Military once described only soldiers, not sailors or the whole armed forces
When the Royal Military Academy opened in 1741 and West Point's United States Military Academy in 1802, military still meant land forces and the soldier's trade. Only around the Napoleonic Wars did it stretch to cover all armed services, giving rise to phrases like military service and military intelligence.
English first recorded the word, spelled militarie, in 1582. It came through French from the Latin militaris, built on miles, a soldier, whose own origin is uncertain; one proposal links it to moving as a body or mass. As a noun, the military can mean a nation's armed forces in general or, more narrowly, the senior officers who command them. Strictly, a country's armed forces can include paramilitary groups such as armed police.
Soldiering predates written history. Monuments carved in relief celebrate the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC under Ramses II, and Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China, had the Terracotta Army made to embody his might. Romans wrote many treatises on warfare and raised triumphal arches and victory columns. Military history studies the people and institutions that make war, partly to learn from past errors, partly to build tradition and cohesion, and partly to prevent future wars. Despite advancing technology, the British Army declared in 2000 that man was still the first weapon of war.
Every state's forces share a ladder of rank, from officers such as colonels through sergeants down to privates, with senior officers setting strategy and subordinates carrying it out. Roles divide into combat jobs like infantry, combat support such as engineers, and service support such as logistics. Militaries often form a distinct subculture with their own housing, schools, hospitals and banks.
Women remain a minority, roughly 3 percent of personnel in India, 10 percent in Britain and 27 percent in South Africa. As of 2017, 50 states still relied partly on recruits under 18, usually aged 16 or 17. Full-time enlistment in Australia, Britain and the United States typically lasts two to six years. Military law adds offences unknown to civilian courts, such as malingering or disrespect, and restricts rights like joining unions or speaking to the press.
Source: Military
