The issue consists of twelve papers which were originally delivered at the International Conference on Military and Textiles in 2008. The important but frequently overlooked connection between textiles and the military is addressed in this supplementary issue by academic historians, museum curators and conservators, archaeologists and military experts from a range of disciplines and fields of study. Between them the twelve articles explore the use of textiles in uniforms and equipment, the organization of production and distribution of military requirements, and the interaction of military and civil society, over a wide geographical region from medieval times to the twentieth century.