Military of the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| United States Armed Forces |
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|---|---|
 United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia. |
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| Service branches |  U.S. Army |
| 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, |
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 created on 14 June 1775
- United States Marine Corps created on 10 November 1775
- United States Navy created on 13 October 1775
- United States Air Force created on 18 September 1947
- United States Coast Guard created on 4 August 1790
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 peacetime, but during wartime, the Coast Guard is placed under the Department of Defense through the Department of the Navy.[3]
As of June 30, 2008, about 1,427,546 people are on active duty in the military with an additional 1,458,400 people in the seven reserve components.[4] As it is currently a volunteer military, there is no conscription. Women are not allowed to serve in some combatant positions, but they do serve in combat areas where they can and do come under enemy fire. [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.
Contents |
[edit] Other
[edit] Doctrines
[edit] Education and training
[edit] People
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
- Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
- TRICARE - Health care plan for the U.S. uniformed services
[edit] Lists
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
- List of currently active United States military land vehicles
- List of active United States military aircraft
- List of currently active United States military watercraft
[edit] See also
- See also the Uniformed services of the United States
- See also the State Defense Force
[edit] References
- ^ Persons 17 years of age, with parental permission, can join the U.S. armed services.
- ^ Moisés Naím. "Megaplayers Vs. Micropowers". Retrieved on December 18, 2007.
- ^ The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. 14 USC 1, states "The Coast Guard as established January 28, 1915, shall be a military service and a branch of the armed forces of the United States at all times." Coast Guard units, or ships of its predecessor service, the Revenue Cutter Service, have seen combat in every war and armed conflict of the United States since 1790, including the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
- ^ Additionally, both the Coast Guard and the Air Force have volunteer civilian auxiliaries: the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (Coast Guard) and the Civil Air Patrol (Air Force).
- ^ Go Army. "Careers & Jobs". Retrieved on May 8, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Official U.S. Department of Defense website
- Global Security on U.S. Military Operations
- Military News
- Today's Military website
- US Military ranks and rank insignia
- Defence Talk
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