Articles tagged as US Military | Smithsonian Magazine

Spc. Crisma Albarran volunteered for the U.S. Army. In the future, other women could be required to serve.

Women Won’t Register for the Draft After All

They’re gaining parity within the U.S. military—but women won’t yet be required to register for compulsory service in case of war

November 30, 2016

Get out and enjoy free national parks like Arches in Utah for Veteran's Day this November 11.

Cool Finds

National Parks and Forests Are Free Today

Celebrate Veterans Day on public land

November 11, 2016

A U.S. Air Force pilot performs a pre-flight check. Perhaps one day, connecting electrodes to the scalp could be part of that routine.

New Research

U.S. Military Tests Brain Stimulation to Sharpen Mental Skills

Could electrodes one day replace pill bottles in the theatre of war?

November 10, 2016

A replica of the lost Mark IV nuclear bomb at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

The purported bomb was discovered by a man searching for sea cucumbers

November 8, 2016

Waiting three years for his visa to come through, Wahdat rarely left his home.

The Tragic Fate of the Afghan Interpreters the U.S. Left Behind

These men risked their lives for the U.S. military. Now many would like to come to America but are stranded — and in danger

November 2016

Brigadier General Courtney Whitney, government section, Far East Command; General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command, and Major General Edward Almond (at right, pointing), Commanding General, X Corps in Korea, observe the shelling of Incheon from the USS Mount McKinley.

The Redacted Testimony That Fully Explains Why General MacArthur Was Fired

Far beyond being insubordinate, the military leader seemed to not grasp the consequences of his desired strategy

September 28, 2016

A newly promoted group of petty officers stand in formation in Yokosuka, Japan. The blue working uniforms they are wearing will start to be phased out this October.

Aquaflage is so 2010

August 5, 2016

What secrets do those lonely ice sheets hold?

Age of Humans

A Radioactive Cold War Military Base Will Soon Emerge From Greenland’s Melting Ice

They thought the frozen earth would keep it safely hidden. They were wrong

August 5, 2016

Australian press photographer Gary Ramage photographs British troops in Afghanistan in 2010.

Updated Law of War manual removes references that equate journalism to participation in hostilities

July 22, 2016

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

July 1, 2016

Technological change takes forever to boot up

May 26, 2016

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.

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

May 23, 2016

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

May 3, 2016

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

March 10, 2016

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

February 8, 2016

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

November 27, 2015

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.

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

November 5, 2015

Ask Smithsonian

Ask Smithsonian: How Does Night Vision Work?

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

October 6, 2015

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

Cool Finds

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

These “Gremlins” take their cue from WWII fighter pilots’ lucky charms

September 8, 2015

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

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

August 19, 2015