Military Speech Topics

A speech on a topic related to the military can be given even by those unfamiliar with military life or protocol. The military is a broad topic that covers a wealth of subtopics suitable for every level of experience. Do the research and get your facts right because when it comes to many of these subjects, some members of your audience may be very familiar with the topic.

Military conflicts throughout history have produced specific battles that have changed the course of civilization. A topic for a military speech that offers a wealth of informational sources would be one that identifies a handful of the most important battles in world history. Among the battles to consider are the defeat of the Spanish Armada by the British in 1588, Lord Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805 and the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War.

Military strategy changes along with inventions of warfare. Write a speech that shows that it was a change in military weaponry that brought about the end of the suit of armor. The suit of armor was a tactical defensive weapon against the prevailing military strategy: combat using swords, arrows and lances. The invention of gunpowder led to the subsequent invention of guns, whose bullets were more than powerful enough to penetrate suits of armor. The rise of the gun as the weapon of choice in the military not only brought about the end of armored warfare, but all the mythology that surrounded knighthood and chivalry.

The role of women in the military has long been debated. Joan of Arc was a very young woman who led France to victories over the British. On the other hand, women were not allowed to serve as active duty soldiers in the American military. Justifications for keeping women out of combat duty range from concerns about physical strength to the threat of sexual abuse if captured. A persuasive speech could take either side of the argument for or against women serving in active combat. An information speech provides historical background to the facts associated with women being denied the right to serve in combat and then traces how this perspective changed over time.

A persuasive speech on a military topic that guarantees a lively discussion afterward is one that takes the position that the United States either devotes too large a portion of its budget to the military or that it doesn’t provide enough monetary support for its troops. Research needs to be factual about just how large a piece of the budget pie is handed over to defense, but the most effective speech on this topic will break down that spending to show the ratio between how much money is spent on building and maintaining weaponry and how much money is actually given to the men and women who put their lives on the line to defend their country.