"The historians can't seem to settle whether to call this one "The Third Space War" (or the fourth), or whether "The First Interstellar War" fits it better. We just call it "The Bug War." Everything up to then and still later were "incidents," "patrols" or "police actions." However, you are just as dead if you buy the farm in an "incident" as you are if you buy it in a declared war."
—Juan Rico, Starship Troopers
The Bug War is a war between the Terran Federation and the Pseudo-Arachnids, the "Bug". The war later involve the Skinnies.
History[]
The war essentially begins when the Pseudo-Arachnids launch an attack against Buenos Aires and completely destroy it. The first Terran operation of the war was "Operation Bughouse", a direct assault on Klendathu, the Pseudo-Arachnid homeworld. The operation fails disastrously, costing many Mobile Infantry and Neodogs in it their lives. Willie's Wildcats, the Mobile Infantry company deployed in the operation, are reduced to few soldiers and forced to disband.
Many other small-time assaults are made against the Pseudo-Arachnids and their humanoid allies, the Skinnies. Eventually, the Skinnies join forces with the Terran Federation and begin providing invaluable intelligence. This research results in new weapons against the Bugs, such as a heavy nerve gas tailored to their species which can be dropped down a Bug hole to exterminate all who come in contact with it within their tunnels.
The second large scale Terran operation is "Operation Royalty", the task of which was to capture any Brain- and possibly Queen-caste Bugs on Planet-P that were found. A large diversion of Workers almost ruined the Operation, but it was eventually a success, with six captured Brain Bugs and, regrettably, no Queens.