| Military history is composed of the events in the | | | | military service. |
| history of humanity that fall within the category | | | | There are a number of ways to categorize |
| of conflict. This may range from a melee | | | | warfare. One categorization is conventional versus |
| between two tribes to conflicts between proper | | | | unconventional, where Conventional warfare |
| militaries to a world war affecting the majority of | | | | involves well-identified, armed forces fighting one |
| the human population. Military historians record (in | | | | another in a relatively open and straightforward |
| writing or otherwise) the events of military | | | | way without weapons of mass destruction. |
| history. | | | | "Unconventional" refers to other types of war |
| Military activity has been a constant process over | | | | which can involve raiding, guerrilla, insurgency, and |
| thousands of years, and the essential tactics, | | | | terrorist tactics or alternatively can include nuclear, |
| strategy, and goals of military operations have | | | | chemical, or biological warfare. |
| been unchanging throughout history. As an | | | | All of these categories usually fall into one of two |
| example one notable maneuver is the double | | | | broader categories: High intensity and low intensity |
| envelopment, considered to be the consummate | | | | warfare. High intensity warfare is between two |
| military maneuver, executed by Hannibal in the | | | | superpowers or large countries fighting for political |
| Battle of Cannae in 216 BC - over 2,200 years | | | | reasons. Low intensity warfare involves |
| ago. This same maneuver was also described by | | | | counterinsurgency, guerilla warfare and specialized |
| the Chinese military theorist Sun Tzu, who wrote | | | | types of troops fighting revolutionaries. |
| at roughly the same time as the founding of | | | | One method of dividing such a massive topic is by |
| Rome. By the study of history, the military seeks | | | | cutting it into periods of time. While useful this |
| to not repeat past mistakes, and improve upon | | | | method tends to be inaccurate and differences in |
| its current performance by instilling an ability in | | | | geography mean there is little uniformity. What |
| commanders to perceive historical parallels during | | | | might be described as ancient warfare is still |
| battle, so as to capitalize on the lessons learned. | | | | practiced in a number of parts of the world. |
| The main areas military history includes are the | | | | Other eras that are distinct in European history, |
| history of wars, battles, and combats, history of | | | | such as the era of Medieval warfare, may have |
| the military art, and history of each specific | | | | little relevance in East Asia. |