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United States Armed Forces
United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia.
Service branches	U.S. Army U.S. Marine Corps U.S. Navy U.S. Air Force U.S. Coast Guard
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief	George W. Bush
Secretary of Defense	Robert M. Gates
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff	Admiral Michael Mullen
Military age	17-45 years old[1]
Available for military service	67,742,879 males, age 18-49 (2005 est.), 67,070,144 females, age 18-49 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	54,609,050 males, age 18-49 (2005 est.), 54,696,706 females, age 18-49 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	2,143,873 males (2005 est.), 2,036,201 females (2005 est.)
Active personnel	1,426,713 [1] (ranked 2nd)
Reserve personnel	1,458,500
Expenditures
Budget	$548.9 billion [2] (ranked 1st)
Percent of GDP	3.9 (2007 est.)
Related articles
History	Colonial wars American Revolutionary War Early national period Continental expansion American Civil War Post-Civil War era World War I (1917-1918) World War II (1941-1945) Cold War (1945–1991) Post-Cold War era (1991–2001) War on Terrorism (2001–present)
Ranks	United States Army officer rank insignia, United States Army enlisted rank insignia, United States Navy officer rank insignia, United States Navy enlisted rates, United States Marine Corps officer rank insignia, United States Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia United States Air Force officer rank insignia, United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia, United States Coast Guard ranks

The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed during the Continental Congress and was permanently established after World War II.^[2]

Its component branches are:

• United States Army
• United States Navy
• United States Air Force
• United States Marine Corps
• United States Coast Guard

All branches are part of the United States Uniformed Services and are under civilian control with the President serving as Commander-in-chief. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense, which is under the authority of the Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian. The Coast Guard falls under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed under the Department of Defense through the Department of the Navy.^[3] There are also other military forces in the United States which fall solely under the individual control of each state, the State Defense Forces, which are not part of the Department of Defense.

As of May 2007, about 1,426,705 people are on active duty in the military with an additional 1,458,400 people in the seven reserve components.^{[citation needed][4]} As it is currently a volunteer military, there is no conscription. Women are not allowed to serve in some combat assignments, but they are allowed to serve in most non-combat specialties. Due to the realities of war some of these non-combat positions see combat regularly.^[5]

Much of U.S. military capability is involved in logistics and transportation, which enable rapid buildup of forces as needed. The Air Force maintains a large fleet of C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster, and C-130 Hercules transportation aircraft with a substantial fleet of aerial refueling tankers. The Marine Corps maintains Marine Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. The Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, combined with a military doctrine of power projection, enables a flexible response to potential threats.

[edit] Organization

Main article: United States Department of Defense#Organization

Under the United States Constitution, the President of the United States is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. To coordinate military action with diplomacy, the President has an advisory National Security Council headed by a National Security Advisor. Under the President is the United States Secretary of Defense, a Cabinet Secretary responsible for the Department of Defense. Both the President and Secretary of Defense are advised by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which includes the service branch chiefs led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[edit] History

Main article: Military history of the United States

Choctaw chief/U.S. General Pushmataha, 1824.

Prior to and during the founding of the United States, military forces were supplied by untrained militia commanded by the states. When the Continental Congress first ordered a Continental Army to be formed, it was to be made up of militia from the states. That army, under the command of General George Washington, won the Revolutionary War, but afterwards was disbanded.

However, it soon became obvious that a standing army and navy were required. The United States Navy began when Congress ordered several frigates in 1794, and a standing army was created, however it was still only minimal and it relied mostly on contributions from state militia in times of war.

Between the founding of the nation and the Civil War, American military forces fought and won against Barbary Coast pirates; fought the War of 1812 against the British, which ended in the status quo; and won several southwestern territories from the Mexicans in the Mexican-American War. In 1861, with the beginning of the Civil War, many military forces, including most of the nation's best generals, became part of the Confederate military, and both armies fought a long, bloody struggle which consumed 600,000 lives and ended in Union (U.S.) victory in 1865.

In the period between the Civil War and the 1890s, the military was allowed to languish, although units of the U.S. Army did fight Native Americans as settlers moved into the center of the United States. By the end of the century, though, America was rapidly becoming a new world power. The military fought the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War, along with several Latin American interventions, and Teddy Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world in a display of American power. In addition, the Militia Act of 1903 established the National Guard.

Battle of Antietam. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the civil war.^[6]

The United States entered World War I in 1917 and played a major role in the Allied victory. It languished in the interwar period, but as tensions mounted leading up to World War II, the force was put back into shape. U.S. Army troops were a large component of the forces that took North Africa, Italy, and landed in France at D-Day, and U.S. Navy, Marine, and Army troops were heavily involved in the Pacific campaign against Japan and its allies.

The end of World War II was the start of the Cold War, a large but ultimately non-violent struggle between the United States and its NATO Allies against the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. Thousands of U.S. troops were deployed to Europe in anticipation of a struggle that never came.

However, U.S. troops did participate in proxy wars in Korea and Vietnam. The Korean War, with North Korea and China against South Korea, the U.S., and other UN troops, ultimately returned to the status quo. The Vietnam War between North Vietnam and South Vietnam and the U.S. resulted in a cease-fire; after U.S. troops were pulled out of the country North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam.

Assault landing at Omaha Beach in Normandy

In the 1980s, the U.S. military fought Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada. The United States conducted various combat operations in the Persian Gulf against Iran, most notably Operation Praying Mantis. In addition, the Goldwater-Nichols Act completely reorganized the military. By 1989, it was clear the Soviet Union was on the verge of collapse and it looked like the U.S. military would be left with no one to fight. However, when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991, the United States entered the Persian Gulf War. The military forces of the U.S. and other nations easily defeated the Iraqi Army with minimal losses, proving the combat readiness of the new all-volunteer military. After this brief war and the breakup of the Soviet Union, the U.S. military had relatively little to do throughout the remainder of the 1990s, barring interventions in Yugoslavia and Kosovo.

After the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001, U.S. military forces were an integral part of the War on Terror. U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and in 2003 the U.S. and several other countries invaded Iraq. In both operations, U.S. forces comprised the vast majority of the soldiers and equipment. While the initial invasion was successful, the occupation quickly bogged down after the defeat of the conventional Iraqi forces, with daily violence and terrorist attacks. However, some milestones have been reached, such as the capture and execution of Saddam Hussein and democratic elections. In absolute dollar terms, the U.S. military budget is by far the highest of any country in the world. By 2008, with the US spending substantial sums in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, US national defense spending surpassed the combined spending of the rest of the world.[3]

[edit] Personnel

The United States military is the second-largest in the world, after the People's Liberation Army of China, and has troops deployed around the globe. As in most militaries, members of the U.S. Armed Forces hold a rank, either that of officer or enlisted, and can be promoted.

In early 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed to the President to increase the overall size of the military by approximately 92,000 troops over the course of five years. Specifically, the proposal calls for an Army troop cap of 545,000 to 550,000 active duty soldiers and a troop cap of 202,000 to 205,000 active duty Marines. The total active duty force of the United States after the buildup will be about 1,479,000.^[7]

[edit] Personnel in each service

As of October 31, 2007 (women as of September 2006)[4]

[edit] Personnel deployed

[edit] Overseas

As of December 2007, U.S. Forces were stationed at more than 820 installations in at least 39 countries.^[8] Some of the largest contingents are:

As of May 5, 2007, there were about 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, according to Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the commander of day-to-day operations for Operation Iraqi Freedom.^[9] About 19,500 U.S. troops are engaged elsewhere throughout the Middle East, with the bulk in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

[edit] Within the United States

Including U.S. territories and ships afloat within territorial waters

A total of 1,079,059 personnel are on active duty within the United States including:^[10]

[edit] Types of Personnel

[edit] Junior Enlisted

Prospective servicemembers are recruited often from high school and college, the target age being 18 to 28 year olds. With parent/guardian permission, applicants can enlist at the age of 17 and participate in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP). In this program, the applicant is given the opportunity to participate in locally sponsored military-related activities, which can range from sports to competitions (each recruiting station DEP program will vary), led by recruiters or other military liaisons. Participation in this programs is an example of the different opportunities the recruits have to elevate in rank before their departure to Basic Training.

After enlistment, new recruits undergo Basic Training (also known as boot camp), followed by schooling in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the world. Each branch conducts this differently, for example, Marines send all non-infantry MOSs to an infantry skills course known as Marine Combat Training prior to their technical schools, while Air Force Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training and are awarded an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level. The terms for this vary greatly, for example, new Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by Advanced Individual Training (AIT), while the Navy send its recruits to Recruit Training and then to "A" schools to earn a rating.

Initially, recruits without higher education or college degrees will hold the paygrade of E-1, and will be elevated to E-2 usually soon after the completion of Basic Training (with a minimum of six months Time-In-Service). Different services have different incentive programs for enlistees, such as higher initial ranks for college credit and referring friends who go on to enlist as well.

There are several different authorized paygrade advancement requirements in each junior enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-3), which differ by service. Enlistees in the Army can attain the initial paygrade of E-4 (Specialist) with a full four-year degree, but the highest initial entry paygrade is usually E-3. Promotion through the junior enlisted ranks is generally noncompetitive, with promotions occurring upon attaining a specified number of years of service, a specified level of technical proficiency, and/or maintenance of good conduct.

[edit] Noncommissioned Officer

With very few exceptions, the only direct path to the non-commissioned officer ranks in the United States military are through the lower enlisted ranks. Unlike promotion through the lower enlisted tier, promotion through the NCO ranks are generally competitive. NCO ranks begin at E-4 (E-5 in the Air Force and, with some exceptions, the Army) and are generally attained at between three and six years of service. Junior noncommissioned officers function as front line supervisors, squad leaders, and technical experts, training the junior enlisted in their duties and guiding their career advancement.

[edit] Senior Noncommissioned Officer/ Staff Noncommissioned Officer

While by law considered part of the non-commissioned officer corps, senior noncommissioned officers referred to as Chief Petty Officers in the Navy and Coast Guard, or staff noncommissioned officers in the Marine Corps, perform duties more focused on leadership rather than technical expertise. Promotion to the SNCO ranks (E-7 through E-9 in the Navy and Coast Guard; E-6 through E-9 in the Marine Corps) is highly competitive. Manning at the pay grades of E-8 and E-9 are limited by Federal law to 2.5% and 1% of a service's enlisted force, respectively. SNCOs act as leaders of small units and as staff. Some SNCOs manage programs at headquarters level, and a select few wield responsibility at the highest levels of the military structure. Most unit commanders have a SNCO as an enlisted advisor. All SNCOs are expected to mentor junior commissioned officers as well as the enlisted in their duty sections. The typical enlistee can expect to attain SNCO rank at between 10 and 16 years of service.

Each of the five services employs a single senior enlisted advisor at departmental level. This individual is the highest ranking enlisted member within his respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief of staff, and Congress on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to general and flag officers. They are as follows:

• Sergeant Major of the Army
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
• Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
• Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
• Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard

[edit] Warrant Officer

Main article: Warrant Officer (United States)

Additionally, all services except for the U.S. Air Force have an active Warrant Officer corps. Above the rank of Warrant Officer One, these officers are also commissioned officers, but usually serve in a more technical and specialized role within units. More recently though they can also serve in more traditional leadership roles associated with the more recognizable officer corps. With one notable exception, these officers ordinarily have already been in the military often serving in senior NCO positions in the field in which they later serve as a Warrant Officer as a technical expert. The exception to the NCO rule is the case of helicopter and fixed wing pilots in the U.S. Army; although most Army pilots have indeed served some enlisted time, it is also possible to enlist, complete basic training, go directly to the Warrant Officer Candidate school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and then on to flight school.

The Air Force ceased to grant warrant officer commissions in 1959 when the grades of E-8 and E-9 were created. Most non-flying duties performed by warrant officers in other services are instead performed by senior NCOs in the Air Force.

[edit] Commissioned Officer

There are five common ways for one to receive a commission as an officer in one of the branches of the U.S. military (although other routes are possible).

• Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)
• Officer Candidate School (OCS): This can be through active-duty military academies, or, in the case of the National Guard, through state-run military academies.
• Service Academies (United States Military Academy at West Point, New York; United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland; United States Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado; the United States Coast Guard Academy at New London, Connecticut; and the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York.)
• Direct Commission Officers (DCOs) - civilians who have special skills that are critical to sustaining military operations and supporting troops may receive what are called "direct commissions". These officers occupy leadership positions in the following areas: law, medicine, dentistry, nurse corps, intelligence, supply-logistics-transportation, engineering, public affairs, chaplain corps, oceanography, and others.
• Battlefield commission - enlisted personnel who have skills that separate them from their peers can become officers if an overseeing general/commander feels such a promotion is appropriate/necessary. This type of commission is rarely granted and is reserved only for the most exceptional enlisted personnel, and it is done on an ad hoc basis, typically only in wartime. No direct battlefield commissions have been awarded since the Vietnam War. The Air Force and Navy do not employ this commissioning path.

Officers receive a commission assigning them to the Officer Corps from the President (with the consent of the Senate).

Through their careers, officers usually will receive further training at one or a number of the many U.S. military staff colleges.

Company grade officers (pay grades O-1 through O-3) function as leaders of smaller units or sections of a unit, typically with an experienced SNCO assistant and mentor. Field grade officers (pay grades O-4 through O-6) lead significantly larger and more complex operations, with gradually more competitive promotion requirements. General officers, or flag officers, serve at the highest levels and oversee major portions of the military mission, from post or base command (for Army and Air Force; Navy bases are commanded by no higher than an O-6) on up.

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