View source for .mil

{{Short description|Internet top-level domain}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox Top level domain|
name=.mil|
background=#FC0|
image=|
introduced={{start date and age|1985|1|1}}|
type=[[Sponsored top-level domain]]|
status=Active|
dnssec=Yes|
registry=[[Defense Information Systems Agency]]|
sponsor=DoD Network Information Center|
intendeduse=[[Military]] entities|
actualuse=Agencies, services and divisions of the [[United States Department of Defense]]|
restrictions=Restricted to eligible agencies|
structure=Divisions of particular services usually have third and higher level subdomains, such as within army.mil for [[United States Army]] sites.|
document=RFC 920; RFC 1591|
disputepolicy=None||website=https://www.defense.gov/Resources/Register-a-Site/tab/Website/}}

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.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=RFC 920 - Domain Requirements|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc920|first1=J.|last1=Postel|first2=J.|last2=Reynolds|website=[[Internet Engineering Task Force|The Internet Engineering Task Force]]|date=October 1984|doi=10.17487/RFC0920 |doi-access=free}}</ref> As in the case with [[.gov]], the [[United States]] is the only country that has a top-level domain for its military, a direct result of the United States' military's role in the [[History of the Internet|creation of the Internet]].

Other countries often use second-level domains for this purpose, e.g., ''[[.mod.uk|mod.uk]]'' for the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]]. [[Canada]] uses ''norad.mil'' with the United States as they jointly operate the [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]].

Despite having a dedicated top-level domain, the US military also uses ''[[.com|com]]'' domains for some of its recruitment sites, such as ''goarmy.com'', as well as for the [[Defense Commissary Agency]]'s website ''www.commissaries.com'' and most non-appropriated fund instrumentalities such as military [[Morale, Welfare and Recreation|MWR]] organizations and military exchanges. Also, the military uses ''[[.edu|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 name. The official athletic program sites of the three academies that are members of [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] ([[Army_Black_Knights|Army]], [[Navy Midshipmen|Navy]], [[Air Force Falcons|Air Force]]) use ''com'' domains, as well as [[Coast Guard Bears|Coast Guard]], which is a member of NCAA [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]]. The Department of Defense itself uses ''[[.gov|gov]]'' for its home page, with at least three second-level domains within ''mil'' (''defense'', ''dod'', and ''pentagon'') redirecting to its domain name ''www.defense.gov''.

The [[United States Coast Guard]], like other military services, uses the ''mil'' domain, although during statutory peacetime the service falls under the [[United States Department of Homeland Security]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=United States Coast Guard Regulations 1992|url=http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/5000-5999/CIM_5000_3B.pdf|publisher=[[United States Coast Guard|US Coast Guard]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.iana.org/domains/root/db/mil.html IANA .mil whois information]
{{United States top-level domains}}
{{GTLD}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:MIL}}

[[Category:Sponsored top-level domains]]
[[Category:Military terminology of the United States]]
[[Category:Domain names in the United States]]
[[Category:Internet in Canada]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1985]]