Last week, Dan Drezner tweeted about the mid-range cruise missile, the Seersucker. It quickly generated a conversation about less-than-intimidating weapons names, but I immediately embarked on a quest to find as many fashion-forward weapons, munitions, and operations as I could. That is the sole reason for this blog post – and so I present you with these trend-setting factoids (pardon the Wikipedia links):

• The USS Moccasin, an early 20th Century submarine, was later given the
  

  This submarine is available at Target for $13.95

  more boring name of A-4. It was preceded by the Civil War-era Moccasin tug boat.

• The British love their argyle – with a 17th Century, WWI-era, and current version of the HMS Argyll.
• There’s a British patrol ship named the HMS Blazer, which is pretty trendy.
• While not specific to clothing, I can’t help but assume that Ethan Allen class submarines are filled with wood furniture (the store was also named after the Revolutionary War hero).
• The UR-100 is a Russian ICBM that NATO likes to refer to as the SS-19 Stiletto.
• The R-12 is apparently a less sexy Russian missile, since NATO calls it the SS-4 Sandal. It was one of the stylish missiles involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

The most terrifying sandal to ever reach the Caribbean.

• Both of these are nothing compared to the super-secret Galosh missile.
• A British mission in the Pacific Theater during WWII was called Operation Zipper.
• The Mohawk was a plane used for reconnaissance in Korea and Vietnam, and a divergence into the hair category for aircraft nomenclature (but it did stand alongside several other Native American tribes, I admit).
• The Airspeed Oxford flew throughout WWII.
• Allied Operation Bolero was the troop buildup in Britain during WWII.
• WWII Operation Raincoat was an Allied attack in Italy.
• The German counter-offensive in North Africa was called Operation Capri.
• The short-lived X-3 Stiletto was an early Cold War-era jet.
• Operation Coronetwould have been the largest amphibious assault in history, landing on Japan in WWII – but it was never crowned.
  

  Let's just be honest, bow ties - and Robert Downey, Jr. - should be the names of weapons.

• A U.S. operation in Vietnam was code-named Operation Bolo, which just reminds me of the official neckwear of the state of Arizona.
• There is also a bomber, the B-18 Bolo, which is reminiscent of neckwear.
• Supposedly, there is a classified program to develop unmanned reconnaissance aircraft called Senior Prom, which is so high school.
• Australian involvement in the Gulf War was codenamed Operation Damask.