Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
armed force
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
armed forces armed force Thutmose III Sparta: hoplites Alexander the Great Alexander the Great's empire Hannibal and the Punic Wars Trajan's Column Battle of Zama barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire
Quizzes
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
Read Next
Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)
All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained
Sailors attending information warfare courses at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station march to class at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station, Pensacola, Florida. These Sailors are just some of the many thousands training and preparing to defend America around the world as information warfare warfighters. September 30, 2019
Pro and Con: Mandatory National Service
Meeting of leaders in W.W.I, General Hindenburg, Kaiser William II, General Ludendorff examine maps during World War I in Germany.
Military Commanders of World War I
Communism - mosaic hammer and sickle with star on the Pavilion of Ukraine at the All Russia Exhibition Centre (also known as VDNKh) in Moscow. Communist symbol of the former Soviet Union. USSR
Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?
Operation Barbarossa, German troops in Russia, 1941. Nazi German soldiers in action against the Red Army (Soviet Union) at an along the frontlines in the early days of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, 1941. World War II, WWII
75th Anniversary of Operation Barbarossa
Discover
Close up of periodic table, focus on nickel, copper, zinc, palladium, silver, cadmium
When Was the Periodic Table Invented?
World map. Continents. Oceans. Mendel thumb ok
Just How Many Oceans Are There?
A mug shot taken by the regional Colombia control agency in Medellin
Pablo Escobar: 8 Interesting Facts About the King of Cocaine
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
12 Greek Gods and Goddesses
Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution
The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World

armed force: Facts & Related Content

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/armed-force
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As military service • military • the military

Photos and Videos

armed forces
armed force
Thutmose III
Sparta: hoplites
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great's empire
Hannibal and the Punic Wars
Trajan's Column
Battle of Zama
barbarian invasions of the Roman Empire
Discover the truth about the Hessians, the German mercenary soldiers who assisted the British during the American Revolutionary War
Learn about researching for the Department of Defense and coordinating with Congress as a defense fellow
military recruiter
army officer
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
premier of Soviet Union
Józef Piłsudski
Józef Piłsudski
Polish revolutionary and statesman
Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
prime minister of Japan
Muammar al-Qaddafi
Muammar al-Qaddafi
Libyan statesman
Lázaro Cárdenas.
Lázaro Cárdenas
president of Mexico
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Roman leader
Blaise Compaoré
Blaise Compaoré
president of Burkina Faso
Joseph Kabila
Joseph Kabila
president of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali
president of Tunisia
Bernard Law Montgomery
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery
British military commander
John Shalikashvili
John Shalikashvili
United States Army officer
Idriss Déby
Idriss Déby
president of Chad
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Panamanian military leader
Ibrahim Babangida
head of state of Nigeria
Wilson, Sir Henry Hughes, Baronet
Sir Henry Hughes Wilson, Baronet
British field marshal
Louis Mountbatten.
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten
British statesman
Admiral William D. Leahy, chief of staff to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II.
William Daniel Leahy
United States admiral and politician
Gaafar Mohamed el-Nimeiri
president of The Sudan
Bernhard, prince of the Netherlands, prince of Lippe-Biesterfeld
prince of the Netherlands
Slim
William Slim, 1st Viscount Slim of Yarralumla and Bishopston
British field marshal

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War