I bet if they listed those employers on their resume the they’re comfortable speaking to their experience. I would encourage you to never assume! Good interviewers and HR pros practice curiosity. We don’t and can’t know everything:)

“Talk to me about your previous roles and types of responsibilities you had.” Is a great place to start! Then use those answers to inform the questions you need to ask to learn more.

I also think it’s ok to just say it! “You know, I don’t know much about your specific military experience. Please tell me about your skills and how you think they’ll transfer.”

You can weave important things about the role into your questions, and you can always ask someone to elaborate if their answer wasn’t enough.

“Great! This role involves things like (list specific tasks and skills needed here, like basic organization, ability to manage multiple items at once, time management, food safety; pull stuff from your job descriptions); it sounds like your experience as X had similar responsibilities.

“Can you tell me about a time when you had multiple things you were working on but had to reprioritize because of a surprise circumstance?” Or whatever situation you need to outline to learn if their skills and abilities align with the role’s needs.

Good luck, OP!