Questions related to that of the military of any country applicable. May include questions about the actions or inaction of the military or questions about the armed forces themselves or questions about government action related to the military.
2
votes
1answer
369 views
Who designed the proposed Space Force logos?
On August 9, 2018, the Trump administration provided several proposed logos for their planned Space Force. Who designed these logos? Is there some government organization that is tasked with creating ...
5
votes
2answers
133 views
Negative impact of the Ottawa treaty / Convention for Cluster Munitions for the modern army?
The Ottawa treaty prohibits anti-personal mines, the Convention for Cluster Munitions prohibits cluster munitions. Several nations with modern armies are signatories of the treaty.
I was wondering if ...
16
votes
4answers
2k views
Politicians to remove sexism in registration for potential conscription in the USA?
According to Wikipedia, only men are required to register for the draft with the Selective Service System in the US.
Some feminists want equal conditions for men and women.
Are there any USA ...
32
votes
2answers
5k views
Why was Congress able to create an Air Force without a constitutional amendment?
Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution enumerates the powers of Congress and includes the creation of military forces:
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use ...
-1
votes
1answer
296 views
Do any European politicians advocate for creating an European Army and leaving NATO?
The United Kingdom with figures such as Thatcher being against a European army (ref here) and Tony Blair (ref here) who was for it, have been the most sceptical country towards the creation of a ...
6
votes
2answers
502 views
Do any European politicians advocate shutting down American bases in Europe?
The USA has military bases all over the world (including in some EU countries such us Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece) which is expensive to their economy. List of military bases here. On ...
3
votes
1answer
139 views
Have some of Russian troops withdrawn from Syria since Putin's announcement in december 2017?
On 11 december 2017, Vladimir Putin announced that Russian army would partially withdraw from Syria.
"In two years, the Russian armed forces, together with the Syrian army, have defeated the most ...
38
votes
3answers
8k views
What was Eisenhower's warning about?
Eisenhower in his farewell address warned the American people about the United States Military Industrial Complex and its emerging power.
According to Wikipedia The US spends more on the military ...
3
votes
2answers
246 views
Legality of attacking an occupier by third-party forces within partially-occupied state
Suppose state A is (illegally, militarily) occupying some of the territory of state B (denote the occupied part B1 and the unoccupied part B2). Suppose also that state B is allied with state C, and ...
10
votes
6answers
5k views
What makes countries dependent on US-supplied defense equipment?
I was reading that the USA is blocking Turkey from acquiring F-35s. Turkey is reportedly anxious, and throwing some hollow threats.
I have two questions regarding this:
Why are countries like Turkey ...
5
votes
3answers
257 views
Are there examples of military forces that aren't rigidly authoritarian?
We commonly think of military forces as being rigidly hierarchical, and committed to following orders to a suicidal extreme for individual soldiers. But, are there examples of military forces ...
33
votes
9answers
9k views
Why would Assad use chemical weapons in the civil war as of 2018?
The US has recently accused the Syrian government of using chemical weapons in the civil war. However it seems to me that Assad has little to gain from doing so:
Chemical weapons give a casus belli ...
16
votes
8answers
7k views
How are states supposed to protect themselves when the National Guard is under the federal government?
Recall the second amendment:
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Great, so states have ...
0
votes
1answer
156 views
How many troops would it take to guard the US/Mexico border? [closed]
CNN reports here, that Donald Trump said
Until we can have a wall and proper security,
we're going to be guarding our border with the military
Wikipedia, which ought to be as good a source as ...
1
vote
0answers
71 views
Why didn't the PPP government of pakistan face any problem from the military?
Between 2008 and 2013, the Pakistan Peoples Party government engaged in several high profile disputes with the military
Osama bin Laden capture
memogate scandal + Hussain Haqqani's release
Raymond ...
7
votes
2answers
137 views
Have congressional hearings any effect concerning military scandals?
While I was researching the topic of the F-35 I noticed a certain pattern in military politics which comes up again and again.
In the TFX program Boeing was the clear winner of the Request For ...
3
votes
3answers
229 views
Countries with nondemanding military?
I live in Switzerland and recently had to join military. To my surprise, it turned out I can go back home during weekends. Only exception is when you're assigned to guard duty, when you need to stay ...
2
votes
1answer
150 views
Why is the US military enlistment age (and previously the draft age) set at 18 years old?
When was this age for enlistment and/or the draft established? Has it ever been challenged?
0
votes
1answer
106 views
What's the standard procedure for responding to an overt domestic tyranny event? [closed]
Are there actually protocols and contingencies for the extreme hypothetical situation of if our government tries to establish a dictator? Is it decided who the military sides with? What happens if the ...
2
votes
2answers
136 views
Is stopping and searching vessels in Asia-Pacific waters to enforce North-Korean sanctions consistent with the US Coast Guard's mandate?
The Reuters news report Exclusive: U.S. prepares high-seas crackdown on North Korea sanctions evaders - sources begins with the sentence:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration and key ...
3
votes
1answer
252 views
Longest known chain of command? [closed]
What's the longest known chain of command length for any government or large organization, (legal or illegal)? For example, WP's abstract military organization chain length is 11:
corporal
sergeant
...
4
votes
4answers
497 views
How does US manage to maintain such a high military expenditure?
Note: this is somewhat related to this question
US clearly dominates the world when it comes to military expenditure, both in % of GDP and nominal value.
This answer indicates that West European ...
17
votes
1answer
468 views
How are women integrated into the North Korean military?
Background
Korean People's Army soldiers (per Wikipedia)
About 25% of North Korea's population is in either an active duty role or a reserve/paramilitary role in the Korean People's Army, and North ...
2
votes
1answer
142 views
Does Pakistan have the power to force allied foreign troops to leave the country? [closed]
Recently President Trump had criticised Pakistan over the supposed inaction of Pakistan towards terrorists. The funding is a kind of compensation for military support in form of bases and other things....
2
votes
1answer
203 views
Swiss military neutrality and the three roles for the military
Basic question - there are (were) three purposes for the military at the time of the Peace of Westphalia (tell me if I'm wrong).. Internal defense (crime, rebellion), conquest, defense.
Swiss ...
1
vote
0answers
83 views
What is the policy regarding the safety pin of a firearm in the US Armed Forces? [closed]
Background
Last night I watched Black Hawk Down once again, and for the first time consciously thought about this particular scene featuring a Delta operative and a Ranger.
Now I know it is a movie,...
0
votes
2answers
192 views
Why don't various democratic countries keep military as the 4th component of the check and balance?
We regularly see militaries seize power from Democratic governments (Egypt). In some countries, military ruled for decades (Spain), in some countries military has considerable influnce on the decision ...
3
votes
1answer
202 views
What has changed the US Americans view of the military service members? [closed]
As a foreigner, I'm puzzled by the way U.S. citizens treat their military service members. Almost as if they are put on a pedestal above all else (don't mean to offend). People are always saying "...
0
votes
0answers
315 views
What is the role of the South Korean military service in case of a war with North Korea
South Korea is still officially at war with North Korea and Kim Jeong-Eun, the North Korean leader, regularly threatens to attack the South to various extents.
South Korea has a mandatory military ...
6
votes
0answers
133 views
Is America the only country where army officer appointments have to be confirmed by congress?
Are there any countries where army officer appointments have to be confirmed by parliament/congress?
7
votes
2answers
335 views
Under what circumstances are military personnel not combatants?
In U.S. policy, when are military personnel not combatants?
This question is inspired by a comment that jpmc26 left on my answer here. The comment says:
I'm not sure "noncombatant targets" ...
10
votes
5answers
5k views
What exactly is the purpose of the Non-Proliferation Treaty when nuclear weapons can be substituted with conventional explosives?
With the destructive power of nuclear weapons, it's understandable the concerted effort by many world bodies to vigorously regulate and control the ownership of nuclear weapons. The NPT is one of such ...
2
votes
1answer
390 views
How did the FBI decide antifa were anarchists?
US security services DHS and FBI have studied the "antifa" movement and described its members as anarchists and terrorists. Honestly, I was not aware of any antifa terror attacks, nor any connection ...
3
votes
1answer
496 views
When did modern Middle-Eastern terrorism start?
Terrorism, specifically coming from the Middle East, has been an epidemic. It has stretched across the globe from US, France, UK, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Germany and even parts of ...
1
vote
1answer
133 views
Is the “War in Afganistan” a US military mission or a NATO Mission?
The NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan encompass about 13,500 troops, of which about 8,400 are members of US military assigned to NATO.
NATO describes the Resolute Support as a "training, ...
15
votes
4answers
3k views
Why is the US president commander-in-chief?
Democratic governments are often set up in such a way that no single person holds too much power, even the president/prime minister/etc.
In the US, you e.g. have the Congress. This means that if the ...
4
votes
1answer
267 views
Why do NOAA and the USPHS have uniformed services?
Most Americans (and likely many folks around the world) think of the US military as comprising the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. However, there are also the United States ...
3
votes
1answer
169 views
What would a space marines unit of the US armed forces entail?
I heard after coincidentally asking a ex-marine that there is talk the United States congress of passing legislation to create a space combat unit.
Even though the motivation is clear from protecting ...
5
votes
1answer
264 views
Did McCain change his opinion on transgender people in the military?
See this reddit thread for Trump supporters.
The indication seems to be that McCain changed his stance on transgender troops in the military just to get back at Trump.
Is this true?
The first ...
38
votes
3answers
11k views
What medical costs burden the military enough to warrant banning all transgender people?
Reported in Donald Trump bans transgender people from serving in the military
President Trump tweeted: “After consultation with my Generals and
military experts, please be advised that the United ...
2
votes
2answers
148 views
What are the main restrictions that apply to European military personnel when engaging in politics?
I am interested in the restrictions that apply to military persons that are also activate in politics, within the European Union.
Searching on this matter provides lots of results for US, but I could ...
2
votes
0answers
186 views
Why does USA not diminish its NATO related expenses in order to persuade other NATO members to contribute more?
At the NATO summit from 2017 (Brussels), Donald Trump emphasized that many NATO members are not contributing enough (source):
Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they
...
11
votes
1answer
265 views
How did Turkey manage to create a springboard for its defense industry so fast?
As far as I recall, Turkey was mostly dependent on the USA and Israel for its defense needs until recently. Turkey sought Israeli assistance to modernize its large fleet of F-4 Phantoms and bought ...
3
votes
3answers
248 views
Is there a practical rationale for increasing US military spending?
Given that US military is larger than the next 6 largest armies combined, is this to prepare for the possibility of nations with the next 6 largest armies jointly declaring war on US?
What are some ...
1
vote
1answer
187 views
Why use an air blast bomb against a tunnel complex? [closed]
The 'Mother of all bombs' is what's called an 'air blast' bomb. That is, it explodes in midair and pretty much fries everything on or near the surface for about a mile around. While it will suck the ...
1
vote
1answer
157 views
Who recorded “Mother of all Bombs" explosion from ground level? [closed]
The United States dropped "the mother of all bombs," the largest non-nuclear device it has ever unleashed in combat, on a network of caves and tunnels used by Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan on ...
0
votes
1answer
258 views
Is the “Mother of all Bombs” recently dropped by U.S. the largest since Hiroshima and Nagasaki? [closed]
I read that the bomb dropped was the "largest conventional bomb" ever used in warfare, so therefore would that make it the largest bomb ever used in warfare all together outside of the two uses of ...
-8
votes
1answer
661 views
Other US President's that speedily bomb an adversary after saying they would on their election campaign trail
The Question
Have there ever been any other past US Presidents that said they'd take a very strong military action against an adversary like bombing or invading or whatever and actually take that ...
24
votes
5answers
6k views
What incentives (or stated motives) did the US have to attack Syria?
What were the motives stated for for the US attacking Syria or incentives to do that?
It doesn't seem like there was any immediate threat from Syria to the US. (After all, they neither have ICBM's ...
16
votes
2answers
784 views
When may the President of the United States order military action without congressional approval?
The USA has many times in the past taken military action with only the President's order to back it up legally. It was Jefferson that set the precedent of using the military to enforce foreign policy ...
