Looking at the free definitions online, and not including too much history, it seems to me that at one point the Navy was not directly associated as ”military”. Or rather, that the Navy included not only military ships, but all ships of a nation.
Today the terms at top seem synonymous. Only perhaps that the word military carries more weight, and can be used for either a more powerful sentiment, or more pejorative, depending on the context.
Likewise ”armed forces”, and even more so ”armed services” seem to be softer representations of otherwise exactly the same thing.
(..not unlike ”dead” vs. ”deceased”? [Sorry, couldn't resist.])
Is there any technical difference, or situations today, where these are NOT interchangeable?
Best Answer
According to Wikipedia, the difference between Armed Forces and 'military' is the former's inclusion in the former definition of the paramilitary forces:
Source:http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_forces