.mil
Encyclopedia
The domain name mil is the sponsored top-level domain
(sTLD) in the Domain Name System
of the Internet
for the United States Department of Defense
and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. The name is derived from military. It was one of the first top-level domains, created in January 1985.
The United States
is the only country that has a top-level domain for its military. Other countries often use second-level domains for this purpose, e.g., mod.uk for the United Kingdom
's Ministry of Defence
. Canada
uses norad.mil with the United States as they jointly operate the North American Aerospace Defense Command
.
Although the United States military has its own top-level domain, it still uses com
domains for some of its recruitment sites, such as goarmy.com, as well as for the Defense Commissary Agency
's public website and most non-appropriated fund instrumentalities such as military MWR
organizations and military exchanges. Also, the military uses edu
domains for its service academies: the United States Military Academy
, United States Coast Guard Academy
, United States Naval Academy
, and the United States Air Force Academy
can all be reached using either an edu or a mil domain. The official athletic program sites of the three academies that are members of NCAA
Division I (Army, Navy, Air Force) use com domains. The Department of Defense itself uses gov
for its home page, with at least three second-level domains within mil ("defense", "dod", and "pentagon") redirecting to its home page of defense.gov.
The Department of Defense is also using vanity domain
names within mil, such as ourmilitary.mil and norad.mil.
Sponsored top-level domain
A sponsored top-level domain is one of the categories of top-level domains maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet....
(sTLD) in the Domain Name System
Domain name system
The Domain Name System is a hierarchical distributed naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities...
of the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
for the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. The name is derived from military. It was one of the first top-level domains, created in January 1985.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is the only country that has a top-level domain for its military. Other countries often use second-level domains for this purpose, e.g., mod.uk for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
uses norad.mil with the United States as they jointly operate the North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command
North American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
.
Although the United States military has its own top-level domain, it still uses com
.com
The domain name com is a generic top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from commercial, indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations...
domains for some of its recruitment sites, such as goarmy.com, as well as for the Defense Commissary Agency
Defense Commissary Agency
The Defense Commissary Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense that operates more than 250 commissaries worldwide...
's public website and most non-appropriated fund instrumentalities such as military MWR
Morale, Welfare and Recreation
Morale, Welfare and Recreation, abbreviated MWR, is a network of support and leisure services designed for use by soldiers , their families, civilian employees, military retirees and other eligible participants....
organizations and military exchanges. Also, the military uses edu
.edu
The domain name edu is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The "domain is intended for accredited post-secondary educational U.S. institutions" and this intention is strictly enforced....
domains for its service academies: the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, United States Coast Guard Academy
United States Coast Guard Academy
Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...
, United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, and the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
can all be reached using either an edu or a mil domain. The official athletic program sites of the three academies that are members of NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I (Army, Navy, Air Force) use com domains. The Department of Defense itself uses gov
.gov
The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from government, indicating its restricted use by government entities in the United States. The gov domain is administered by the General Services Administration , an independent...
for its home page, with at least three second-level domains within mil ("defense", "dod", and "pentagon") redirecting to its home page of defense.gov.
The Department of Defense is also using vanity domain
Vanity domain
In the Domain Name System , a vanity domain is a domain name whose purpose is to express the individuality of the person on whose behalf it is registered. This contrasts with domain names which resolve to an organisation or a service that organisation offers...
names within mil, such as ourmilitary.mil and norad.mil.