Military

Image from Putin’s Nuclear Threats Evoke Cold War Tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Video

Putin’s Nuclear Threats Evoke Cold War Tensions of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Russia’s recent nuclear threats have revived Cold War animosity with roots in the Cuban missile crisis. During ​a standoff in 1962, a tense confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union nearly resulted in a nuclear war.

Image from Dictators and Civil Wars: The Cold War in Latin America
Video

Dictators and Civil Wars: The Cold War in Latin America

Driven by fears of the rise of communism, the United States adopted a policy of containment, intervening in the politics of countries across the globe. In Latin America, the consequences of those efforts are still unfolding.

Image from As Massacre Survivors Seek Justice, El Salvador Grapples With 1,000 Ghosts
Video

As Massacre Survivors Seek Justice, El Salvador Grapples With 1,000 Ghosts

“Massacre in El Salvador,” a collaboration with Frontline and ProPublica, tells the story of the worst massacre in recent Latin American history, and why a final reckoning is at risk.

Image from How the Military Response to 9/11 Led to Two Decades of War in Afghanistan
Video

How the Military Response to 9/11 Led to Two Decades of War in Afghanistan

Officials who drove the decades-long war in Afghanistan look back on the strategic mistakes and misjudgments that led to a 20-year quagmire.

For teachers: This video is part of a collection of resources including four short films, each accompanied by a lesson plan and student activity.

Image from Why the Cold War Race for Nuclear Weapons Is Still a Threat
Video

Why the Cold War Race for Nuclear Weapons Is Still a Threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin controls the world’s largest nuclear arsenal, and his invasion of Ukraine is a reminder that Russia, the U.S. and many other countries have thousands of nuclear missiles, even as safeguards once in place have fallen away.

Image from How the Korean War Changed the Way the U.S. Goes to Battle
Video

How the Korean War Changed the Way the U.S. Goes to Battle

In the Cold War, North Korean Communists invaded South Korea. President Truman’s decision to intervene had consequences that shape the world today.

Image from How a Cold War Airlift Saved Berlin With Food, Medicine and Chocolate
Video

How a Cold War Airlift Saved Berlin With Food, Medicine and Chocolate

A Soviet blockade around Berlin cut the divided city off from the West. But in 1948 U.S. and British pilots began to fly food, fuel and medicine to the Allied sectors.

Image from Send In the Special Ops Forces
Video

Send In the Special Ops Forces

The rise of special operations units today can be traced to two historic military missions: one a legendary success, the other a spectacular failure.

Image from Could a Simple Intervention Fight a Suicide Crisis?
Video

Could a Simple Intervention Fight a Suicide Crisis?

A simple intervention to reduce suicides – “caring letters,” messages of compassion and empathy – showed promise in the 1960s, but has been overlooked until now.

Image from She Rocked the Pentagon
Video

She Rocked the Pentagon

After a sexual assault scandal at the Tailhook convention rocked the Navy in 1991, one female officer, Paula Coughlin, launched a campaign to change military culture.

Image from Israel Survived an Early Challenge With War Planes Smuggled by U.S. Vets
Video

Israel Survived an Early Challenge With War Planes Smuggled by U.S. Vets

In 1948, World War II aviators risked their lives in a secret operation to smuggle weapons and planes to the Israeli military.

Image from How a Folk Singer’s Murder Forced Chile to Confront Its Past
Video

How a Folk Singer’s Murder Forced Chile to Confront Its Past

Víctor Jara was a legendary Chilean folk singer and political activist, whose brutal killing during a military coup in 1973 went unsolved for decades. Now, his family may finally get justice.

Image from Atomic Vets
Video

Atomic Vets

The story of the veterans who witnessed secret atomic testing and how their decades-long struggle for recognition affects soldiers today. This story is a coproduction with Reveal, from The Center for Investigative Reporting.

Image from Runaway Plane
Video

Runaway Plane

For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.

Image from He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case
Video

He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case

The story of the first and only interrogator connected to the CIA to be convicted in a torture-related case.

For teachers: This video is part of a collection of resources including four short films, each accompanied by a lesson plan and student activity.

Image from Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War
Video

Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

The use of the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and Vietnamese citizens.

Image from Walter Reed: The Battle for Recovery
Video

Walter Reed: The Battle for Recovery

In 2007, the scandalous treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center shocked the nation. Today, after major reforms, what’s changed for America’s injured soldiers?