The United States armed forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States.
The history of the United States armed forces dates to 1775, even before the Declaration of Independence marked the establishment of the United States. The Continental Army, Continental Navy, and Continental Marines were created in close succession by the Second Continental Congress in order to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War.
These forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the War of Independence. The Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on June 14, 1784, yet for a period the United States did not have a standing army. The 1787 adoption of the Constitution gave the Congress the power to "raise and support armies," "provide and maintain a navy," and to "make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces," as well as the power to declare war and gave the President the responsibility of being the military's commander-in-chief.
Rising tensions at various times with Britain and France the ensuing Quasi-War and War of 1812 quickened the development of the United States Navy (established 1794) and the United States Marine Corps (established 10 November 1775). The United States Coast Guard dates its origin to the founding of the Revenue Cutter Service in 1790; that service merged with the United States Life-Saving Service in 1915 to establish the Coast Guard. The United States Air Force was established as an independent service in 1947; it traces its origin to the formation of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps in 1907 and was part of the U.S. Army before becoming an independent service.
The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military. While the President is the overall head of the military, the United States Department of Defense (DoD), a federal executive department, is the principal organ by which military policy is carried out. The DOD is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who is a civilian and a member of the Cabinet, who also serves as the President's second-in-command of the military. To coordinate military action with diplomacy, the President has an advisory National Security Council headed by a National Security Advisor. Both the President and Secretary of Defense are advised by a six-member Joint Chiefs of Staff, which includes the head of each of the service branches, led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard are all considered "armed services of the United States." All are under the direction of the Department of Defense, except the Coast Guard, which was made an agency of the Department of Homeland Security in 2003 following governmental reorganization after the September 11 attacks. The Coast Guard may be transferred to the Department of the Navy by the President or Congress during a time of war. All five armed services are among the seven uniformed services of the United States; the others are the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps.
From the time of its inception, the military played a decisive role in the history of the United States. A sense of national unity and identity was forged out of the victorious Barbary Wars, as well as the War of 1812. Even so, the Founders were suspicious of a permanent military force and not until the outbreak of World War II did a peacetime army become officially established.
The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the onset of the Cold War, created the modern U.S. military framework; the Act merged previously Cabinet-level Department of War and the Department of the Navy into the National Military Establishment (renamed the Department of Defense in 1949), headed by the Secretary of Defense; and created the Department of the Air Force and National Security Council.
The U.S. military is one of the largest militaries in terms of number of personnel. It draws its manpower from a large pool of volunteers; although conscription has been used several times in the past in times of both war and peace, the draft has not been used since 1972. The U.S. military receives $711 billion per year in funding, constituting approximately 50 percent of world military expenditures. The U.S. armed forces as a whole possess large quantities of advanced and powerful equipment, which gives them significant capabilities in both defense and power projection, far beyond those of any other nation.
Budget
Main article: Military budget of the United StatesThe United States has the largest defense budget in the world. In 2007, the Department of Defense had a base budget of $431.7 billion. An additional $169.2 billion was requested for operations in the War on Terrorism. In 2008, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008, which authorized $688.6 billion in funds related to national defense. The base budget request for the Department of Defense increased 11.1% to $479.5 billion for FY 2008. $189.1 billion in supplemental funding was also requested for operations in the War on Terrorism for a total national defense budget of $668.6 billion.
In 2009, national defense spending continued to rise. The Department of Defense requested about $515.4 billion for the base budget. $70 billion was allocated for the War on Terrorism, plus an additional $65 billion in expected supplemental spending, though this number is expected to rise. By service, $140.7 billion was allocated for the Army, $124.4 billion for the Navy, $24.9 billion for the Marine Corps, $143.9 billion for the Air Force and $81.6 billion for defense wide spending. By function, $125.2 billion was requested for personnel, $179.8 billion for operations and maintenance, $104.2 billion for procurement, $79.6 billion for research and development, $21.2 billion for military construction, $2.9 billion for family housing and $2.7 billion for revolving funds.
Major defense programs also see continued funding. $4.1 billion was requested for the next generation fighter, F-22 Raptor, which will roll out an additional twenty planes for FY 2009. $6.7 billion was requested for the F-35 Lightning II, which is still in development. Sixteen planes will be built as part of the funding. The Future Combat System program is expected to see $3.6 billion for its development. A total of $12.3 billion was requested for missile defense, which includes Patriot CAP, PAC-3 and SBIRS-High systems. $720 million was also included for a third missile defense site in Europe. $4.2 billion was also requested to continue the aircraft carrier replacement program. With the addition of AFRICOM, $389 million was requested to develop and maintain the new command.
In addition, with the continued efforts in the War on Terrorism, $20.5 billion was requested to expand the Army and Marine Corps, while $49.1 billion was requested for the recruitment, training and sustainment of the National Guard and Reserves.
Personnel
As of February 28 , 2009 1,454,515 people are on active duty in the military with an additional 848,000 people in the seven reserve components. It is an all volunteer military, however, conscription can be enacted by the request of the President and the approval of Congress. 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.
In early 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed to the President to increase the overall size of the Army and Marine Corps to meet the needs of the War on Terrorism. Current plans are to increase the Army to 547,400 and the Marine Corps to 202,000 by 2012. The expansion will cost a total of $90.7 billion between 2009 and 2013 as the Navy and Air Force undergo a limited force reduction. In addition, in 2009, Gates proposed increasing the size of the Army by 22,000 troops in order to reduce fatigue from multiple trips overseas, and to compensate for troops who are in recovery away from their units.
As in most militaries, members of the U.S. Armed Forces hold a rank, either that of officer or enlisted, and can be promoted.
Personnel in each service
As of May 2009 Female numbers as of 30 September 2008
Personnel stationing
Overseas
As of March 31, 2008, U.S. armed forces were stationed at more than 820 installations in at least 39 countries. Some of the largest contingents are the 142,000 military personnel in Iraq, the 56,200 in Germany, the 33,122 in Japan, 28,500 in Republic of Korea, 31,100 in Afghanistan and approximately 9,700 each in Italy and the United Kingdom. These numbers change frequently due to the regular recall and deployment of units.
Altogether, 84,488 military personnel are located in Europe, 154 in the former Soviet Union, 70,719 in East Asia and the Pacific, 7,850 in North Africa, the Near East, and South Asia, 2,727 are in sub-Saharan Africa with 2,043 in the Western Hemisphere excepting the United States itself.
Within the United States
Including U.S. territories and ships afloat within territorial waters
A total of 1,083,027 personnel are on active duty within the United States and its territories (including those afloat): The vast majority, 883,430 of them, are statio
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