Military Forces and Weaponry

Take a look at the role played by intelligence-collection ships in all the major conflicts in the 20th century, from equipment transport to participation in international disputes.

The U.S. pays in human lives for the tragic mistakes of its military leaders. Robert Vaughn looks at American combat history.

Older than the United States itself, the National Guard protects America at home and abroad during war, flood, fire, riots, and now terrorism.

From its beginnings after the American Revolution to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, we see why the law enforcement officers of U.S. Customs are considered "America's Gatekeepers."

When a U.S. marine or sailor is wounded in combat, his odds of getting to a doctor are close to nothing. But his chances of staying alive are superb due to the Navy Hospital Corpsmen.

A manual called "The Fighting Instructions" transforms naval battles from uncontrollable melees into linear chess games on water.

The modern aircraft possesses a more powerful tactical air force than most nations. Experience a privileged tour of the sea's mightiest craft.

Picking up where the Dreadnoughts left off, these massive vessels carried the largest, most powerful guns ever to be put on a warship, serving with distinction throughout World War II and beyond.

Although they first took to the sea over one hundred years ago, Destroyers played a key role in the Allied victory of World War II and have participated in every major naval conflict of the 20th century.

Submarines reign supreme in the undersea world. Trace the evolution of submarines from the hand-cranked submersibles of the Civil War to the nuclear-powered warships prowling the oceans today.

Go inside the new world of futuristic conventional weaponry - as the world's most powerful militaries devise new ways to fuse targeted precision with unprecedented punch.

Private Eugene B. Sledge spent four months engaged in close combat with the Japanese. Years later, his book about the conflict would be hailed as the finest account of an enlisted man's war ever written.

After the Vietnam War, thousands of U.S. soldiers' lost dog tags were sold at Vietnamese markets and souvenir stands. Since 2001, Bob and Ann McMahon have been on a mission to return the tags to their owners.

One of the Navy's most storied ships, the USS Intrepid played major roles in World War II, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, and the Space Race.