Railguns

Railguns are a topic that have been included in countless Sci-Fi media. The American Department of the Navy has been working to make this idea a reality.
What is a Railgun? It is a "Weapon, consisting mainly of conducting metal rails, that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate a projectile to a much greater speed than achieved"
It was idealized as the "perfect weapon". Using electromagnetic propulsion would eliminate the need for ammunition, thereby making a much safer ship to sail on. Making it a reality was much harder than expected. The projectile moved so fast that the friction melted the gun. Once they fixed that problem, the projectile vaporized when it entered the atmosphere. Also they had to solve the problem of power. The Navy is designing a new battleship so that the power will be derived from the main engine.
Dec 10, 2010 the NAVY succesfully launched the projectile through the railgun at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. At launch the projectile had 33 Megajoules- 1 Megajoule is the equivalent of a 1-ton ar traveling a 100 mph. It demolished the target at impact an set the guinness world record for most energy upon launch. Much more than had been achieved by ammunition.
Sincerely, Space Cadet

Founding of the US Military

In 1775, before the Declaration of Independence was signed, 13 British colonies in the New World decided they needed to create a military force in order to successfully rebel against Britain, and create a new nation. They created the Continental Army, Continental Navy, and the Continental Marine Corps. With those military powers, they successfully overthrew the British Empire and created a nation of their own, the United States of America. Later in 1790 they made a new branch, called the US Coast Guard. The Air Force is the most recent branch of the US Military. It was originally a branch of the Army, the Army Air Force, but was officially made into its own separate branch in 1947. Because of its military forces, the United States of America has grown into the powerful nation that it is today.

In order for a military force to be effective, there has to be order. This is accomplished through a chain of command. That basically means there is one person, the president, who is in charge of several others, who in turn are in charge of several more people, etc., until you get to the bottom. There is also rank, which is a title you earn, starting from the bottom (E-0) and working your way up. This often determines your position in the chain of command.

Sincerely, Space Cadet