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{{Infobox National Military|country=the United States|name=United States Armed forces|image=|caption=United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, Virginia.]|commander-in-chief_title=Commander-in-Chief|minister=Robert Gates|minister_title=Secretary of Defense|commander=Michael Mullen|commander_title=Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|age=17-45 years old Persons of 17 years of age, with parental permission, can join the U.S. armed services.|conscription=|manpower_data=2005 est.|manpower_age=18-49|available=67,742,879|available_f=67,070,144|fit=54,609,050|fit_f=54,696,706|reaching=2,143,873|reaching_f=2,036,201|active=1,426,713|ranked=2nd|reserve=858,500|deployed=|amount=$548.9 billion (List of countries and federations by military expenditures)|percent_GDP=4.06 (2005 est.)|domestic_suppliers=|imports=|exports=|history=Colonial wars
American Revolutionary War
Military history of the United States#Early national period .281783.E2.80.931815.29
Military history of the United States#Continental expansion .281816.E2.80.931860.29
American Civil War
Military history of the United States#Post-Civil War era .281865.E2.80.931917.29
World War I (1917-1918)
World War I (1941-1945)
Cold War (1945–1991)
Post-Cold War era (1991–2001)
War on Terrorism (2001–present)], 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 insigniaUnited States Air Force officer rank insignia, United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia,United States Coast Guard#Ranks-->The United States Armed forces is the military service of the United States and is structured into five branches.

All branches are part of the Uniformed services of the United States and are under civilian control with the President of the United States serving as commander-in-chief. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the United States Department of Defense, which is under the authority of the United States Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian. The Coast Guard falls under the authority of the United States Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed under the Department of Defense through the United States Department of the Navy in times of need acting as a service to the Navy.The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. Title 14, United States Code, Section 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." In peacetime it is part of the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime falls under the operational command of the United States Navy. Coast Guard units, or ships of its predecessor service, the Revenue Cutter Service, have seen combat in every war of the United States since 1790, including the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Approximately 1,426,713 personnel are currently on active duty in the military with an additional 1,259,000 personnel in the seven Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States .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). 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.

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

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 diplomatic action, the President has an advisory United States 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 United States Department of Defense.

Both the President and Secretary of Defense are advised by the Joint Chiefs of Staff composed of the service chiefs and led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act (PL 99-433) reworked the command structure of the United States military, introducing the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since it was established in the National Security Act of 1947. The Goldwater-Nichols Reorganization Act was signed into law by Ronald Reagan on October 1, 1986.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act streamlined the military chain of command, which now runs from the President through the Secretary of Defense directly to unified combat commanders, bypassing the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were assigned to an advisory role. Each service is responsible for organizing, training and equipping military units for the commanders of the various Unified Combatant Command.

National Command organizational chart

Personnel The United States military is List of countries by number of active troops, behind China, and has troops deployed around the globe. As in most militaries, members of the U.S. Armed Forces hold a military rank, either Officer (armed forces) or enlisted, and can be promoted.

In early 2007 the Secretary of Defense proposed a plan to expand the active duty size of the Army and Marines to 550,000 and 202,000 troops, respectively, bringing the active duty strength of the entire military to 1,479,000 servicemen.

Personnel in each service As of April 30, 2007 (women as of September 2006){| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"|- align="wrap"|Service||Total Active Duty Personnel (Percent of Total)||Percentage Female||Enlisted||Officers|-|United States Army||507,082 (36%)||14%||419,816||82,486|-|United States Marine Corps||180,000 (13%)||6.2%||160,072||19,309|-|United States Navy||340,568 (23%)||14.9%||285,129||51,087|-|United States Air Force||340,921 (24%)||20.1%||268,252||68,373|-|United States Coast Guard||41,181 (3%)||10.7%||31,286||7,835|-|Total||1,426,713 (100%) ||14.9%||1,133,269||221,255|}

Personnel deployed Overseas As of 2005, the United States occupied over 700 military bases in over 36 countries worldwide.{{cite web| url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2003/basestructure2003.pdf|title = Base Structure Report|accessdate = 2007-01-23|date = 2003|publisher = USA Department of Defense--> Some of the largest contingents are:{||Iraq||75,603|-|[Japan (United States Forces Japan)] (United States Forces Korea)]||10,449|-|United Kingdom), as of May 5, 2007 there are approximately 160,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in [Iraq.{{cite web], with most forces currently deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Within the United States Including U.S. territories and ships afloat within territorial waters

A total of 1,112,684 personnel are on active duty within the United States including:{||Continental United States|| 900,088|-|[Hawaii||17,714|-|Afloat||109,119|-|[Guam||1,552|}

Types of Personnel Junior Enlisted After enlistment, new Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by schooling, referred to as Advanced Individual Training (AIT), in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the world. Other branches may use different terminology; for example, Air Force Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training, colloquially called "Tech School," and upon completion are awarded an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level.

Initially, recruits without higher education or college degrees will hold the paygrade of E-1, and will be elevated to E-2 usually after the completion of Basic Combat Training and with a minimum of six months Time-In-Service (TIS). 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.

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 Combat Training.

There are several different authorized paygrade advancement requirements in each junior enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-4), 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 maintenance of good conduct.

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 (pay grades E-4, E-5 and E-6) function as front line supervisors, squad leaders, and technical experts, training the junior enlisted in their duties and guiding their career advancement.

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% 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. 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 13 and 18 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 (no females have yet been so appointed) respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief of staff, and United States Congress on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to general and flag officers. They are as follows:

Warrant Officer Additionally, all services except for the U.S. Air Force have an active Warrant Officer (United States) 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.

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

Officers receive a Commissioned officer assigning them to the Officer Corps from the President of the United States (with the consent of the United States 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 base command on up.

History Prior to and during the founding of the United States, military forces were supplied by untrained militia commanded by the states. When the Congress of the Confederation 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 American Revolution, 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 American Civil War, American military forces fought and won against Barbary pirates#Barbary pirates and the U.S. Navy; 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 American Civil War, many military forces, including most of the nation's best generals, became part of the Confederate States of America military, and both armies fought a long, bloody struggle which consumed 600,000 lives and ended in Union (American Civil War) (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 superpower. 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 United States National Guard.

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 Pacific War 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 and 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 Korean War and Vietnam War. The Korean War, with North Korea and People's Republic of 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., was ultimately a failure, resulting in U.S. pullout and unification of the country under communism.

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 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks in 2001, U.S. military forces were an integral part of the War on Terror. U.S. and NATO forces Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan in 2001, and in 2003 the U.S. and several other countries Iraq War Iraq. 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.

References See also See also the Uniformed services of the United States Doctrines Related military forces History Education and training People Places Lists

External links

Branch links
{{succession box|title=[Person of the Year (The American Fighting-Man)| before=[Winston Churchill| after=[Mohammed Mossadegh| years=| -->{{succession box|title=[Person of the Year (The American Soldier)| before= The [Whistleblowers (Represented by [Cynthia Cooper (whistleblower) of [MCI Inc., [Sherron Watkins of [Enron, and [Coleen Rowley of the [Federal Bureau of Investigation)| after=[George W. Bush| years=| -->

{{Infobox National Military|country=the United States|name=United States Armed forces|image=|caption=United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer in Arlington County, Virginia, Virginia.]|commander-in-chief_title=Commander-in-Chief|minister=Robert Gates|minister_title=Secretary of Defense|commander=Michael Mullen|commander_title=Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff|age=17-45 years old Persons of 17 years of age, with parental permission, can join the U.S. armed services.|conscription=|manpower_data=2005 est.|manpower_age=18-49|available=67,742,879|available_f=67,070,144|fit=54,609,050|fit_f=54,696,706|reaching=2,143,873|reaching_f=2,036,201|active=1,426,713|ranked=2nd|reserve=858,500|deployed=|amount=$548.9 billion (List of countries and federations by military expenditures)|percent_GDP=4.06 (2005 est.)|domestic_suppliers=|imports=|exports=|history=Colonial wars
American Revolutionary War
Military history of the United States#Early national period .281783.E2.80.931815.29
Military history of the United States#Continental expansion .281816.E2.80.931860.29
American Civil War
Military history of the United States#Post-Civil War era .281865.E2.80.931917.29
World War I (1917-1918)
World War I (1941-1945)
Cold War (1945–1991)
Post-Cold War era (1991–2001)
War on Terrorism (2001–present)], 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 insigniaUnited States Air Force officer rank insignia, United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia,United States Coast Guard#Ranks-->The United States Armed forces is the military service of the United States and is structured into five branches.

All branches are part of the Uniformed services of the United States and are under civilian control with the President of the United States serving as commander-in-chief. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the United States Department of Defense, which is under the authority of the United States Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian. The Coast Guard falls under the authority of the United States Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed under the Department of Defense through the United States Department of the Navy in times of need acting as a service to the Navy.The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. Title 14, United States Code, Section 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." In peacetime it is part of the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime falls under the operational command of the United States Navy. Coast Guard units, or ships of its predecessor service, the Revenue Cutter Service, have seen combat in every war of the United States since 1790, including the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

Approximately 1,426,713 personnel are currently on active duty in the military with an additional 1,259,000 personnel in the seven Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States .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). 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.

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

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 diplomatic action, the President has an advisory United States 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 United States Department of Defense.

Both the President and Secretary of Defense are advised by the Joint Chiefs of Staff composed of the service chiefs and led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act (PL 99-433) reworked the command structure of the United States military, introducing the most sweeping changes to the United States Department of Defense since it was established in the National Security Act of 1947. The Goldwater-Nichols Reorganization Act was signed into law by Ronald Reagan on October 1, 1986.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act streamlined the military chain of command, which now runs from the President through the Secretary of Defense directly to unified combat commanders, bypassing the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who were assigned to an advisory role. Each service is responsible for organizing, training and equipping military units for the commanders of the various Unified Combatant Command.

National Command organizational chart

Personnel The United States military is List of countries by number of active troops, behind China, and has troops deployed around the globe. As in most militaries, members of the U.S. Armed Forces hold a military rank, either Officer (armed forces) or enlisted, and can be promoted.

In early 2007 the Secretary of Defense proposed a plan to expand the active duty size of the Army and Marines to 550,000 and 202,000 troops, respectively, bringing the active duty strength of the entire military to 1,479,000 servicemen.

Personnel in each service As of April 30, 2007 (women as of September 2006){| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"|- align="wrap"|Service||Total Active Duty Personnel (Percent of Total)||Percentage Female||Enlisted||Officers|-|United States Army||507,082 (36%)||14%||419,816||82,486|-|United States Marine Corps||180,000 (13%)||6.2%||160,072||19,309|-|United States Navy||340,568 (23%)||14.9%||285,129||51,087|-|United States Air Force||340,921 (24%)||20.1%||268,252||68,373|-|United States Coast Guard||41,181 (3%)||10.7%||31,286||7,835|-|Total||1,426,713 (100%) ||14.9%||1,133,269||221,255|}

Personnel deployed Overseas As of 2005, the United States occupied over 700 military bases in over 36 countries worldwide.{{cite web| url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun2003/basestructure2003.pdf|title = Base Structure Report|accessdate = 2007-01-23|date = 2003|publisher = USA Department of Defense--> Some of the largest contingents are:{||Iraq||75,603|-|[Japan (United States Forces Japan)] (United States Forces Korea)]||10,449|-|United Kingdom), as of May 5, 2007 there are approximately 160,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in [Iraq.{{cite web], with most forces currently deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

Within the United States Including U.S. territories and ships afloat within territorial waters

A total of 1,112,684 personnel are on active duty within the United States including:{||Continental United States|| 900,088|-|[Hawaii||17,714|-|Afloat||109,119|-|[Guam||1,552|}

Types of Personnel Junior Enlisted After enlistment, new Army recruits undergo Basic Combat Training (BCT), followed by schooling, referred to as Advanced Individual Training (AIT), in their primary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the world. Other branches may use different terminology; for example, Air Force Basic Military Training graduates attend Technical Training, colloquially called "Tech School," and upon completion are awarded an Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) at the apprentice (3) skill level.

Initially, recruits without higher education or college degrees will hold the paygrade of E-1, and will be elevated to E-2 usually after the completion of Basic Combat Training and with a minimum of six months Time-In-Service (TIS). 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.

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 Combat Training.

There are several different authorized paygrade advancement requirements in each junior enlisted rank category (E-1 to E-4), 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 maintenance of good conduct.

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 (pay grades E-4, E-5 and E-6) function as front line supervisors, squad leaders, and technical experts, training the junior enlisted in their duties and guiding their career advancement.

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% 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. 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 13 and 18 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 (no females have yet been so appointed) respective service and functions as the chief advisor to the service secretary, service chief of staff, and United States Congress on matters concerning the enlisted force. These individuals carry responsibilities and protocol requirements equivalent to general and flag officers. They are as follows:

Warrant Officer Additionally, all services except for the U.S. Air Force have an active Warrant Officer (United States) 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.

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

Officers receive a Commissioned officer assigning them to the Officer Corps from the President of the United States (with the consent of the United States 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 base command on up.

History Prior to and during the founding of the United States, military forces were supplied by untrained militia commanded by the states. When the Congress of the Confederation 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 American Revolution, 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 American Civil War, American military forces fought and won against Barbary pirates#Barbary pirates and the U.S. Navy; 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 American Civil War, many military forces, including most of the nation's best generals, became part of the Confederate States of America military, and both armies fought a long, bloody struggle which consumed 600,000 lives and ended in Union (American Civil War) (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 superpower. 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 United States National Guard.

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 Pacific War 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 and 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 Korean War and Vietnam War. The Korean War, with North Korea and People's Republic of 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., was ultimately a failure, resulting in U.S. pullout and unification of the country under communism.

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 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks in 2001, U.S. military forces were an integral part of the War on Terror. U.S. and NATO forces Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan in 2001, and in 2003 the U.S. and several other countries Iraq War Iraq. 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.

References See also See also the Uniformed services of the United States Doctrines Related military forces History Education and training People Places Lists

External links

Branch links
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