworks

Fireworks can trigger PTSD in some veterans, and one organization is trying to raise awareness

The Atlas V rocket launches the X-37B on a 2012 mission. The craft will launch again Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

A Mysterious Space Plane Will Launch This Week

Though much of the X-37B's mission is top secret, details are emerging about experiments that will go into orbit with the unmanned craft

Army Avrocars depicted as "flying jeeps" in company literature

Early Flying Machines Were Just Weird

There’s a reason most designs didn’t stick around

Aboard the Coast Guard Cutter USS Seneca, Prohibition agents stand amidst cases of scotch whiskey confiscated from a "rum runner" boat.

The Coast Guard’s Most Potent Weapon During Prohibition? Codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman

A pioneer of her time, Friedman was a crucial part of the fight to enforce the ban on booze

Space Fence, a radar system sponsored by the U.S. Air Force and built by Lockheed Martin, should help the U.S. detect and track more of the estimated 500,000 pieces of space debris.

U.S. Air Force Builds New Radar for Space Junk

It’s called Space Fence and should help us track the estimated 500,000 pieces of debris that orbit Earth

Olympian and airman Louis Zamperini crouches in his starting position on a B-18 bomber.

"Unbroken"'s Louis Zamperini Crashed Into the Pacific on May 27, 1943. Here is the Missing Air Crew Report

The National Archives holds a record with details of the downing of the former Olympian's B-24 bomber that left him lost at sea for 47 days

General Robinson, right, is handed the Pacific Air Forces flag during a ceremony yesterday.

General Lori Robinson Takes Charge of the Pacific as Air Force’s First Female Major Command Leader

Robinson joins the short list of female four-star generals

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