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Government Documents: Military Science Resources

Reference, Documents & Maps Librarian

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Bruce Sarjeant
Contact:
Lydia Olson Library, Gries Hall #36
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Ave
Marquette, MI 49855
906-227-1580

Military Science Resources

The Department of Defense.  Defenselink: The official web site for the Department of Defense and the starting point for finding U.S. military information online. News, images, video, publications, etc. You can link to the individual branches, or go there directly: ArmyNavyAir Force, and the Marines. Also, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.

The NCO Journal. Published 4 times a year, this journal supports training, education and professional development of the NCO Corps.

U.S. Army War College. A very good resource. The links off this page include the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), the Center for Strategic Leadership, and the Military History Institute. Publications, photographs, archival materials, etc. are accessible. Click on Menu, then Research & Publications.

Command & General Staff College. This is another very good resource for online publications and links to databases and other military websites. Of particular interest is their Combined Arms Research Library (CARL).

National Defense University. Under the direction of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the NDU is " the premier center for joint professional military education." Click on NDU Press: across the top of that page will be Books, Other Publications, etc. NDU also has a database of digital collections.

Army Publishing Directorate. Publisher and distributor of Army publications. Publications and forms can be searched by number, title, series title, or proponent collection. Many are available freely online but a few are not.

Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC). Search scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information. Members of the military can register and have access to more resources.

Digital Video & Imagery Distribution System. Military publications have always been hard to locate outside of the military. Even with the availability of so many online, it is still not easy. This website is one such portal to them. Publications can also be located via the Central Command website. "Other News Sources" from Defenselink also contains a listing of publications. Registration may be required to view stories.

National Intelligence University. As the name suggests, publications on many aspects of intelligence can be located here. Most are freely available for download.

The Homeland Security Digital Library. The nation's premier collection of homeland security policy and strategy related documents. This database is available for NMU students and faculty.

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. Collection includes manuscripts, photographs, and publications.

RAND Army Research Division.  Founded in 1982, the Arroyo Center is the United States Army's sole federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) for studies and analysis. At RAND, the center is housed within RAND's Army Research Division.

DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory.  The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory is the Army’s research laboratory strategically placed under the Army Futures Command. ARL is the Army’s sole foundational research laboratory focused on cutting-edge scientific discovery, technological innovation, and transitioning capabilities for the future Army.

DARPA: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.  Since 1958 DARPA has held to a singular and enduring mission: to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security. 

USA.gov Military Personnel & Veterans.  Includes a variety of resources: current news, veteran information, family support, transition assistance, recruitment, reserves, etc.  USA.gov searches only government websites.

The Catalog of Government Publications. This resource resembles a library catalog and includes links to online publications. Use these terms when searching:

  • Command of troops
  • Leadership (include the word “military” as well)
  • Soldiers—United States
  • Military Art and Science
  • Military Education

Government resource websites as suggested by Militarysource.gov.

METALIB.  A search tool from the Government Publishing Office allowing one search across a number of resources.  Defense + Military is one of the choices here.

National Technical Information Service Library (NTRL).  From the Department of Commerce. 

Science.gov.  Similar to METALIB, you can search across a number of subject resources.  Be sure to de-select what you don't want to search in.

OSTI: Office of Science and Technical Information, from the U.S. Department of Energy.

GlobalSecurity.org. Since 2000, this organization "is the leading source of background information and developing news stories in the fields of defense, space, intelligence, WMD, and homeland security." Of note is their collection of Army Field Manuals and private military corporations/companies.

Defense News. Part of the Army Times publishing group. The leading military and government news periodical publisher in the world, providing independent, professional news. NMU has a print subscription to the Army Times: we keep the latest 6 months.

Federation of American Scientists Military Analysis Network. Nice central source for worldwide military information ranging from weapon systems to budget and policy analysis. This website is a good compliment to GlobalSecurity.

History of War. Covers wars, battles, biographies, and weapons from Greco-Roman times to Gulf War I. This resource has a nice A-Z index (as well as indexes for [nearly] each category) as well as many images.

NATO Research Guides.  Such topics as Arms Control, Hybrid Warfare, relations with Russia, Ukraine, EU, etc.

Small Arms Survey.  The Small Arms Survey conducts extensive research on global trends in small arms and armed violence with the aim of providing international and national stakeholders with the data required to have an informed debate and make evidence-based policy decisions.

Center for Military Readiness.  A non-partisan, public policy organization with a unique mission: reporting on and analyzing military/social issues. 

Global Terrorism Database.  An open-source database including information on terrorist events around the world from 1970 through 2020.

Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).  ISIS is a non-profit, non-partisan institution dedicated to informing the public about science and policy issues affecting international security.

United Nations Register of Conventional Arms.  Promoting transparency in armaments.  Member States are requested, on an annual basis, to report their international transfers of seven categories major conventional arms, as well as small arms and light weapons.  

  • Command of troops
  • Leadership (include the word “military” as well)
  • Soldiers—United States
  • Military Art and Science
  • Military Education

When searching OneSearch, it is helpful to use the same search terms as mentioned with the Catalog of Government Publications. Remember to limit your search to Library Catalog:

  • Command of troops
  • Leadership (include the word “military” as well)
  • Soldiers—United States
  • Military Art and Science
  • Military Education

Oxford Companion to Military History: A complete overview of military history from classical times to the present, The Oxford Companion to Military History is an essential guide to how the world has been shaped by conflict. Entries on key topics such as intelligence, propaganda, tactics, women in the military, and peacekeeping are included, with over 70 maps showing the course of famous battles and campaigns.

LearningExpressLibrary has the ASVAB Preparation, CFAT Practice Tests, Military Flight Aptitude Tests Preparation, Officer Candidate Tests Preparation, and a variety of additional career prep: practice tests for academic, advanced placement, basic skills success, U.S. citizenship, civil service, college preparation (ACT, SUNY, SAT), cosmetology, EMS, ESL (Spanish, firefighter, GED, graduate school entrance (GRE, GMAT, LSAT, MCAT), law enforcement, real estate, and teacher certification (PPST,CBEST).  Brought to you by the State of Michigan via the Michigan eLibrary (http://mel.org).