Tropical medicine is defined by an association with geographic location, and it is a branch of medicine integrating preclinical medicine, clinical medicine and preventive medicine and investigating the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases of tropical and subtropical zones. Military tropical medicine is a new interdiscipline based on tropical medicine and military medicine. With the improvement of health condition and the development of global economy, some tropical infectious diseases have been gradually controlled. However, factors such as increasingly frequent international communication and extreme changes in global climate induced by overproduction activity of human are leading to a redistribution of infectious diseases, which inevitably has impact on military strategies and tactics. This article reviews the past and prospect of military tropical medicine.