What is .mil?
Under the hood, the root zone points to 6 name servers for .mil, every one of them reachable over IPv6. The delegation is DNSSEC-signed, so resolvers can verify that answers for .mil haven't been tampered with on the way.
.mil FAQ
What does .mil stand for?
.mil stands for "military".
What is .mil used for?
.mil is mostly used for government & institutions. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .mil?
Formally none — but in practice .mil is reserved for United States institutions.
Who owns the .mil domain extension?
DoD Network Information Center operates .mil as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
Is .mil a valid domain?
Yes. .mil is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, so .mil addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .mil domain?
Not on the open market. .mil is restricted to eligible U.S. institutions, and every request is checked by DoD Network Information Center.
Is .mil DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .mil.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed September 25, 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
