346 Military Trivia Questions (Ranked from Easiest to Hardest) (2024)

Military trivia is a popular and fascinating subject that covers the history, strategies, and achievements of various armies and nations. It provides an opportunity for individuals to test their knowledge about military events and figures, as well as to learn more about the fascinating world of war and conflict. These questions will challenge your understanding of military history and events, as well as the tactics and technologies used by different armies.

The questions in this list cover a wide range of topics, including famous battles, iconic leaders, military innovations, and the evolution of warfare over time. Some of the questions are straightforward and can be answered by simple recall, while others require a deeper understanding of the subject matter. Regardless of your level of expertise, this list of military trivia questions is sure to be both educational and entertaining.

Whether you're a history buff, a student of military science, or simply a fan of all things related to war and conflict, this list of military trivia questions is sure to provide you with hours of enjoyment and learning. So why not put your knowledge to the test and see how you fare? Let's dive into the world of military trivia and see how much you really know!

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346 Military Trivia Questions Ranked From Easiest to Hardest (Updated for 2024)

Home to the adobe Mission San Francisco Solano and its Barracks used by the Mexican military, what “S” northern California city is also in the heart of a big winemaking region?
Answer: Sonoma
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, a military and maritime history museum with museum ships, is located along the Hudson River in what devilishly tasty sounding borough in Manhattan, NYC?
Answer: Hell's Kitchen
He earned the rank of colonel not because of military service but rather because in 1935 Governor Ruby Laffoon bestowed the title upon him as the highest honor from the Commonwealth of Kentucky! What was this famous colonel’s last name?
Answer: Sanders
On December 1st, 1959, a dozen nations around the world signed a treaty declaring which chilly continent a no-military zone that would be used mainly for scientific research?
Answer: Antarctica
The Spanish for "little war" gave us what G-word term for a type of warfare in which small groups of fighters take on larger and less mobile military?
Answer: Guerilla
Not the best place to make friends, a school called BUD/S is the course that trains what U.S. special operations units repped by the "S" in BUD/S?
Answer: SEALs / Navy SEALs / U.S. Navy SEALs
Originating in Czechoslovakia, the Czech hedgehog is a device used to obstruct which type of military vehicles first used at the Battle of the Somme in 1916?
Answer: Tank
The side-straddle hop is the U.S. military's name for what basic warm-up exercise that kicks the legs apart while doing an overhead clap?
Answer: Jumping jack
In the United States, which military rank has the acronym CWO with a number tacked on the end to denote their pay grade, are highly skilled, and are commissioned by the president?
Answer: Chief Warrant Officer
The Battle of Stoney Creek in 1813 between British and American forces was considered a turning point in which war? (Hint: Telling you the date that it took place might give away the answer a little…)
Answer: War of 1812
"Goose," "Jester," "Hollywood," and "Wolfman" are nicknames of some flying military bros in what 1986 movie?
Answer: Top Gun
Which term from the French “baïonnette” describes a swordlike weapon that goes on the end of a gun and, while it’s often thought of as “old school” (American Civil War era) is also used in modern warfare (e.g., the Iraq War)?
Answer: Bayonet
Semper fidelis, Latin for “always faithful,” was adopted as the motto of which U.S. military service in 1883?
Answer: Marine Corps
What is the only branch of the U.S. military to share a name with a best-selling line of Nike sneakers?
Answer: Air Force
Onager, trebuchet and ballista and medieval examples of which type of weapon?
Answer: Catapult
What name is shared by director Stone, politician and military officer Cromwell, and “Last Week Tonight” funnyman John?
Answer: Oliver
U.S. Navy SEALs train at a school called BUD/S, which stands for Basic WHAT Demolition/SEALS? The U is something that really doesn't scare most SEALs or seals.
Answer: Underwater
In June 2022, the UN condemned the "military dictatorship," whose tactics include surveillance and censorship, in what Southeast Asian nation also known as Burma?
Answer: Myanmar
Navajo artist Carl Gorman was one of the original “code talkers” who famously used the Navajo language as an unbreakable code to transmit military communications during what 20th century war?
Answer: World War II
In 1898, which United States Navy ship with a state name was destroyed in Havana Harbor and set off the Spanish-American War?
Answer: USS Maine
As of 2023, nine countries have nuclear weapons (well, at least there are nine known to have them), which makes up a global stockpile of 13,000 weapons. The countries: the U.S., Russia, France, China, the UK, Israel, Pakistan, North Korea, and which South Asian country?
Answer: India
Edward Lawrence Logan, the namesake of Boston's international airport, first enlisted in the military during the Spanish-American War and later rose to the rank of major general following his efforts in what global conflict?
Answer: The first world war
What is the name of the esteemed U.S. military cemetery directly across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. which was founded during the Civil War to hold the deceased from the nation's conflicts? The cemetery is operated by the United States Department of the Army.
Answer: Arlington National Cemetery
George C. Scott won the Best Actor Oscar, but declined to accept it, for his biopic portrayal of what World War II general who was instrumental in the Battle of the Bulge?
Answer: Patton
Operation Barkhane was an anti-insurgent operation that took place between 2014 and 2022 in the Sahel region of which continent?
Answer: Africa
The USS Sioux City (LCS-11) is the first ship in the Navy fleet to be named after a city in which state?
Answer: Iowa
Being open for decades, a key training facility called Royal Military College Duntroon is used by the army of which southern hemisphere country?
Answer: Australia
Famous for his "March to the Sea," what Civil War Union general chose not to parlay his military success into a political career, declining calls to run for election as President of the United States?
Answer: William Tec*mseh Sherman
In 2003, Nike purchased a footwear company that was founded almost 100 years prior in Massachusetts. This acquired company dominated the "court shoe" market for decades and pivoted to military boot manufacturing during WWII. What is this brand, which owns the Jack Purcell and Star Chevron trademarks?
Answer: Converse
The remains of what U.S. battleship can be viewed from above the water at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Hawaii?
Answer: USS Arizona
The Battle of the Three Emperors, also known as the Battle of Austerlitz, saw Austro-Russian forces defeated by an army led by which military and political leader in 1805?
Answer: Napoleon
Which term borrowed from the animal kingdom applies to military vehicles that can take on both land and sea?
Answer: Amphibious
The Battle of Clontarf in 1014 is generally the event that ended what seafaring people as a threat to Gaelic culture?
Answer: Vikings
From 1944 to 1945, the Germans increased their troops surrounding the Ardennes Forest for what World War II Battle and major counteroffensive? It gets its name for the rounded swelling of German troops in the region.
Answer: Battle Of the Bulge
One of the most well-known military acronyms that’s made its way into civilian speak, what does AWOL stand for?
Answer: Absent Without Official Leave
The title character and his comrade in arms, Lafayette, tell the story of the Battle of Yorktown in "Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)," a rousing number in what hit Broadway musical?
Answer: Hamilton
What bovine nickname was given to the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army in 1866, and which eventually became synonymous with all of the Army's African-American regiments?
Answer: Buffalo Soldiers
Which subsidiary of Lockheed (as of 2015) is based in Stratford, CT, and was one of the first companies to manufacture helicopters for both military and civilian use?
Answer: Sikorsky Aircraft
Over 12 million square miles of forest in Vietnam were deforested by what herbicide and chemical agent, the most famous of the U.S. military's "Rainbow Herbicides?"
Answer: Agent Orange
Fort Independence is a granite military structure and one of the oldest continuously fortified sites in the United States, operating since 1634. The Fort now lies within a preserved state park on what misnomer-ed "Island?"
Answer: Castle Island
During the American Civil War, the battles of Bull Run (both the First and Second), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Appomattox Court House were all fought in what state?
Answer: Virginia
What follows “Operation” in the name of the 1942 Anglo-American invasion of French North Africa? This word is also part of the name of a member of Marvel Comic’s Fantastic Four.
Answer: Torch
The Swiss Constitution prohibits Swiss citizens from participating in foreign military service except for the military unit responsible for guarding what enclave city in Europe? It is the smallest independent state in the world.
Answer: The Vatican
After the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, British troops led by what “M” British military commander, who was in charge of Southeast Asia Command? In 1979, he was assassinated by bomb by the Provisional IRA.
Answer: Louis Mountbatten
What "imperial" name was given to the Soviet hydrogen bomb tested on October 30, 1961, the most powerful nuclear weapon ever built?
Answer: Tsar Bomba
In 1957, which president issued a doctrine bearing his name that allowed other countries (particularly in the Middle East) to ask the U.S. military for help if they were under threat?
Answer: Eisenhower
Being a Civil Engineer before he served, John Monash was a military leader in World War I Who was from which Southern Hemisphere country? He now appears on one of their banknotes
Answer: Australia
Since the 19th century, the U.S. Naval Academy’s men’s and women’s athletic teams have competed in the NCAA’s Division I under what 10-letter team nickname?
Answer: Midshipmen
The 2005 movie “Jarhead” is about a U.S. Marine’s experience in fighting in which 1990s conflict?
Answer: Persian Gulf War
"De oppresso liber" (or "To Free the Oppressed") is the motto of a group within the U.S. Army known for wearing what colored berets?
Answer: Green
For crimes in both the Bosnian war and the Croatian war, who became the first former head of state to be tried for war crimes in 2002?
Answer: Slobodan Milosevic
Passwords have played a key role in the military for centuries. In the opening of what famous WWII battle did U.S. paratroopers use the password “flash” which was to be answered with the counter-password “thunder?”
Answer: Normandy
NATO headquarters are a short bike ride from the Atomium statue in what Belgian city?
Answer: Brussels
Lasting from 1955 until 1975, the Vietnam War mainly occurred in Laos, Vietnam, and in what third Southeast Asian country whose capital city is Phnom Penh?
Answer: Cambodia
What "J" word is a Spanish, Greek, and Portuguese term for a civil deliberative or administrative council? In English, the term takes on a slightly more ominous meaning, frequently referring to a military-led authoritarian state.
Answer: Junta
In the Navy, a “shellback” is a sailor who has crossed a line—that is, which middle-of-the-raging-seas navigational point?
Answer: Equator
Which military drill command does not mean showing your upper limbs to your superior, but is actually related to the position of firearms or other weaponry that's a sign of respect used around the world?
Answer: Present Arms
What was the name of the Serbian secret military society that formed in 1911, originating in a conspiracy to assassinate the Serbian royal couple?
Answer: Black Hand
What was the name of the failed mission by CIA-sponsored paramilitary troops in 1961 to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba?
Answer: Bay of Pigs
The Opium Wars were primarily fought between the British Empire and what country?
Answer: China
What “C” military rank denotes a low non-ranking noncommissioned officer, in the U.S. Army ranking above a private first class and below a sergeant? It was Max Klinger’s rank on the TV show “M*A*S*H.”
Answer: Corporal
The First Battle of St Albans is often considered as marking the beginning of which series of English civil wars fought in the 15th century between the Houses of Lancaster and York? The name of this series of wars refers to the floral heraldic badges associated with the two Houses.
Answer: War of the Roses
"A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood" is a quote attributed to which hero of World War II, whose nicknames include "America's Fightingest General", "Bandito", and "Old Blood and Guts?"
Answer: George S. Patton
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth became a double amputee after the helicopter she was piloting was attacked during the Iraq War. Prior to her election to the Senate, she served as an assistant secretary at what U.S cabinet-level department focused on providing lifelong healthcare services to former members of the military?
Answer: United States Department of Veterans Affairs
With volunteers from across the British Empire, the UK fought the Boers in the Boer War, which lasted from 1899-1902 on which continent?
Answer: Africa
To a Dungeons and Dragons player, an RPG is a role-playing game. To a modern military officer, the acronym RPG stands for what kind of anti-tank weapon?
Answer: Rocket-propelled Grenade
What aircraft, acquired by Lockheed Martin when they purchased Sikorsky Aircraft, was created as a tactical transport helicopter but has been used in a variety of combat roles including in the United States' air assault on Somalia?
Answer: Black Hawk
What 1854 poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson memorializes a failed British cavalry action in the Battle of Balaclava during the Crimean War?
Answer: The Charge of the Light Brigade
Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" plays while military helicopters fly over Vietnam in a famous scene from what 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film?
Answer: Apocalypse Now
Which typically improvised incendiary weapon is named after a Soviet politician and diplomat who died in 1986? Two-word answer required.
Answer: Molotov co*cktail
Taking place between 1983 and 2009, the Eelam Wars were a series of conflicts between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the national military in which island country?
Answer: Sri Lanka
What round, collectible "C.C." items did Lockheed Martin introduce during World War I, now issued at military, Department of Defense, and Lockheed Martin meetings as tokens of appreciation?
Answer: Challenge Coins
U.S. Army beret analogy: Green beret is to U.S. Army Special Forces, as tan beret is to U.S. Army WHAT?
Answer: Rangers
In 2021, which military branch made up a whopping 37% of Lockheed's new veteran hires?
Answer: Air Force
Which unit is led by a lieutenant colonel or colonel and can have anywhere from 300 to 1,000 soldiers who are divided into various companies?
Answer: Battalion
Privates, Corporals, Specialists, and Sergeants are examples of what kind of non-commissioned ranks in the U.S. Army?
Answer: Enlisted
The Sino-Vietnamese War was a conflict that occurred in 1979 when China invaded Vietnam over Vietnam's invasion and occupation of what other country? That country's genocidal regime had the support of the Chinese government.
Answer: Cambodia
Fort Meade in Maryland was named for Union General George Meade, who was commander of the Army of the Potomac during which American war?
Answer: Civil War
A military program announced by President Reagan in March 1983 promoted funding for lasers and particle beam weapons and was formally known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. However, what two-word name was the program (somewhat mockingly) nicknamed by the public?
Answer: Star Wars
It could happen if the G7 combined their military might. What iconic song of the early 2000s got its title from when, as a child, Jack White (the song's singer and writer) misheard the name of The Salvation Army?
Answer: Seven Nation Army
In 1945, world leaders Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill met what other man in Yalta from February 4-11 to discuss postwar plans?
Answer: Joseph Stalin
Originating from a style worn by the 17th century military unit known as the Croats, on what part of the body is the piece of apparel known as a cravat typically worn?
Answer: Neck
What was the name of the military campaign launched by the Viet Cong in 1968 that, while a military failure, is seen by most as having been shocking to the US Public and a turning point in the US support for the Vietnam War?
Answer: Tet Offensive
The Mukden Incident was used by what country as a pretext to invade China in 1931?
Answer: Japan
He might have claimed he wasn’t a crook, but legend has it that which president made more money playing poker during his Navy days than he got from his military paycheck?
Answer: Nixon
"Black Hawk Down" recounted the Battle of Mogadishu and its role in the aborted early '90s UN peacekeeping mission in what Horn of Africa country?
Answer: Somalia
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During which war did the German and British Empires fight in the Battle of Polygon Wood? (Hint: It was the third part of the Third Battle of Ypres campaign).
Answer: World War I
The Battle of Monte Cassino, named for historic abbey founded by Benedict of Nursia, took place in 1944 in which country?
Answer: Italy
Learning from World War I, the Germans famously stockpiled ample oil and gasoline as supplies for what "lightning war" method of warfare employed in WWII?
Answer: Blitzkrieg
What “C” park and historic land site in Richmond, located on Broad St, commemorates its namesake hospital, one of the world’s largest military hospital facilities?
Answer: Chimborazo Park
National Military Medical Center namesake Major Walter Reed struck an enormous blow against what colorful mosquito-borne illness?
Answer: Yellow fever
Fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969, the Hundred Hours’ War is also known by a name referring to which sport?
Answer: Football
In 1989 the ruling military junta changed the country Burma's name to what new English name?
Answer: Myanmar
First used during the American Revolutionary War, what three-letter acronym describes food that is prepared to be directly consumed by soldiers on the battlefield? Its acronym partially resembles a scan you might get at the hospital.
Answer: MRE
What foreign policy directive, laid out by the 33rd president of the United States, emphasized the containment of communism and provided the basics for American military backing of anti-communist groups within foreign countries during the Cold War?
Answer: Truman Doctrine
Born in 1878, by what diminutive form of the name Francisco was Mexican Revolutionary Francisco Villa best known?
Answer: Pancho
What ancient Greek word refers to a particular rectangular military formation composed of heavy infantry with shields and spears or pikes?
Answer: Phalanx
The United States' proposed Strategic Defense Initiative was often best known by what pop-culture nickname, which it received in a 1983 article in the Washington Post?
Answer: Star Wars
Involving a U.S.-led coalition fighting against Iraq, what early 1990s conflict involved Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm?
Answer: Gulf War
The first and only McDonald's on the island of Cuba can be found at what military base, which was permanently leased to the U.S. government in 1903?
Answer: Guantanamo Bay
Happening in the southeastern portion of Montana, Custer's Last Stand occurred during what battle during the Great Sioux War of 1876?
Answer: Battle of the Little Bighorn
Did active duty in the Vietnam War, promoted to four-star general in 1989, served as Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. Who's that noted American?
Answer: Colin Powell
Only four Americans throughout history have ever held what five-star rank, the highest possible rank in the U.S. Navy?
Answer: Fleet Admiral
The German siege of the Russian city now known as Volgograd in 1942-1943 is widely considered the deadliest battle of World War II, and perhaps the deadliest of all time. What other name did Volgograd have at the time, by which the battle is typically known?
Answer: Stalingrad
Shortly after Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948, it drew Korean War conscientious objectors from what pacifist religious sect that "tremble in the way of the Lord?"
Answer: Quakers
The name suggests a flop, but usage continues in warfare to this day. The Battle of Cambrai in 1917 is considered the first large-scale deployment of what instrument of war?
Answer: Tanks
Sharing a name with Captain Nemo's vessel in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, what was the name of the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine?
Answer: USS Nautilus
Repealed by President Obama in 2010, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was an official policy for gay and bisexual citizens serving in the U.S. military. Which president originally issued the policy almost 15 years earlier under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26?
Answer: Bill Clinton
In 1781, Richmond, Virginia was burned by what British brigadier general? This military leader was formerly an American major general.
Answer: Benedict Arnold
What military technology was first used by the British in W.W.I. at the Battle of the Somme in 1916?
Answer: Tank
In ancient Japan, what was the name of the hereditary military nobility and officer caste that served the daimyo and played a crucial role in Japanese feudal society?
Answer: Samurai
What African country’s civil war took place between 1990 and 1994, arising from a dispute between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups?
Answer: Rwanda
A joint venture of Lockheed and Raytheon, the FGM-148 portable anti-tank launcher is known shares its nickname with what decathlon event?
Answer: Javelin
Fort Meade in Maryland was named for Union General George Meade, who was commander of the Army of the Potomac during which American war?
Answer: Civil War
What is the two-word phrase for someone that claims the right to refuse military service based on religion, morals, or freedom of thought?
Answer: Conscientious Objector
What is the anatomical term for the bones that make up your fingers and toes—a word that takes inspiration from an ancient military formation?
Answer: Phalange
Now the namesake of a class of aircraft carriers, what Texan commanded the US Pacific fleet during World War II and served as America's Chief of Naval Operations from 1945 to 1947?
Answer: Nimitz
What was the name of the boat which was sunk by Opération Satanique in July 1985 by a French military action? The ship was at the Port of Auckland in New Zealand on its way to a protest against a planned nuclear test.
Answer: Rainbow Warrior
Military leaders around the world, including Douglas MacArthur and Norman Schwarzkopf, have claimed to be inspired by "The Art of War," a 5th century B.C.E. text by what Chinese author?
Answer: Sun Tzu
The Recruit Training Depot at San Diego's Camp Pendleton is one of two basic training locations for new recruits to which U.S. military branch?
Answer: Marine Corps
The 2001 film “Blackhawk Down”, directed by Ridley Scott, centers on a military operation that took place in which East African country in 1993?
Answer: Somalia
Pollywogs appear before King Neptune and his court to become shellbacks in a weird, unofficial U.S. Navy ceremony commemorating a sailor's first official crossing of what imaginary line?
Answer: Equator
Operation Mincemeat was a British tactical deception in World War II to disguise the 1943 invasion of which Mediterranean island by the Allies? This island is the largest in the Mediterranean.
Answer: Sicily
Austin's Rooster Teeth Productions started with "Red vs. Blue," a parody of what Xbox military video game series?
Answer: Halo
There is a National Military Park in northwest Arkansas near the Missouri border that protects the site of a Civil War battle won by the Union that helped gain control of the border state Missouri. What is the name of this battle?
Answer: Pea Ridge
There is a military location in Delaware that served as the entry point and mortuary for U.S. military personnel (and some civilians) who die overseas. What is the name of this military location?
Answer: Dover Air Force Base
Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and L3Harris Technologies are all relatively large employers in Colorado Springs that operate in what industry?
Answer: Defense
The Colombian military is divided into three branches: the Colombian Air Force, the National Army, and what third and final branch?
Answer: The Colombian Navy
In 1848, Abraham Lincoln realized that his preferred candidate Henry Clay was unlikely to win the presidency, so he instead supported what military general for the Whig nomination? This man eventually won the presidential election.
Answer: Zachary Taylor
What gasoline brand shares its name with a mark that can be used to indicate rank on the uniform of a military or police officer?
Answer: Chevron
In 1956, Israel invaded Egypt, followed by the UK and France, forcing outside pressure from the United States. This crisis is referred to by what name? It refers to the canal the Western powers were hoping to control.
Answer: Suez Crisis
Featuring a military rank in its repetitive title, what 1865 Walt Whitman poem was written as a memorial to recently assassinated President Abraham Lincoln?
Answer: O Captain! My Captain!
What “A” national cemetery, across the Potomac from Washington, D.C., owned by the U.S. Army and established in 1864, has buried the nation’s military deaths since the Civil War, including numerous former presidents and their families?
Answer: Arlington National Cemetery
What war started in 431 BC, and pitted the Delian League, led by Athens, against the namesake league, led by Sparta? The Greek historian Thucydides wrote a book about the conflict.
Answer: Peloponnesian War
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla over what European country?
Answer: France
What “A” word is a day celebrated by France every November 11th since 1918 when Germany and the Allied countries signed an agreement in Compiègne, France to end World War I?
Answer: Armistice
Until it became its own entity in 1946, what branch of the United States Armed Forces was originally called the Army Air Corps?
Answer: U.S. Air Force
The Lockheed Martin C-130J military aircraft is named for what mythological Greek hero whose twelve labors included mucking out the Augean Stables?
Answer: Hercules
Harbor Drive in San Diego is appropriately home to what “M” museum, home to the largest collection of historic sea vessels in the United States? Its name is an adjective for things connected to the sea, especially for commercial and military purposes.
Answer: San Diego Maritime Museum
What is the name of Napoleon Bonaparte's famous war horse, whom he named after an 1800 battle between French and Austrian forces in the Piedmont region of Italy?
Answer: Marengo
A memorial in Washington, DC’s West Potomac Park, just south of the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool, has a series of statues dedicated to what military conflict, an Asian war that took place from 1950 to 1953?
Answer: Korean War Veterans Memorial
A retractor with heads on both ends, one wider than the other, is often referred to by why two-word name? It is also two branches of the U.S. military, who play a college football game against each other at the end of season?
Answer: Army Navy
What “G” term refers collectively to troops stationed in a particular location? It was originally used to describe troops who were specifically set up to the defend the location.
Answer: Garrison
What “G” Conventions were four treaties and three additional protocols that were established in 1949, in the wake of World War II, to offer rights to prisoners of war and non-combatants during war? The Conventions are named after a Swiss city that is by the Alps.
Answer: Geneva Conventions
An almost 20-year conflict that started in the 1950s, The Second Indochina War is better known in the West by what alternate name (based on the country where the fighting took place)?
Answer: The Vietnam War
Which American Commanding General of the United States Army who fought in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the early Civil War was nicknamed “Old Fuss and Feathers?”
Answer: Winfield Scott
Lawyer, politician and military leader Manuel Belgrano created the light blue and white flag of which country?
Answer: Argentina
Which branch of the military is actually older than the United States because it was formed by George Washington in 1775, while the U.S. was not established until 1776?
Answer: U.S. Army
Which author of the romance novel "Clisson et Eugénie" (whose literary career is much less remembered than his political and military ones) was born on Corsica in 1769, and died on Saint Helena in 1821?
Answer: Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1842, the signing of the Nanking Treaty ended the first Opium War between Great Britain and the Qing dynasty of which country?
Answer: China
A ceasefire in November 2020 put an end to a war between what TWO countries, which flared up over control of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh?
Answer: Armenia, Azerbaijan
Which alliteratively named Spanish military General lead the Nationalist faction in the Spanish Civil War, and took power in Spain following the conclusion of the war in 1939?
Answer: Francisco Franco
A 1950s grad student named Pat O'Brien, who found Penn State an escape from chaos after having served in the military, is said to be the origin of what cheerful two-word nickname of the school?
Answer: Happy Valley
Since 2020, the Ethiopian National Defense Force has been battling a rebel group known as TDF in what northern region of the country?
Answer: Tigray
Which WWII battle fought in October of 1939 was the last one to take place during the German invasion of Poland?
Answer: Kock
The Bosnian War was formally ended in 1995 with the signing of a peace treaty named after which city, the sixth-largest in Ohio?
Answer: Dayton (The Dayton Accords)
General of the Armies is the highest military rank in the United States. It was first awarded to John J. Pershing in 1919 for his command of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Who is the only other person to be awarded this rank? The honor was bestowed posthumously during the 1976 Bicentennial celebrations.
Answer: George Washington
In the 1990s, the United Nations established the Oil-for-Food Program to allow what Middle Eastern nation to sell enough oil to pay for food and necessities without expanding its military program?
Answer: Iraq
Which term that starts with C can refer to a military officer trainee or candidate, and students at a military school?
Answer: Cadet
Which chilly term describes warfare when the opponents use tactics like economic sanctions, propaganda, or espionage rather than direct military action (though, they threat of it might be constantly looming)?
Answer: Cold
Long before he became Lockheed’s CEO, James Taiclet started out as a pilot and officer in which branch of the U.S. military?
Answer: Air Force
Which legal term refers to an individual or panel who hear and decide disputes in a specific area—for example, the military could assemble one to deal with crimes that take place during a war?
Answer: Tribunal
Commando, paratroopers, and reconnaissance are examples of which highly trained type of military forces?
Answer: Special
Arthur Wellesley, better known as the Duke of Wellington, was one of the leaders of the forces that defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He did this while riding his horse which shared its name with which European capital city?
Answer: Copenhagen
INTERFET was a force mandated by the United Nations in 1999 and 2000 to deal with the security and humanitarian crisis in which Asian country?
Answer: Timor-Leste
During the Vietnam War, the battle of Long Tan on August 18, 1966 was a military action between the Viet Cong and soldiers mostly from which country?
Answer: Australia
The University of Alaska Anchorage sports teams, with colors of green, gold, and white, have the same name as what type of military sea vessel?
Answer: Submarine
Which military formation lines up units (think fighter jets) diagonally? (Hint: The term comes from the French word that describes the rungs of a ladder)
Answer: Echelon
Found in South-Western Spain, what cape gives its name to a famous naval battle in the Napoleonic wars in 1805?
Answer: Trafalgar
As a result of Iraq invading a part of this country in September 1980, which country was at war with Iraq from 1980 to 1988, when the United Nations brokered a ceasefire?
Answer: Iran
What is the name of the organization that provides initial officer training for British Army officers? Both Prince William and Prince Harry went there.
Answer: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Washington's Fort Worden, Fort Casey, and Fort Flagler were once known by what nickname that refers to both the shape that can be drawn between them and the military "heat" that they once possessed?
Answer: The Triangle of Fire
What four letter term was used by NATO for the missiles developed by the USSR in the Cold War and were sold to Iraq, thus making them available to use in the first Gulf War?
Answer: Scud
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) was in charge of the British nurses tending to soldiers in which conflict?
Answer: Crimean War
Which battle of the Iraq War that started on November 7, 2004 andlasted about six weeks was led by the Marines, codenamed “Operation Phantom Fury” (Operation al-Fajr), and ended up being the bloodiest battle of the war?
Answer: Second Battle of Fallujah
The Mughal Empire, which lasted in India from the early 16th century until the mid-19th century, was founded by what military leader who had been born under the name Zahir ud-Din Muhammad in what is now Uzbekistan? The more well-known nickname is derived from the Persian word for "tiger."
Answer: Babur
On March 21, 1945, allied forces launched Operation Carthage against the Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen. In the process, they accidentally targeted the Institut Jeanne d'Arc, killing 125 civilians. Which war did the attack take place in?
Answer: World War II
What company manufactures the "Huey family" of helicopters? This includes the UH-1 Iroquois, the original "Huey" which first saw combat in the Vietnam War, on down to the UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper, which are 21st century helicopters.
Answer: Bell Helicopters
177 different defendants were tried from 1945 to 1946 in the famous Nazi war crime trials which occurred in which German city?
Answer: Nuremberg
The Battle of Goose Green was a battle in which post-Vietnam international armed conflict?
Answer: Falkland Islands War
In April of 2023, dozens of world nations removed their delegations from embassies in what world capital, as warfare broke out between military and paramilitary forces?
Answer: Khartoum
Muhammad Ali and Jane Fonda were among the famous folks accused of “dodging the draft” of which war that made political activists of many people coming of age in the ‘60s and ‘70s?
Answer: Vietnam
As of 2023, what position at the Pentagon and within the Military Health System does Major General Paul Friedrichs hold?
Answer: Joint Staff Surgeon
Happening in his compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan, in which month in 2011 was Osama Bin Laden killed in a raid by the U.S. military?
Answer: May
The Battle of Midway between the U.S. Navy and the Japanese Navy was a key turning point in which “theater” of WWII?
Answer: Pacific
After losing a defamation case regarding the reporting of alleged war crimes in Afghanistan in 2008-2010, Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith is from which country?
Answer: Australia
What term applies to a group of military vehicles that travel together to support/protect each other?
Answer: Convoy
Taking place in Louisiana during the Civil War in May-July 1863, what was the longest siege in U.S. military history?
Answer: Siege of Port Hudson
In the Yom Kippur War of 1973, Israel faced forces from Arab countries, with the support of the Soviet Union, and also 20 pilots from what East Asian country?
Answer: North Korea
The USS Oakland (LCS-24) is the third ship in the Navy fleet to be named after a city in what West Coast state?
Answer: California
When Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex served in the British army in the early 2010s, what surname did he use on his official army identification?
Answer: Wales
Having led his country during a conflict in the 1980s, Leopoldo Galtieri was a general and the president of which Spanish-speaking country?
Answer: Argentina
Between 1995 and 1996, which country conducted six nuclear tests in the Pacific, more specifically at Mururoa Atoll?
Answer: France
The 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily was undertaken as part of a World War II operation that used what Arctic dog breed as a code name?
Answer: Husky
Arthur Wellesley, the future British Prime Minister who led his country's forces to victory at the Battle of Waterloo, is usually known as the Duke of what town in Southern England (which ultimately gave its name to a much bigger city in the Southern Hemisphere)?
Answer: Wellington
What is the term for a tax paid by non-Muslims living in a Muslim State, as a result of them being exempt from military service and taxes imposed on Muslims?
Answer: ji*zyah
In 1991, a conflict called the Transnistria War broke out in what Eastern European country? Transnistria was a separatist region in the country in question.
Answer: Moldova
What head of state of Sudan was indicted for war crimes and genocide in 2009 and 2010 for his actions during the Darfur Conflict, even though the investigation was later suspended because the UN Security Council refused to cooperate?
Answer: Omar al-Bashir
In February 2021, the military of which Southeast Asian country that’s also known as Burma took over the government in a coup?
Answer: Myanmar
The Falklands War began on April 2, 1982, when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands. On the following day, the Argentine Navy invaded what British controlled island in the South Atlantic Ocean?
Answer: South Georgia
After being in the first graduating class at the Virginia Military Institute, and serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, what doctor was the first mayor of Dallas after the state gave the town its charter?
Answer: Pryor
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and which of its neighbors that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991?
Answer: Azerbaijan
Military dictator Augusto Pinochet, took over the presidency of the South American country Chile on September 11 of which year?
Answer: 1973
What insurance company was created by Leo and Lillian Goodman in 1936, aimed at providing insurance to federal employees and some classes of military officers?
Answer: GEICO
In 1967, Britain was forced by nationalist groups to relinquish control over and evacuate their garrison in what previously liberated Crown colony in the Middle East which is now part of Yemen?
Answer: Aden
When Prince Harry served with the British Army in Afghanistan, what was the surname that he served under?
Answer: Wales
January 30, 1972 is known as Bloody Sunday, when British troops opened fire on Catholic demonstrators in which Northern Irish city?
Answer: Londonderry
The Hwasong-18 is what type of weapon produced in North Korea, which, according to leader Kim Jong-Un, provides the country with a "powerful strategic attack means"?
Answer: Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
The late-'90s Kosovo War was mainly fought between a rebellious Albanian group called the Kosovo Liberation Army and what European country that’s now named Serbia and Montenegro?
Answer: Yugoslavia
In 1975, Leonard Matlovich was honorably discharged after sending a letter in which he came out as gay to his commanding officers in what branch of the U.S. military, a discharge he fought in court, with a judge ruling in his favor in 1980?
Answer: Air Force
What historic aircraft, a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, was named by U.S. Air Force Colonel Paul Tibbets for his mother upon taking command of its mission in late 1945?
Answer: Enola Gay
Aso called a dependent state, what orbital term applies to a country is technically independent but is heavily influenced or involved with another country (say, in terms of politics, economy, or military matters).
Answer: Satellite
Mario Menendez was a general who was involved in a conflict in the 1980s. Which country’s forces was he in charge of?
Answer: Argentina
Operation Red Dawn was a military operation that took place near the city of Tikrit in what country?
Answer: Iraq
Who became the 61st superintendent of West Point Military academy in June 2022?
Answer: Steve Gillard
UNMIT is a United Nations peacekeeping mission in which southeast Asian country?
Answer: Timor-Leste
Uruguay has three official flags: the national flag, the tricolor flag known as the "Flag of the Treinta y Tres," and the red-white-and-blue flag named for what political and military leader?
Answer: Jose Gervasio Artigas
10 U.S. Code, Chapter 47 contains the UCMJ, which is the Uniform Code of WHAT?
Answer: Military Justice
In the Vietnam War, in which month of 1968 did the Tet Offensive begin?
Answer: January
In 1846, future president Zachary Taylor won a battle in the Mexican-American War campaign at what battle site, about 8 miles away from modern Brownsville, Texas? A city with the same name would be the site of Stanford University in California.
Answer: Palo Alto
A famous fictional member of the Army Air Forces is Capt. John Yossarian, a 28-year-old World War 2 bombardier in what Joseph Heller satirical novel?
Answer: Catch 22
What type of long gun gives its name to a series of battles and raids fought across New Zealand among Māori between 1807 and 1837 after Māori first obtained this firearm?
Answer: Musket
Though no actual wolverines were harmed during the mission, the U.S. military operation to capture Saddam Hussein was given the name of what 1984 action flick about Russia invading the U.S.?
Answer: Red Dawn
What United States battleship was formally commissioned by Donald Trump in 2017, replacing the decommissioned USS Enterprise? It shares its name with the 38th President of the United States, who served on the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific theater of World War II?
Answer: USS Gerald Ford
The series of conflicts in Central America and the Caribbean between 1898 and 1934 that consisted of military occupation, police action, and intervention by the United States is generally known by the fruity name of the WHAT Wars?
Answer: Banana
Meaning roughly "strivers for jihad," what M-word name was given to the various Afghanistan rebel groups that fought against the Soviet Union in the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s?
Answer: Mujahideen
From about the 12th century AD to the end of feudalism in the 1860s, what was the title of Japan's military dictators, also the title of a novel by James Clavell?
Answer: Shogun
Which famous special forces unit, whose motto is "Who Dares Wins" was founded by Scottish army officer David Stirling during World War II?
Answer: Special Air Service (SAS)
Between 1915 and 1934, U.S. Marines were part of an occupation of what Caribbean nation? The military was first sent there by Woodrow Wilson following the murder of the nation's dictator and other politically-driven murders led to widespread instability.
Answer: Haiti
The first documented case of cyber espionage occurred between September 1986 and June 1987 and was committed by hackers from what Western European nation? The hackers, led by Markus Hess, sold information gathered from American military bases, universities, and defense contractors to the Soviet Union.
Answer: Germany
After capturing Iwo Jima, the next stop for U.S. forces in April of 1945 was which Japanese island? (Hint: It was called Operation Iceberg)
Answer: Okinawa
What is the name of the French military engineer tasked by George Washington to design the urban plan for what would ultimately be called Washington DC?
Answer: Pierre Charles L'Enfant
According to Roman historian Suetonius, Julius Caesar stated “alea iacta est,” meaning “the die is cast” when crossing which river in northeastern Italy that inspired the name of a Jeep model?
Answer: The Rubicon
What six-letter acronym names the precise and easily-moved-around rocket-launching system supplied by the U.S. to Ukraine, used with great success against Russia in the ongoing war?
Answer: HIMARS
During which war did the Gaither Report (formal name: Deterrence & Survival in the Nuclear Age) call for the development of a national preparation strategy in the United States to defend against a potential nuclear attack by the (then) Soviet Union?
Answer: Cold War
Operation Neptune Spear, the 2011 U.S. military operation that raided the compound housing Osama bin Laden, took place in Abbottabad, a city in which country?
Answer: Pakistan
British military presence in Singapore ended in what decade that gave us Electronic Battleship and Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger"?
Answer: 1970s
The M4 tank, the most widely used tank by Allied forces during World War II, was named after what legendary American Civil War general?
Answer: William Tec*mseh Sherman
Not just a game on your ‘90s PC, which name refers to a warship that blows up underwater explosives as it sails along?
Answer: Minesweeper
159 years later it would become a decisive victory for ABBA. Also known as La Belle Alliance, what is the English name for the 1815 battle that saw the defeat of Napolean, thus marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars?
Answer: The Battle of Waterloo
Following the 1990 abolition of the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, the President of Russia position was established the following year. Who became Russia’s first president in 1991?
Answer: Boris Yeltsin
Kamikaze, the term given by Japan to their special aerial attack forces, translates to two words. The first is "divine" or "spirit." What elemental noun is the second?
Answer: Wind
Dwight Eisenhower popularized what term that describes the informal alliance between a nation's armed forces and its arms industry?
Answer: Military-Industrial Complex
The khukuri is a forward-curving knife associated with which Nepalese people noted for their military capabilities?
Answer: Gurkha
What science fiction-infused anti-war novel by Kurt Vonnegut published in 1969 opens with the line, “All this happened, more or less”?
Answer: Slaughterhouse-Five
Iron Mike is the military name for what quad-busting exercise that’s essentially a really goofy knees-to-the-floor walk?
Answer: Lunge
Feathered analogy: Wings on a parachute are to the U.S. Army's airborne badge, as wings on what kind of vehicle are to the air assault badge?
Answer: Helicopter
In 1898, what U.S. Navy ship sunk in Havana harbor, becoming a catalyst for U.S. involvement in what became the Spanish-American War?
Answer: USS Maine
Arthur Martin-Leake, Noel Chavasse, and Charles Upham are the only two-time winners of which military decoration, the highest awarded in Commonwealth countries?
Answer: The Victoria Cross
Guerra de las Malvinas is the Argentinian name for a ten-week conflict in 1982, which saw them invade and occupy several islands that were claimed by the United Kingdom. What is the English name for this war, which references the main island group being fought over?
Answer: The Falklands War
Often regarded as a turning point in the Pacific theatre in WWII and one of the most significant naval battles in history, what famous naval battle occurred on June 4, 1942?
Answer: Battle of Midway
It has nothing to do with that Tom Hanks airport movie. Kind of a counterpart to the U.S. Navy's Aegis system, the Army's super high target-killing THAAD missile defense system stands for WHAT High Altitude Air Defense?
Answer: Terminal / Theater
The full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan was completed in which month of 2021?
Answer: August
The NATO Phonetic Alphabet associates each letter of the English alphabet with a distinct word, starting with Alfa, Bravo, and Charlie. Of the 26 words present, only two are a single syllable. One is “golf.” What is the other?
Answer: Mike
Although he had graduated from West Point and served with distinction in the Mexican–American War, this future President abruptly resigned his army commission in 1854 and returned to his family, living with them in poverty for seven years before re-enlisting. Who is he?
Answer: Ulysses S. Grant
Which battle led to the bloodiest day (most Americans killed in a single day) in U.S. history? Hint: it's not Gettysburg but was part of that same war.
Answer: Antietam
A French word for "undermining" is the source of what S-word for a combat engineer?
Answer: Sapper
In military theory, the operational level of war unites which “art” of assembling/sending out forces to fight with strategic goals?
Answer: Tactics
What infamous and now-closed detention camp at the United States' Guantanamo Bay Naval Base got its name from a letter at the end of the NATO phonetic alphabet?
Answer: Camp X-Ray
During the Vietnam War, the U.S. captured a remote sloped area, killed hundreds of people to maintain it, then left it days later, making it one of the most controversial battles of the war. What name did the battle get after soldiers likened the bloodshed to being inside a “human meat grinder?”
Answer: Hamburger Hill
The branch of a military which specializes in military justice and law is called JAG Corps. It's also the elongated title of a long-running CBS courtroom drama, JAG,which is short for what three-word title?
Answer: Judge Advocate General
KHB40 is the National Weather Radio call sign for what Texas port city that was named after an 18th century Spanish military and political leader?
Answer: Galveston
In contrast to nationalism, which can be described as more peaceful patriotism, what policy describes using diplomatic or military force to extend a nation's power or control?
Answer: Imperialism
What was Luke Skywalker's last name in the original script for "Star Wars: A New Hope?" The name went on to be used for a military base similar to the Death Star in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Answer: Starkiller
Benjamin O. Davis Sr, the first African-American man to become a general in the U.S. Army, was a key figure in protecting the interests, morale, and rights of black soldiers in the U.S. Army during what 20th century conflict?
Answer: World War Two
Adapted into a 1997 movie by Paul Verhoeven, what Robert Heinlein sci-fi novel features a modified democracy in which only those who have completed military service may vote or hold office?
Answer: Starship Troopers
What are the two words inscribed on the Victoria Cross, which is the highest award for military bravery given to soldiers from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other Commonwealth countries?
Answer: For Valour
On May 31, 1942, Japanese submarines fired upon the USS Chicago and hit one of the local ferries in the harbor of which Southern Hemisphere City?
Answer: Sydney
In common use, which Navy term can be used to denote the top, best, or most important person or thing in a group? (Hint: In the Navy, it was a vessel first-rate enough to fly the banner of the admiral)
Answer: Flagship
Which year of the 21st century saw the launch of Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya in March, the killing of Osama Bin Laden in May, and the U.S. formally declaring an end to the Iraq War in December?
Answer: 2011
Ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces on the December 13 of which year?
Answer: 2003
First used in the 19th century, what "C" term describes a Spanish or Latin American military dictator such as Simón Bolívar or Juan Manuel de Rosas?
Answer: Caudillo
What “J” sultanate was in control of Singapore in 1819 when the British negotiated for their crown colony there? The name comes from a Persian word meaning “jewel.”
Answer: Johor
Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction was the old name of the New London service academy for which U.S. armed forces branch?
Answer: Coast Guard
What country house in Buckinghamshire, England became the principal site of Allied code-breaking efforts during World War II, most famously the breaking of the German Enigma machine's ciphers?
Answer: Bletchley Park
The Srebrenica massacre of 1995, during which more than 8,000 people were killed, is named for a town in which country?
Answer: Bosnia and Herzegovina
The United Kingdom was the first country on which the U.S. formally declared war. What was the second?
Answer: Mexico
The U.S. Army artillery branch's insignia is a pair of crossed cannons. The Air Defense Artillery's insignia just plops what guessable pointy thing on top of crossed cannons?
Answer: Missile
The fictional character James Bond holds what rank in the Royal Navy that is immediately junior to captain?
Answer: Commander
Popularized by modern Olympic founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, is what summer Olympic event designed to simulate the experience of a 19th-century cavalry soldier behind enemy lines: he must ride an unfamiliar horse, fight enemies with pistol and sword, swim, and run to return to his own soldiers?
Answer: Modern Pentathlon
Fought in Tennessee and also known as Pittsburg Landing, what Civil War battle of April 6th and 7th, 1862, allowed Union troops to penetrate the Confederate interior?
Answer: Shiloh
The Battle of Isandlwana and the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, which both took place on January 22, 1879, were battles between the British Empire and which South African kingdom?
Answer: Zulu
What 1916 “V” battle of World War I was the longest battle of that conflict, taking place on the Western Front in France?
Answer: Battle Of Verdun
Codenamed Operation Just Cause, which country did the U.S. invade during the winter of 1989-1990? (Hint: One of the big goals was to remove General Manuel Noriega from power)
Answer: Panama
In 1974, which country successfully detonated a nuclear bomb as part of "Operation Smiling Buddha", subsequently becoming the second Asian country after China to declare possession of nuclear weapons?
Answer: India
What civilian political appointee oversees the U.S. Space Force? This individual is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and reports to the Secretary of Defense.
Answer: Secretary of the Air Force
After leading the Afrika Korps for Germany in World War II, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel garnered which animal-based nickname?
Answer: The Desert Fox
By what two-word, alcohol-based name is Australia’s first and only military coup known? This military coup took place in 1808.
Answer: Rum Rebellion
Which U.S. president was distantly related (as evidenced by his name) to a military general and surveyor who founded a city that today is the 51st largest in the U.S. by population and the 2nd largest in its state?
Answer: Grover Cleveland
TA-50 military lockers are widely purchased and used by what department of the U.S. government?
Answer: Department of Defense
What embroidered cloth, nearly 70 meters long, depicts the events leading to the Norman conquest of England, culminating in the 1066 Battle of Hastings?
Answer: Bayeux Tapestry
Lasting from 2006 until 2009, the War in Somalia ignited with what African nation’s troops invading Somalia to attack the Islamic Courts Union in December 2006?
Answer: Ethiopia
Occasionally, auctioneers are referred to by military name that's tied to early auctioneering during the Civil War?
Answer: Colonel
What “D” foreign policy technique involves amassing enough military force to intimidate another state out of a potential action? Examples include the presence of U.S. armaments dissuading Soviet expansion during the Cold War.
Answer: Deterrence
The shortest war in history took place in 1896. It ended after just 38 minutes when which African archipelago surrendered to the British Empire?
Answer: Zanzibar
China, India and the U.S. have the three biggest active militaries in the world, but which country with the fourth largest military overall has the largest active military per capita, with roughly 1 in 20 people in active service?
Answer: North Korea
What "Army" of protestors, who gathered in Washington D.C. in 1932, took its name from the military service payments they were promised, but weren't meant to collect until 1945?
Answer: Bonus Army
In 1996 and 1997, the conflict known as “Africa's First World War” mainly occurred in what country whose capital city is Kinshasa?
Answer: Congo
The Seminole Wars between 1816 and 1858 were also known as the wars of which Southern U.S. state since that’s where they took place?
Answer: Florida
The Army of Glory (Jaysh al-Izza) is a Sunni Islamist rebel group fighting in what country's civil war, starting in 2013?
Answer: Syria
Limu the Emu approves! Home to the 82nd Airborne and SOCOM, North Carolina's Fort Bragg officially changed its name to what L-word in 2023?
Answer: Liberty
A national park site in South Dakota preserves a former facility what type of intercontinental ballistic missile, which remains part of the United States' "nuclear triad?"
Answer: Minuteman Missile
In 1952, which European country became the third nuclear power in the world when it conducted successful nuclear weapons testing on the Montebello Islands?
Answer: United Kingdom
A decisive battle of the British during the Napoleonic wars, the battle of Waterloo was fought on June 18, 1815 in which modern day country?
Answer: Belgium
The extreme mental and physical stress on young German soldiers in World War I is a theme in what 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque, who served in the war in real life?
Answer: All Quiet on the Western Front
Shades of Green is a Disney World resort that caters to members of what specialized profession?
Answer: Armed Forces / Military
During World War II, New Zealander Charles Upham twice earned the highest military award available to Commonwealth citizens. Namely, what regal bling that's equivalent to the American Medal of Honor?
Answer: Victoria Cross
Operation Urgent Fury was the codename for the American invasion of which island nation, formerly a British colony, in 1983?
Answer: Grenada
A month-long battle from 1999 to 2000 in what capital of Chechnya left it the "most destroyed city on Earth," according to the UN?
Answer: Grozny
The ongoing civil war in Yemen is being principally fought between the Rashad al-Alimi-led government and a group of rebels drawn mostly from what tribe?
Answer: Houthi
President George W. Bush famously gave his premature “Mission Accomplished” on the USS Abraham Lincoln in which year?
Answer: 2003
Well before he was President, Lincoln stated his opposition spoke against which war by stating "military glory—that attractive rainbow, that rises in showers of blood"?
Answer: Mexican-American War
New Zealand sent forces to join the Commonwealth military during the guerilla war known as the "Emergency" fought in what country from 1948 to 1960? We'll accept the country's name at the time or its current name.
Answer: Malaya or Malaysia
What is the scary, military name of the bearded, blue-eyed mascot of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who replaced parrot mascot Skully in 2000?
Answer: Captain Fear
Operation Just Cause was the code name for the U.S. invasion of which country in 1989, as an attempt to restore democratic leadership and curb drug trafficking?
Answer: Panama
Passwords have commonly been involved in military use for centuries. In the opening of the Battle of Normandy, U.S. paratroopers would use the password "flash" which was required to be answered by what related "counterpassword?"
Answer: Thunder
The term “fifth column,” meaning a group of people who attempt to undermine a larger group from within, originates from which European conflict of the 1930s?
Answer: Spanish Civil War
Which term describes military code words that don’t hide or secure information; rather, they’re meant to help communicate a complex message in just a few words? (Hint: Examples include “cease fire,” “fish,” and “locked”)
Answer: Brevity
Remembered as the most shocking event of the Vietnam War, what name was given to the 1968 murder of hundreds of South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops?
Answer: My Lai Massacre
From 1949 to 1989, the Soviet Union conducted almost 500 nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk—a test site in Kazakhstan that was known by which geometric nickname? (Hint: It hasn’t been active since the fall of the Soviet Union, but the site still exists today. Not only is it the most researched nuclear test site, but the only one in the world that’s always open to the public)
Answer: The Polygon
Planned and attempted from July to August 1940, what was the animal code English name for Nazi Germany’s in invasion of Great Britain?
Answer: Operation Sea Lion
What two-word term is used for a military formation common in ancient and medieval warfare in which soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder holding their shields so that they overlapped?
Answer: Shield wall
Originating in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, what “r” is a French term referring to the political policy of endeavoring to regain lost territory?
Answer: Revanchism
The first jet fighter was the Me 262 by what company? The plane first went into service in World War II, becoming operational in mid-1944.
Answer: Messerschmitt
The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (or Walnut Hills) during the Civil War took place in which Southern state when Union Major General William T. Sherman attempted to capture the city of Vicksburg?
Answer: Mississippi
The War of Austrian Succession had an offshoot in the Caribbean from 1739 to 1748. It was fought between Great Britain and Spain, and was named after what body part of Robert Jenkins, captain of the British brig Rebecca, which was allegedly severed by Spanish coast guards while searching his ship for contraband in April 1731?
Answer: Ear
One of the largest non-partisan Super PACs in the country during the 2020 election cycle, what is the name of the group led by military veterans that focuses on electing veterans to office to create a more effective government?
Answer: With Honor Fund
What is the three-word name of the fortification introduced to England by the Normans comprising a raised area of ground (termed a motte) that's surrounded by a walled courtyard and a ditch?
Answer: Motte and bailey
With a surname meaning "black head," who was the United States Army general who led all coalition forces in the Gulf War?
Answer: Norman Schwarzkopf
At the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, who became the last English King to die in Battle? His remains were found under a carpark in the English city of Leicester in 2012.
Answer: Richard III
USAA provides insurance and banking services to members of the military, veterans, and their families. What does USAA stand for?
Answer: United Services Automobile Association
The Battle of Bunker Hill in Boston was one of the turning points of the American Revolutionary War. Today, you can visit the monument as well as climb the 221-foot granite obelisk which honors the fallen soldiers. Within 20 steps, how many steps does it take to climb to the top?
Answer: 294 (274 - 314 accepted)
Which battle, named after the largest island of the Solomon Islands, is considered the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan?
Answer: Battle of Guadalcanal
Before writing sci-fi classics like "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress," what author served in the U.S. Navy from 1929 to 1934 and was a civilian engineer during World War II?
Answer: Robert A. Heinlein
Also called the Great War (Guerra Grande), which war from 1868 to 1878 was the first of three that Cuba fought for its independence from Spain?
Answer: Ten Years' War
What is the name of historian James M. McPherson's Pulitzer-winning 1988 book on the American Civil War, the sixth in the Oxford History of the United States series?
Answer: Battle Cry of Freedom
The 1967 secession of what breakaway republic from Nigeria sparked the Nigerian Civil War, leading to a federal blockade and widespread famine?
Answer: Biafra
What 1862 Civil War battle marked the "high water mark" for the Confederacy in the Western Theater after the Union Army of the Ohio (under Buell) won a tactical victory over the Confederate Army of Mississippi (under Bragg) in the largest battle in Kentucky history?
Answer: Perryville
Originally intended to honor veterans of World War One's Gallipoli campaign, what national day of remembrance is celebrated in the Southern Hemisphere on April 25?
Answer: ANZAC Day
Which counteroffensive operation (codenamed after a planet in our solar system) did the then-USSR carry out in the midst of the Battle of Stalingrad—a strategic move that essentially turned the tide of the war in their favor?
Answer: Uranus
What type of military aircraft, known for its vertical takeoff and landing capability, is named for a bird-of-prey with a hawk-like body and an owl-like facial disc?
Answer: Harrier Jump Jet
In 1913, Pedro Lascuráin was made president during a military coup. However, he holds the world record for shortest-ever presidency, since it lasted less than one hour. What country was he the (temporary) leader of?
Answer: Mexico
In 1862 during the American Civil War, the Battle of Iuka was fought in which southeastern state?
Answer: Mississippi
The Defense Health Agency (DHA), currently led by Telita Crosland, has its headquarters in which Virginia city?
Answer: Falls Church
In 1912, Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. They fought The First Balkan War along with which country in Southeast Europe that was a monarchy at the time, as noted by “Kingdom of” before its name?
Answer: Montenegro
The 1618 Defenestration of Prague marked the beginning of what religious conflict within the Holy Roman Empire?
Answer: Thirty Years War

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