The
United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for
land-based militaryAn army An army An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven
uniformed servicesThe United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 42 and Title 33 of the United States Code.-Uniformed services:...
. The modern Army has its roots in the
Continental ArmyThe American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen...
which was formed on 14 June 1775, before the establishment of the United States, to meet the demands of the
American Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , also sometimes known as the American War of Independence, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen united former British colonies in North America, and concluded in a global war between several European great powers...
.
CongressThe Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled was the governing body of the United States of America from March 1, 1781, to March 4, 1789. It comprised delegates appointed by the legislatures of the states. It was the immediate successor to the Second Continental...
created the United States Army on 14 June 1784 after the end of the war to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The Army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force.
The primary mission of the Army is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities ... in support of the National Security and Defense Strategies." Control and operation is administered by the
Department of the ArmyThe Department of the Army is one of the three service departments in the United States Department of Defense. It is headed by the Secretary of the Army, a civilian, who is responsible for the administrative affairs of the United States Army....
, one of the three service departments of the
Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the military...
. The civilian head is the
Secretary of the ArmyThe United States Secretary of the Army is a civilian office within the Department of Defense with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition,...
and the highest ranking military officer in the department is the
Chief of StaffThe Chief of Staff of the United States Army is the highest ranking officer in the United States Army and is member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
, unless the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the highest ranking military officer in the United States armed forces, and the principal military adviser to the President of the United States, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense...
or
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is by law the second highest ranking military officer in the United States armed forces ranking just below the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...
are Army officers. The Regular Army reported a strength of 539,675 soldiers; the
Army National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states and territories operating under their respective governors...
(ARNG) reported 360,351 and the
United States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
(USAR) reported 197,024 putting the combined component strength total 1,097,050 soldiers (2008 Financial Year).
Mission
The United States Army serves as the land-based branch of the U.S. Military.
§3062 of Title 10 US Code defines the purpose of the Army as:
Origins
The
Continental ArmyThe American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen...
was created on 14 June 1775 by the
Continental CongressThe Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution...
as a unified army for the states to fight
Great BritainThe Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a sovereign state in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1801...
, with
George WashingtonGeorge Washington was the commander of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War and served as the first President of the United States of America...
appointed as its commander. The
ArmyAn army An army An army (from Latin armata "armed (things)" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based Military of a nation. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
was initially led by men who had served in the British Army or colonial militias and who brought much of British military heritage with them. As the Revolutionary war progressed, French aid, resources, and military thinking influenced the new army, while Prussian assistance and instructors, such as
Friedrich Wilhelm von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben, also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, Prussian aristocrat and military officer who served as inspector general and Major general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
, had a strong influence.
George Washington used the
Fabian strategyThe Fabian strategy is a military strategy where pitched battles are avoided in favor of wearing down an opponent through a war of attrition. While avoiding decisive battles, the side employing this strategy harasses its enemy to cause attrition and loss of morale...
and used
hit-and-run tacticsHit-and-run tactics is a tactical doctrine where the purpose of the combat involved is not to seize control of territory, but to inflict damage on a target and immediately exit the area to avoid the enemy's defense and/or retaliation.-History:...
, hitting where the enemy was weakest, to wear down the British forces and their Hessian mercenary allies. Washington led victories against the British at
TrentonThe Battle of Trenton took place on December 26, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War after General George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River north of Trenton, New Jersey. The hazardous crossing in adverse weather allowed Washington to lead the main body of the Continental Army...
and
PrincetonThe Battle of Princeton was a battle in which General Washington's revolutionary forces defeated British forces near Princeton, New Jersey....
, and then turned south. With a decisive victory at
YorktownThe Siege of Yorktown or Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by General Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by General Lord Cornwallis...
, and the help of the
FrenchEarly Modern France is the early modern period of French history from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 18th century...
, the Spanish and the
DutchThe Republic of the Seven United Netherlands was a European republic between 1581 and 1795, in about the same location as the modern Kingdom of the Netherlands,...
, the Continental Army prevailed against the British, and with the
Treaty of ParisThe Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ratified by the Congress of the Confederation on January 14, 1784 and by the King of Great Britain on April 9, 1784 , formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America, which had...
, the independence of the United States was acknowledged.
After the war, though, the Continental Army was quickly disbanded as part of the American distrust of standing armies, and irregular state militias became the new nation's sole ground army, with the exception of
a regimentThe First American Regiment was the first peacetime regular army force authorized by United States Congress after the American Revolutionary War...
to guard the
Western FrontierThe Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of...
and one battery of artillery guarding West Point's arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with
Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States is the phrase that describes indigenous peoples from North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii. They comprise a large number of distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of...
, it was soon realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army. The first of these, the
Legion of the United StatesThe Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the United States Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne.-Origins:The impetus for the Legion came from General Arthur St...
, was established in 1791.
19th century
The
War of 1812The War of 1812, between the United States of America and the British Empire , lasted from 1812 to 1815. It was fought chiefly on the Atlantic Ocean and on the land, coasts and waterways of North America.There were several immediate stated causes for the U.S...
(1812–1815), the second and last American war against the British, was less successful than the Revolution had been. An invasion of Canada failed, and U.S. troops were unable to stop the British from
burning the new capital of Washington, D.C.The Burning of Washington took place on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812 between the British Empire and the United States of America. British forces occupied Washington, D.C. and set fire to many public buildings following the American defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg. The facilities of...
. However, the Regular Army, under Generals
Winfield ScottWinfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig party in 1852. Known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" and the "Grand Old Man of the Army", he served on active duty as a general longer than any other man in American history and many historians rate...
and
Jacob BrownJacob Jennings Brown was an American army officer in the War of 1812.-Biography:Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jacob Jennings Brown was the son of Samuel and Abi Brown...
, proved they were professional and capable of defeating a British army in the
Niagara campaignThe Niagara campaign was the final campaign launched by the United States to invade Canada during the War of 1812. It occurred in 1814.The American forces were commanded by General Jacob Brown and General Winfield Scott.The U.S...
of 1814. Two weeks after a treaty was signed, though,
Andrew JacksonAndrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . He was military governor of Florida , commander of the American forces at the Battle of New Orleans , and eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy...
defeated the
British invasion of New OrleansThe Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815, and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory America had acquired with the Louisiana Purchase...
. However this had little effect, as per the treaty both sides returned to the
status quoStatus quo, commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" literally "the state in which", is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
.
Between 1815 and 1860, a spirit of
Manifest DestinyManifest Destiny is a term that was used in the 19th century to designate the belief that the United States was destined, even divinely ordained, to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean...
was common in the U.S., and as settlers moved west the U.S. Army engaged in a long series of skirmishes and battles with Native Americans that the colonists uprooted. The U.S. Army also fought the short
Mexican–American WarThe Mexican–American War was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas. Mexico claimed ownership of Texas as a breakaway province and refused to recognize the secession and subsequent military victory by Texas in...
, which was a victory for the United States and resulted in territory which became all or parts of the states of
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
,
NevadaNevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
,
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
,
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
,
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
,
WyomingWyoming is a state in the Western United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountain West, while the easternmost section of the state includes part of a high elevation prairie region known as the High Plains. While the tenth largest...
and
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
.
The
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
(1861–1865) was the most costly war for the U.S. After most states in the South
secededSecession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity.-Secession theory:...
to form the
Confederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
, CSA troops opened fire on the Union-held
Fort SumterFort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
in
Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is the largest city and county seat of Charleston County. The city was founded as Charlestown or Charles Towne, Carolina in 1670, and moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of...
, starting the war. For the first two years Confederate forces solidly defeated the U.S. Army, but after the decisive battles of
GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , fought in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War and is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of...
in the east and Vicksburg in the west, combined with superior industrial might and numbers, Union troops fought a brutal campaign through Confederate territory and the war ended with a Confederate surrender at Appomatox Courthouse in April 1865. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all
whiteWhite American is an umbrella term officially employed by the United States Census Bureau, Office of Management and Budget and other U.S...
males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in
the NorthThe Northern United States is a large geographic region of the United States of America. Most Americans refer to the region simply as "the North". It is currently divided by the United States Census as the Midwest and Northeast, both of which have their own sub-regions...
and 18% in
the SouthThe Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, Down South, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
Following the Civil War, the U.S. Army fought a long battle with Native Americans, who resisted U.S. expansion into the center of the continent. But by the 1890s the U.S. saw itself as a potential international player. U.S. victories in the
Spanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was an armed military conflict between Spain and the United States that took place between April and August 1898, over the issues of the liberation of Cuba. The war began after American demands for the resolution of the Cuban fight for independence were rejected by Spain...
(1898) and the controversial and less well known
Philippine-American WarThe Philippine–American War, sometimes known as the Philippine War of Independence was an armed military conflict between the Philippines and the United States, which arose from the struggle of the insurgent First Philippine Republic against United States annexation of the islands...
(1898–1913), as well as U.S. intervention in
Latin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish, Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,501 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and the
Boxer RebellionThe Boxer Rebellion, more properly called the Boxer Uprising, or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in Chinese, was a violent anti-imperialism, anti-Christian movement by the "Righteous Fists of Harmony,” Yihe tuan义和团 or Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists in China , between 1898 and 1901...
, gained America more land.
20th century
In 1910 US Signals Corps acquired and flew US Army's first aircraft, the Wright Type A biplane. The United States joined
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
(1914–1918) in 1917 on the side of Russia,
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and France. U.S. troops were sent to the front and were involved in the push that finally broke through the German lines. With the
armisticeArmistice Day is the anniversary of the symbolic end of World War I on 11 November 1918. It commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Rethondes, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the...
on 11 November 1918, the Army once again decreased its forces.
The U.S. joined
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
after the
JapaneseThe Empire of Japan was a Japanese political entity that existed during the period from the...
attack on Pearl HarborThe attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States' naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941 , later resulting in the United...
on 7 December 1941. On the
European frontThe European Theatre of World War II was a huge area of heavy fighting across Europe from Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939 until the end of the war with the German unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945...
, U.S. Army troops formed a significant portion of the forces that captured
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa.Geopolitically, the UN definition of Northern Africa includes the following seven countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia,Mauritania, and...
and
SicilySicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an autonomous region of Italy. Several much smaller islands surrounding it are considered to be part of Sicily....
. On
D-DayD-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and in the subsequent liberation of Europe and defeat of
GermanyNazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany between 1933 and 1945, while it was led by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party . The name Third Reich refers to the state as the successor to the Holy Roman Empire of the Middle Ages and the German...
, millions of U.S. Army troops played a central role. In the
PacificThe Pacific War was the part of World War II—and preceding conflicts—that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia. The war began as a conflict with the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China on July 7, 1937, but by December 1941, became part of the greater World War II,...
, Army soldiers participated alongside U.S. Marines in the "
island hoppingIsland hopping is a term that has several different definitions as it is applied in various fields. Generally, the term refers to the means of crossing an ocean by a series of shorter journeys between islands, as opposed to a single journey directly across the ocean to the destination.-World War...
" campaign that wrested the
Pacific IslandsThe Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.-Oceania:...
from Japanese control. Following the
AxisThe Axis powers comprised the countries that were opposed to the Allies during World War II. The three major Axis powers—Germany, Italy, and Japan—were part of a military alliance on the signing of the Tripartite Pact in September 1940, which officially founded the Axis powers...
surrenders in May (Germany) and September (Japan) of 1945, Army troops were deployed to Japan and Germany to occupy the two defeated nations. Two years after World War II, the Army Air Forces separated from the Army to become the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
on 18 September 1947 after decades of attempting to separate. Also, in 1948 the Army was
desegregatedDesegregation is the process of ending racial segregation, most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in Brown v...
.
However, the end of World War II set the stage for the East-West confrontation known as the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
(late 1940s to early 1990s). With the outbreak of the Korean War, concerns over the defense of Western Europe rose. Two corps, V and VII, were reactivated under Seventh United States Army in 1950 and American strength in Europe rose from one division to four. Hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops remained stationed in West Germany, with others in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, until the 1990s in anticipation of a possible Soviet attack.
During the Cold War, American troops and their allies fought
CommunistCommunism is a socioeconomic structure and political ideology that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless society based on common ownership and control of the means of production and property in general. Karl Marx posited that communism would be the final stage in human...
forces in Korea and
VietnamVietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east...
(see
Domino TheoryThe domino theory was a foreign policy theory during the 1950s to 1980s, promoted at times by the government of the United States, that speculated that if one land in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect...
). The
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
began in 1950, when the Soviets walked out of a U. N. Security meeting, removing their possible veto. Under a
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
umbrella, hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops fought to prevent the takeover of
South KoreaSouth Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often simply referred to as Korea, is a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north. Its capital is Seoul, the second largest...
by
North KoreaNorth Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea , is a state in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer area between North Korea and South Korea...
, and later, to invade the northern nation. After repeated advances and retreats by both sides, and the Peoples' Republic of China 's entry into the war, a cease-fire returned the peninsula to the status quo in 1953.
The
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
is often regarded as a low point in the Army's record due to the use of drafted personnel, the unpopularity of the war with the American public, and frustrating restrictions placed on the Army by US political leaders (i.e. no invading communist held North Vietnam). While American forces had been stationed in the
Republic of VietnamSouth Vietnam refers to a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the State of Vietnam and later as the “Republic of Vietnam” . Its capital was Saigon...
since 1959, in intelligence & advising/training roles, they did not deploy in large numbers until 1965, after the
Gulf of Tonkin IncidentThe Gulf of Tonkin Incident is the name given to two separate incidents involving the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. On August 2, 1964 two American destroyers engaged three North Vietnamese torpedo boats, resulting in one of the torpedo...
. American forces effectively established and maintained control of the "traditional" battlefield, however they struggled to counter the guerrilla hit and run tactics of the communist
Viet CongThe Vietcong , or National Liberation Front, was a political organisation and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
and the
North Vietnamese ArmyThe Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam...
. On a tactical level, American soldiers (and the US military as a whole) never lost a sizable battle. For instance in the Tet Offensive in 1968, the US Army turned a large scale attack by communist forces into a massive defeat of the Viet Cong on the battlefield (though at the time the offensive sapped the political will of the American public) which permanently weakened the guerrilla force; thereafter, most large scale engagements were fought with the regular North Vietnamese Army. In 1973 domestic political opposition to the war finally forced a US withdrawal. In 1975, Vietnam was unified under a communist government.
The Total Force Policy was adopted by Chief of Staff of the Army General
Creighton AbramsCreighton Williams Abrams Jr. was a United States Army General who commanded military operations in the Vietnam War from 1968-72 which saw U.S. troop strength in Vietnam fall from 530,000 to 30,000. He served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1972 until shortly before his death in...
in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and involves treating the three components of the Army – the
Regular ArmyIn contemporary use, the term Regular Army refers to the full-time active component of the United States Army, as opposed to the Army Reserve or the Army National Guard. -Civil War:...
, the
Army National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states and territories operating under their respective governors...
and the
Army ReserveArmy Reserve may refer to:*military reserve force*Army Reserve *United States Army Reserve...
as a single force. Believing that no US president should be able to take the United States (and more specifically the US Army) to war without the support of the American people, General Abrams intertwined the structure of the three components of the Army in such a way as to make extended operations impossible, without the involvement of both the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.
The 1980s was mostly a decade of reorganization. The Army converted to an all-volunteer force with greater emphasis on training and technology. The
Goldwater-Nichols ActThe Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 reworked the command structure of the United States military. It increased the powers of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff implementing some of the suggestions from The Packard Commission commissioned by President...
of 1986 created
Unified Combatant CommandA Unified Combatant Command is a United States joint military command composed of forces from two or more services, has a broad and continuing mission, and is organized either on a geographical basis or on a functional basis...
s bringing the Army together with the other four military under unified, geographically organized command structures. The Army also played a role in the invasions of
GrenadaGrenada is an island country and sovereign state consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea. Grenada is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela, and southwest of Saint Vincent and the...
in 1983 (
Operation Urgent FuryThe Invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury, was an invasion ordered by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on the nation of Grenada, an island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela, and over southeast of the United States...
) and
PanamaPanama, officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of both Central America and, in turn, North America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the...
in 1989 (Operation Just Cause).
By 1989
Germany was nearing reunificationGerman reunification is the process in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and Berlin was united into a single city-state. The start of this process is commonly referred to by former citizens of the GDR as die Wende...
and the Cold War was coming to a close. The Army leadership reacted by starting to plan for a reduction in strength. By November 1989 Pentagon briefers were laying out plans for 'Operation Quicksilver,' a plan to reduce Army endstrength by 23%, from 750,000 to 580,000. A number of incentives such as early retirement were used. In 1990
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
invadedThe Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, and perhaps more appropriately as Iraqi abolition of Kuwait was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait which subsequently led to direct...
its smaller neighbor,
KuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and Iraq to the north and west. The greatest distance from north to south is 200 km and from east to west 170 km . The name is a diminutive of an Arabic word meaning "fortress built near water." It has a...
, and U.S. land forces, led by the 82nd Airborne Division, quickly deployed to assure the protection of
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
. In January 1991 Operation Desert Storm commenced, a U.S.-led coalition which deployed over 500,000 troops, the bulk of them from U.S. Army formations, to
drive out Iraqi forcesThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
. The campaign ended in total victory for the Army, as Western coalition forces routed the
Iraqi ArmyThe Iraqi Army is the land army of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
, organized along Soviet lines, in just one hundred hours.
After Desert Storm, the Army did not see major combat operations for the remainder of the 1990s. Army units did participate in a number of peacekeeping activities, such as the UN peacekeeping mission in
SomaliaSomalia , officially the Republic of Somalia and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic, is a country located in the Horn of Africa...
in 1993, where the abortive
Operation Gothic SerpentOperation Gothic Serpent was a military operation conducted by special operations forces of the United States with the primary mission of capturing warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid...
led to the deaths of eighteen American soldiers and the withdrawal of international forces. The Army also contributed troops to a NATO peacekeeping force in the former
YugoslaviaYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century.The first country to be known by this...
in the middle of the decade.
21st century
After the September 11 attacks, and as part of the
Global War on TerrorThe War on Terrorism is the common term for the military, political, legal and ideological conflict against what the effort's leaders describe as Islamic terrorism and Islamic militants, and was specifically used in reference to operations by the...
, U.S. and NATO
combined armsCombined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects. Combined arms doctrine contrasts with segregated arms where each military unit is composed of only one type of soldier or weapon system...
(i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Special Operations) forces invaded
AfghanistanThe Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south central Asia. It is variously described as being located within Central Asia, South Asia, or the Middle East...
in 2001, replacing the Taliban government.
The Army took part in the combined U.S. and allied
invasionThe 2003 invasion of Iraq, was led by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland and Spain. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1...
of
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
in 2003. In the following years the mission changed from conflict between regular militaries to counterinsurgency, with large numbers of
suicide attackA suicide attack is an attack intended to kill others and inflict widespread damage in the knowledge that oneself will die in the process...
s resulting in the deaths of more than 4,000 U.S. service members (as of March 2008) and injuries to thousands more. The lack of stability in the theater of operations has led to longer deployments for Regular Army as well as Reserve and Guard troops.
Army components
The task of organizing the U.S. Army commenced in 1775. During
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
, the "
National ArmyThe National Army was the combined conscript and volunteer force that was formed by the United States War Department in 1917 to fight in World War I...
" was organized to fight the conflict. It was demobilized at the end of World War I, and was replaced by the Regular Army, the Organized Reserve Corps, and the State Militias. In the 1920s and 1930s, the "career" soldiers were known as the "Regular Army" with the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" and "Officer Reserve Corps" augmented to fill vacancies when needed.
In 1941, the "
Army of the United StatesThe Army of the United States is the official name for the conscription force of the United States Army that may be raised at the discretion of the United States Congress in the event of the United States entering into a major armed conflict...
" was founded to fight
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Regular Army, Army of the United States, the National Guard, and Officer/Enlisted Reserve Corps (ORC and ERC) existed simultaneously. After World War II, the ORC and ERC were combined into the
United States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
. The Army of the United States was re-established for the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
and
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
and was demobilized upon the suspension of the
DraftConscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
.
Currently, the Army is divided into the Regular Army, the Army Reserve, and the Army National Guard. The Army is also divided into major branches such as Air Defense Artillery, Infantry, Aviation, Signal Corps, Corps of Engineers, and Armor. Prior to 1903 members of the National Guard were considered state soldiers unless federalized by the President. Since the
Militia Act of 1903The National Guard Bureau is the federal instrument responsible for the administration of the National Guard of the United States established by the United States Congress as a joint bureau of the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force. It was created by the Militia Act of 1903...
all National Guard soldiers have held dual status: as National Guardsmen under the authority of the governor of their state and as a reserve of the U.S. Army under the authority of the President.
Since the adoption of the total force policy, in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, reserve component soldiers have taken a more active role in U.S. military operations. Reserve and Guard units took part in the
Gulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
, peacekeeping in
KosovoKosovo is a disputed territory in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo , a self-declared independent state which has de facto control over the territory; the exceptions are some Serb enclaves...
, and the
2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq, was led by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia, Denmark, Poland and Spain. Four countries participated with troops during the initial invasion phase, which lasted from March 20 to May 1...
.
Various
State Defense ForcesState Defense Forces in the United States are military units that operate under the sole authority of a state government, although they are regulated by the National Guard Bureau through the Army National Guard of the United States...
also exist, sometimes known as State Militias, which are sponsored by individual state governments and serve as an auxiliary to the National Guard. Except in times of extreme national emergency, such as a mainland
invasionAn invasion is a military offensive consisting of all, or large parts of the armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory controlled by another such entity, generally with the objective of either conquering, liberating or re-establishing control or authority over a...
of the United States, State Militias are operated independently from the U.S. Army and are seen as state government agencies rather than a component of the military.
Although the present-day Army exists as an all volunteer force, augmented by Reserve and National Guard forces, measures exist for emergency expansion in the event of a catastrophic occurrence, such as a large scale attack against the U.S. or the outbreak of a
major global warWorld War III denotes a hypothetical successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would likely be nuclear and devastating in nature....
.
The final stage of Army mobilization, known as "activation of the unorganized militia" would effectively place all able bodied males in the service of the U.S. Army. The last time an approximation of this occurred was during the
American Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
when the
Confederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a separatist political entity existing between 1861 to 1865, established by eleven southern slave states of the United States of America, each of which had previously declared their secession from the United States...
activated the "Home Guard" in 1865, drafting all males, regardless of age or health, into the Confederate Army.
Army Commands and Army Service Component Commands
| Army Commands |
Current Commander |
Location of Headquarters |
United States Army Forces CommandUnited States Army Forces Command is the Army's largest major command. Headquartered at Fort McPherson, Georgia, FORSCOM consists of more than 730,000 Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National Guard soldiers. FORSCOM trains, mobilizes, deploys, and sustains combat ready forces capable of...
(FORSCOM) |
GEN Charles C. Campbell |
Fort McPherson Fort McPherson is a U.S. Army military base that is located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It is the home of the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command;...
, GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
|
| United States Army Training and Doctrine Command United States Army Training and Doctrine Command is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Monroe, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of new weapons systems. TRADOC...
(TRADOC) |
GEN Martin Dempsey General Martin E. Dempsey, USA, is the current Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. He previously served as Acting Commander, U.S. Central Command from March 24, 2008 to October 30, 2008 and Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command from Aug 2007 to Mar 23, 2008...
|
Fort MonroeFort Monroe is a Hampton, Virginia, military installation located at Old Point Comfort, which is on the tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
, VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
|
| United States Army Materiel Command (AMC) |
GEN Ann E. DunwoodyGeneral Ann E. Dunwoody, USA , is the current Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command. She previously served as Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Army Materiel Command from June 17, 2008 to November 13, 2008. On June 23, 2008, U.S. President George W. Bush nominated her to serve as the next...
|
Fort BelvoirFort Belvoir is a United States military installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,176 at the 2000 census. Colonel Jerry L...
, VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
|
| Army Service Component Commands |
Current Commander |
Location of Headquarters |
| United States Army Central (USARCENT) |
LTG William G. Webster |
Fort McPherson, Georgia |
| United States Army North United States Army North, formerly the Fifth Army, is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army. It is responsible for homeland defense and defense support to community affairs as the land component of United States Northern Command.-History:The Fifth United States Army was one...
(USANORTH) |
LTG Thomas R. Turner IILieutenant General Thomas R. Turner II is the commanding general of the U.S. Fifth Army in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.-Military career:Turner graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1974 and was commissioned as second lieutenant in the infantry...
|
Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, Texas |
United States Army SouthUnited States Army South is the Army's service component command of United States Southern Command whose area of focus includes 31 nations and 10 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.-Mission:...
(USARSO) |
MG Keith M. Huber |
Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
| United States Army Europe (USAREUR) |
GEN Carter F. Ham |
Campbell Barracks Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg, Germany, is the location of the Headquarters of the United States Army in Europe and Seventh Army Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg, Germany, is the location of the Headquarters of the United States Army in Europe and Seventh Army Campbell Barracks, in Heidelberg,...
, HeidelbergHeidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2008, over 145,000 people live within the city's area. Heidelberg is a unitary authority...
, Germany |
| United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) |
LTG Benjamin R. Mixon |
Fort ShafterFort Shafter is in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, extending up the interfluve between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys, as well as onto the coastal plain at Māpunapuna. Fort Shafter is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific Command, the MACOM of U.S. Army forces in...
, Hawaii |
| Eighth United States Army (EUSA) |
LTG Joseph F. Fil, Jr. |
Yongsan GarrisonUnited States Army Garrison Yongsan is located in Seoul, South Korea and is home to the headquarters for the U.S. military presence in Korea, known as United States Forces Korea, or USFK, as well as the headquarters for the Eighth United States Army and Installation Management Command Korea...
, SeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea. With a population of over 10 million, it is one of the world's largest cities. The Seoul National Capital Area, which includes the major port city of Incheon and most of Gyeonggi-do, has 24.5 million...
|
United States Army Special Operations CommandThe United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
(SOCOM) |
LTG John F. Mulholland JrLieutenant General John Mulholland is a general officer of the United States Army and the current commanding general of the United States Army Special Operations Command as of November 7, 2008.- Early life :...
|
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
| Surface Deployment and Distribution Command SDDC provides ocean terminal, commercial ocean liner service and traffic management services to deploy, sustain and redeploy U.S. forces on a global basis. The command is responsible for surface transportation and is the interface between DOD shippers and the commercial transportation carrier...
(SDDC) |
BG James L. Hodge |
Fort Eustis, VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
|
| United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command is a specialized major command within the United States Army. The SMDC is an organization composed of several components:...
/United States Army Strategic (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) |
LTG Kevin T. CampbellLieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell is the current commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He assumed command on December 18, 2006, replacing Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen....
|
Redstone ArsenalRedstone Arsenal is a U.S. Army post and a census-designated place located next to the city of Huntsville in Madison County, Alabama, United States and is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The primary tenant organizations are the United States Army Aviation and Missile...
, AlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its...
|
| Direct Reporting Units |
Current Commander |
Location of Headquarters |
| Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command (Army) 9th Signal Command is a Direct Reporting Unit under the Army’s Chief Information Officer/ G-6 . It's mission is operating and defending United States Army computer networks. It's heritage can be traced back to the creation of the 9th Service Company in 1918. The command headquarters is at Fort...
(NETCOM/9thSC(A)) |
MG Susan Lawrence |
Fort HuachucaFort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico. Sierra Vista, which annexed the fort in 1971, is located south and...
, ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
|
| United States Army Medical Command The U.S. Army Medical Command is a major command of the U.S. Army that provides command and control of the Army's fixed-facility medical, dental, and veterinary treatment facilities, providing preventive care, medical research and development and training institutions.MEDCOM is commanded by the...
(MEDCOM) |
LTG Eric SchoomakerLieutenant General Eric B. Schoomaker, USA is the 42 nd Surgeon General of the United States Army and Commanding General, United States Army Medical Command, and a practicing hematologist. He previously served as Commanding General, North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed...
|
Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
United States Army Intelligence and Security CommandThe United States Army Intelligence and Security Command , a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for military commanders and national decision makers. INSCOM is both an organization within the United States Army and the National Security Agency,...
(INSCOM) |
MG David B. Lacquement |
Fort BelvoirFort Belvoir is a United States military installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 7,176 at the 2000 census. Colonel Jerry L...
, VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
|
United States Army Criminal Investigation CommandThe United States Army Criminal Investigation Command is a federal law enforcement agency that investigates serious crimes and violations of civilian and military law within the United States Army. Since 2003 it reports to the Provost Marshal General.Headquartered at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, it...
(USACIDC) |
BG Rodney L. JohnsonBrigadier General Rodney L. Johnson is the Provost Marshal General of the Army andCommanding General United States Army Criminal Investigation Command. He was born in Atkinson, Nebraska and raised in the rural area of Burke, South Dakota...
|
Fort Belvoir, Virginia |
United States Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
(USACE) |
LTG Robert Van Antwerp Jr. |
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
|
| United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) |
MG Richard J. Rowe Jr. |
Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. |
| U.S. Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC) |
MG Roger A. Nadeau |
AlexandriaAlexandria , with a population of 4.1 million, is the second-largest city in Egypt, and is the country's largest seaport, serving about 80% of Egypt's imports and exports...
, Virginia |
United States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. Established in 1802, USMA is the oldest of the United States's five service academies. The military garrison at West Point was occupied in 1778 and played a key...
(USMA) |
LTG Franklin Hagenbeck |
West Point, New YorkWest Point is a federal military reservation located North of the Village of Highland Falls in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
|
United States Army ReserveThe United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
Command (USARC) |
LTG Jack C. StultzLieutenant General Jack C. Stultz, Jr. is the current Commanding General of the United States Army Reserve.-Biography:Jack Calvin Stultz, Jr. was born in Dillon, South Carolina. He attended Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. He...
|
Fort McPherson Fort McPherson is a U.S. Army military base that is located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It is the home of the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command;...
, GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
|
| United States Army Acquisition Support Center (USAASC) |
Mr. Craig A. Spisak |
Fort Belvoir, Virginia |
| United States Army Installation Management Command The United States Army Installation Management Command is a military organization whose stated mission is to: "... provide the United States Army the installation capabilities and services to support expeditionary operations in a time of persistent conflict, and to provide a quality of life for...
(IMCOM) |
LTG Robert Wilson Robert Wilson may refer to:* Rob Wilson , British politician and entrepreneur, MP for Reading East* Robert Anton Wilson , American science fiction writer* Robert Arnott Wilson , British mathematician* Robert B...
|
Arlington, Virginia |
Source: U.S. Army organization
Structure
The United States Army is made up of three components: the active component, the Regular Army; and two reserve components, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve. Both reserve components are primarily composed of part-time soldiers who train once a month, known as
Battle AssemblyBattle Assembly is the term used by the United States Army Reserve to describe monthly drills, where soldiers practice their military skills and maintain individual and unit readiness in case of mobilization and deployment. These activities used to be referred to simply as "drill" or "weekend...
or Unit Training Assemblies (UTAs), and conduct two to three weeks of annual training each year. Both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve are organized under
Title 10Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of armed forces in the United States Code.It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the United States Department of Defense...
of the
United States CodeThe United States Code is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. It contains 50 titles and is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the US House of Representatives.- Codification process :The official text of...
, while the National Guard is organized under
Title 32Title 32 of the United States Code outlines the role of the United States National Guard in the United States Code.—Organization—Personnel—Training—Service, Supply, And Procurement—Homeland Defense Activities-External links:...
. While the
Army National GuardEstablished under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states and territories operating under their respective governors...
is organized, trained and equipped as a component of the U.S. Army, when it is not in federal service it is under the command of individual state and territorial governors, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia. However the
National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...
can be federalized by presidential order and against the governor's wishes.
The U.S. Army is led by a civilian
Secretary of the ArmyThe United States Secretary of the Army is a civilian office within the Department of Defense with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition,...
, who reports to the
Secretary of DefenseThe United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the U.S. Department of Defense , concerned with the armed services and military matters. This position roughly corresponds to Minister of defense in other countries...
, and serves as civilian oversight for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff. The Army Chief of Staff is a member of the
Joint Chiefs of StaffThe Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States...
, a body composed of the service chiefs from each service who advise the
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
and Secretary of Defense on military matters under the guidance of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In 1986, the
Goldwater-Nichols ActThe Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986 reworked the command structure of the United States military. It increased the powers of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff implementing some of the suggestions from The Packard Commission commissioned by President...
mandated that operational control of the services follows a chain of command from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the
Unified Combatant CommandA Unified Combatant Command is a United States joint military command composed of forces from two or more services, has a broad and continuing mission, and is organized either on a geographical basis or on a functional basis...
ers, who have control of all armed forces units in their geographic or function area of responsibility. Thus, the Chief of Staff of each service only has the responsibility to organize, train and equip his own service component. The services provide trained forces to the Combatant Commanders for use as they see fit.
Through 2013, the Army is shifting to six geographical commands that will line up with the six geographical Unified Combatant Commands (COCOM):
- United States Army Central headquartered at Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson is a U.S. Army military base that is located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It is the home of the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command;...
, GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
- United States Army North headquartered at Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
- United States Army South
United States Army South is the Army's service component command of United States Southern Command whose area of focus includes 31 nations and 10 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.-Mission:...
headquartered at Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- United States Army Europe headquartered at Heidelberg
Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2008, over 145,000 people live within the city's area. Heidelberg is a unitary authority...
, Germany
- United States Army Pacific
United States Army Pacific is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and is the army component unit of the U.S. Pacific Command, except for units in Korea. The main areas that this command has jurisdiction in include Hawaii, Alaska, the Pacific Ocean, and Japan...
headquartered at Fort ShafterFort Shafter is in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, extending up the interfluve between Kalihi and Moanalua valleys, as well as onto the coastal plain at Māpunapuna. Fort Shafter is the headquarters of the United States Army Pacific Command, the MACOM of U.S. Army forces in...
, Hawaii (eventually to be merged with the Eighth Army).
- Southern European Task Force
The Southern European Task Force is a United States Army two-star command belonging to U.S. Africa Command , based in Vicenza, Italy....
(Army component of USAFRICOM) headquartered at VicenzaVicenza, a city in northern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione. Vicenza is approximately 60 km west of Venice and 200 km east of Milan....
, Italy
Each command will receive a numbered army as operational command, except U.S. Army Pacific, which will have a numbered army for U.S. Army forces in the Republic of Korea.
The Army is also changing its base unit from
divisionsA division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between ten to thirty thousand soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions make up a corps...
to
brigadeA brigade is a military unit that is typically composed of two to five regiments or battalions, depending on the era and nationality of a given army. Usually, a brigade is a sub-component of a division, a larger unit consisting of two or more brigades; however, some brigades are classified as a...
s. When finished, the active army will have increased its combat brigades from 33 to 48, with similar increases in the National Guard and Reserve forces. Division lineage will be retained, but the divisional HQs will be able to command any brigades, not just brigades that carry their divisional lineage. The central part of this plan is that each brigade will be modular, i.e. all brigades of the same type will be exactly the same, and thus any brigade can be commanded by any division. There will be three major types of ground combat brigades:
- Heavy brigades will have about 3,700 troops and be equivalent to a mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
or tankA tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities...
brigade.
- Stryker brigades will have around 3,900 troops and be based around the Stryker family of vehicles.
- Infantry brigades will have around 3,300 troops and be equivalent to a light infantry or airborne brigade.
In addition, there will be combat support and service support modular brigades. Combat support brigades include
Aviation brigades, which will come in heavy and light varieties,
Fires (artillery) brigades, and
Battlefield Surveillance Brigades. Combat service support brigades include
Sustainment brigades and come in several varieties and serve the standard support role in an army.
Regular combat maneuver organizations
The U.S. Army currently consists of 10 active divisions as well as several independent units. The force is in the process of
growthGrow the Army is a transformation and restationing initiative of the United States Army announced in 2007 and scheduled to be completed by fiscal year 2013. The initiative is designed to grow the U.S...
, with four additional brigades scheduled to activate by 2013, with a total increase of 74,200 soldiers from January 2007. Each division will have four ground maneuver brigades, and will also include at least one aviation brigade as well as a fires brigade and a service support brigade. Additional brigades can be assigned or attached to a division headquarters based on its mission.
Within the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve there are a further six divisions, over fifteen maneuver brigades, additional combat support and combat service support brigades, and independent cavalry, infantry, artillery, aviation, engineer, and support battalion. The Army Reserve in particular provide virtually all psychological operations and civil affairs units.
| Name | Headquarters | Subunits |
|---|
 1st Armored Division |
Fort Bliss, Texas |
Four heavy brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade at Fort Bliss and WSMR. |
 1st Cavalry Division |
Fort Hood, TexasFort Hood is a United States Army post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The main cantonment of Fort Hood is a census-designated place...
|
Four heavy brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade at Fort Hood. |
 1st Infantry Division |
Fort Riley, Kansas |
Two heavy brigade combat teams, one infantry brigade combat team and one aviation brigade at Fort Riley, and one infantry brigade combat team at Fort Knox, Kentucky. |
 2nd Infantry Division |
Camp Red Cloud Camp Red Cloud is a United States Army camp located in the city of Uijeongbu, between Seoul and the Korean Demilitarized Zone . The installation was named after Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud, Jr...
, South Korea |
One heavy brigade combat team and one aviation brigade at Camp Hovey Camp Hovey is a United States Army military base in South Korea. It is adjacent to the larger Camp Casey, connected by a road known as "Hovey Cut". It is part of an area containing many installations known as the "Casey Enclave". Camp Hovey is home to The Iron MPs, 4/7 Cavalry, 1/15 Field...
and Camp CaseyCamp Casey is an American military camp in Dongducheon , South Korea, 40 miles north of Seoul, South Korea. Camp Casey was named in 1952 after Major Hugh Boyd Casey, who was killed in an airplane crash near Camp Casey during the Korean War. Camp Casey is one of several U.S. Army bases in South...
, South Korea, and three Stryker brigade combat teams (SBCTs) at Fort Lewis, Washington. |
 3rd Infantry Division |
Fort Stewart, Georgia |
Two heavy brigade combat teams and one light infantry brigade combat team at Fort Stewart, Georgia, one heavy brigade combat team at Fort Benning, Georgia, and one aviation brigade at Hunter Army AirfieldHunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart.Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet long and an aircraft parking area that is more than 350 acres...
, GeorgiaGeorgia, applied to a state, may be:* Georgia in North America 1776–1861 and after 1865** Georgia State University* Georgia, Confederate state in 1861–1865* Georgia in Eurasia after 1991...
. |
 4th Infantry Division |
Fort Carson, ColoradoFort Carson is a United States Army installation located immediately south of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, and 30 miles north of Pueblo, Colorado in Pueblo County. A portion of the installation located within El Paso County forms a census-designated place , which had a population...
|
Three heavy brigade combat teams and one infantry brigade combat team at Fort Carson, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
. |
 10th Mountain Division |
Fort Drum, New York |
Three infantry brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade at Fort Drum and one infantry brigade combat team at Fort Polk, LouisianaFort Polk is a United States Army base located near Leesville, Louisiana.It was named in honor of the Right Reverend Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, and a Confederate general. Fort Polk serves primarily as a training post for units preparing to deploy to fight...
. |
 25th Infantry Division |
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii |
Two brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade at Schofield Barracks (one infantry and one Stryker), one Stryker brigade combat team at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and one airborne infantry brigade combat team at Fort Richardson, Alaska. |
 82nd Airborne Division |
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
Four airborne infantry brigade combat teams and one aviation brigade at Fort Bragg. |
 101st Airborne DivisionThe 101st Airborne Division — the "Screaming Eagles"— is a U.S. Army modular infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for action during the Normandy Landings and in the Battle of the Bulge...
|
Fort Campbell, KentuckyFort Campbell is a United States Army installation located between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, and is home to the 101st Airborne Division.The fort is named in honor of BG William Bowen Campbell, the last Whig Governor of Tennessee....
|
Four infantry brigade combat teams (air assault) and two aviation brigades at Fort Campbell. |
170th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized)The 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the United States Army was reestablished 15 July 2009 at US Army Garrison Baumholder in Germany as part of the Grow the Army plan. The 170th Infantry Brigade was formed by reflagging the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. The soldiers and equipment will...
|
Baumholder, Germany |
activated July 2009. |
| 172nd Infantry Brigade |
Grafenwöhr, Germany Grafenwöhr is a town in the district Neustadt , in the region of the Upper Palatinate in eastern Bavaria, Germany. It is widely known for the United States Army military installation and training area, called Grafenwoehr, located directly south and west of the town.- Early History :The town was...
|
Two mechanized infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry equipped with armored personnel carriers , or infantry fighting vehicles for transport and combat ....
battalions, one M1A1 Abrams battalion, one self-propelled 155mm field artillery battalion, one combat engineer battalion. |
 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team |
Vicenza, Italy |
Two airborne infantry battalions, one cavalry squadron, one airborne field artillery battalion, one special troops battalion, and one support battalion. |
 2d Cavalry Regiment |
Vilseck Vilseck is a town in the Oberpfalz region of northeastern Bavaria, Germany situated on the river Vils, a tributary of the Naab river.The town is geographically separate from a nearby large American military base known as the Rose Barracks but more commonly referred to as Vilseck...
, Germany |
6 subordinate Squadrons: 1st (Stryker Infantry), 2nd (Stryker Infantry), 3rd (Stryker Infantry), 4th (Recon, Surveillance, Target Acquisition), Fires (6x3 155mm Towed Arty), & RSS (Logistical Support); 5 Separate Troops/Companies: Regimental Headquarters Troop, Military Intelligence Troop, Signal Troop, 84th Engineer Company, and Anti-Tank Troop. |
 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment |
Fort Hood, TexasFort Hood is a United States Army post located outside of Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, It islocated halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The main cantonment of Fort Hood is a census-designated place...
|
Three tank squadrons, one aviation squadron, and one support squadron. |
 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment |
Fort Irwin, California |
Serves as the Opposing Force (OPFOR) at the National Training Center (NTC). Multi-compo HBCT. |
Special Operations Forces
US Army Special Operations Command (Airborne):The United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
| Name | Headquarters | Structure and purpose |
|---|
 Special Forces (Green Berets) |
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
Seven groups capable of unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and counter-terrorism. |
 75th Ranger RegimentThe 75th Ranger Regiment is a military unit of the United States Army. The Regiment, headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia, operates as an elite light infantry special operations force of the United States Army Special Operations Command .The Regiment is composed of rapidly-deployable light...
(Rangers) |
Fort Benning, Georgia |
Three battalions of elite light airborne infantry. Originally Based On British Army Commandos. |
 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Night Stalkers) |
Fort Campbell, KentuckyFort Campbell is a United States Army installation located between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee, and is home to the 101st Airborne Division.The fort is named in honor of BG William Bowen Campbell, the last Whig Governor of Tennessee....
|
Four battalions, providing helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and Special Operations Forces. |
 4th Psychological Operations GroupThe 4th Psychological Operations Group is the United States Army's only active psychological operations unit. It is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is a part of the United States Army Special Operations Command...
|
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
Psychological operations unit, six battalions. |
 95th Civil Affairs Brigade |
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
Civil affairs brigade. |
 528th Sustainment Brigade (Special Operations) (Airborne) |
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
| 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force) |
Fort Bragg, North CarolinaFort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland, and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S., near Fayetteville. It is also a census-designated place and as of 2000, had a population of 29,183. The fort is named for Confederate Army General Braxton Bragg.-History:Camp Bragg was...
|
Elite special operations and counter-terrorism unit. Its operators are chosen carefully from the best soldiers of the Army Special Operations Forces and other SOCOM units. Most information about the unit is classified. Based on the British SAS. |
Personnel
These are the U.S. Army ranks and their equivalent NATO designations.
Commissioned Officers:
| US DoD Pay Grade |
O-1 |
O-2 |
O-3 |
O-4 |
O-5 |
O-6 |
O-7 |
O-8 |
O-9 |
O-10 |
Special¹ |
Special |
| Insignia |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Title |
Second Lieutenant |
First Lieutenant |
Captain |
MajorIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. It is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant commander in the other uniformed services.The pay grade for the rank of major...
|
Lieutenant ColonelIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the rank of commander in the other uniformed services....
|
ColonelIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, Colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and just below the rank of Brigadier General. It is equivalent to the naval rank of Captain in the other uniformed services...
|
Brigadier General A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services.-...
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Major General In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general. Major general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the...
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Lieutenant GeneralIn the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general. Lieutenant general is equivalent to the rank of vice admiral...
|
General In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
|
General of the ArmyGeneral of the Army is a five-star general officer and is the second highest possible rank in the United States Army. A special rank of General of the Armies, which ranks above General of the Army, does exist but has only been conferred twice in the history of the Army...
|
General of the Armies General of the Armies is the highest possible rank in the United States Army...
|
| Abbreviation |
2LT |
1LT |
CPT |
MAJ |
LTC |
COL |
BG |
MG |
LTG |
GEN |
GA |
|
| NATO Code |
OF-1 |
OF-2 |
OF-3 |
OF-4 |
OF-5 |
OF-6 |
OF-7 |
OF-8 |
OF-9 |
OF-10 |
|
| ¹ Conferred only in times of Congressionally declared war to selected Generals. |
Warrant Officers:
| US DoD Pay Grade |
W-1 |
W-2 |
W-3 |
W-4 |
W-5 |
| Insignia |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Title |
Warrant Officer 1 |
Chief Warrant Officer 2 |
Chief Warrant Officer 3 |
Chief Warrant Officer 4 |
Chief Warrant Officer 5 |
| Abbreviation |
WO1 |
CW2 |
CW3 |
CW4 |
CW5 |
| NATO Code |
WO-1 |
WO-2 |
WO-3 |
WO-4 |
WO-5 |
Enlisted Personnel:
All Sergeant ranks from E-5 SGT to E-8 MSG are simply referred to as "Sergeant (last name)". First Sergeant as "First Sergeant (last name)", Sergeant Major, Command Sergeant Major, and Sergeant Major of the Army as "Sergeant Major (last name)". Privates are usually referred to simply by their last names.
Training
Training in the United States Army is generally divided into two categories – individual and collective.
Basic trainingBasic Training may refer to:* Basic Training , an American documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman* Basic Training , an American sex comedyFor actual military training, see recruit training....
consists of 10 weeks for most recruits followed by AIT (Advanced Individualized Training) where they receive training for their MOS with the length of AIT school varying by the MOS. Individuals who have the MOS 11B (infantry) go to 14 weeks of OSUT (One Station Unit Training) at Fort Benning, Georgia. OSUT counts as basic and AIT for infantry soldiers.
Individual training for enlisted soldiers usually consists of 14 weeks for those who hope to hold the
Military Occupational Specialty for infantryman, MOS 11B. Other combat MOSs consist of similar training length. Support and other MOS hopefuls attend nine weeks of
Basic Combat TrainingUnited States Army Basic Training is a rigorous program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become a soldier in the United States Army, United States Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. It is carried out at several different Army posts around the United States...
followed by Advanced Individual Training in their primary (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the country. The length of time spent in AIT depends on the MOS of the soldier. Depending on the needs of the Army BCT is conducted at a number of locations, but two of the longest running are the Armor School at
Fort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties, with Hardin county receiving the largest benefit, economically. It currently holds the U.S. Army Armor Center, the U.S...
, Kentucky and the
Infantry SchoolThe United States Army Infantry School is located in Fort Benning, Georgia. It is made up of the following components:*192d Infantry Brigade *197th Infantry Brigade...
at
Fort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, Georgia. For officers this training includes pre-commissioning training either at USMA, ROTC, or
OCSThe United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...
. After commissioning, officers undergo six weeks of training at the
Basic Officer Leaders CourseThe Basic Officer Leaders Course is a three-phased training course designed to produce commissioned officers in the United States Army...
, Phase II at Ft. Benning or Ft. Sill, followed by their branch specific training at the Basic Officer Leaders Course, Phase III (formerly called Officer Basic Course) which varies in time and location based on their future jobs.
Collective training takes place both at the unit's assigned station, but the most intensive collective training takes place at the three Combat Training Centers (CTC); the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California, the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at
Fort PolkFort Polk is a United States Army base located near Leesville, Louisiana.It was named in honor of the Right Reverend Leonidas Polk, the first Episcopal Bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana, and a Confederate general. Fort Polk serves primarily as a training post for units preparing to deploy to fight...
, Louisiana, and the Joint Multinational Training Center (JMRC) at the
Hohenfels Training Area in
HohenfelsHohenfels is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
, Germany.
Six Sigma Training
The largest business transformation attempted to date was by the United States Army and its 1.3 million employees.
Six SigmaSix Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola. it enjoys widespread application in many sectors of industry, although its application is not without controversy....
first found its way into the Army in 2002 in the Army Material Command division, which is responsible for purchasing virtually everything in the army, from cornmeal to
aircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported by the air, or in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil An aircraft is a vehicle which is able to fly by being supported...
. Efficiencies from Six Sigma achieved in this department, a few others, as well as an increasingly disproportional amount of demands compared to funds post 9/11, led to an army wide implementation of the program in late 2005.
After careful consideration, the army decided to implement the program the way the army does everything: centrally plan and de-centrally execute. Army generals and members of the
governmentA government is the body within a community, political entity or organization which has the authority to make and enforce rules, laws and regulations.....
went behind closed doors for two days, learning their responsibilities of the implementation and the benefits they will achieve. Army employees with leadership roles were asked to define areas their departments were experiencing problems in as well as identify key personnel they felt were capable of learning Six Sigma. Eventually, the lowest ranking employees were asked to define the largest problems they faced on a day to day basis, and the answers were sent to the Army generals who, with the help of Six Sigma, strategically developed and proposed proper solutions.
Army employees were trained in Six Sigma through the use of experts. Since training began in June 2006, they have trained 1,240 Green Belts, 446 Black Belts, and 15 Master Black Belts; completed 1,069 projects; and managed to save nearly two billion dollars to date. The army realized such huge savings by implementing new, more efficient methods, eliminating waste as well as the elimination of non-value adding activities.
Many improvements in the Army’s business processes should be credited to the vast improvements in efficiency. In particular, the dramatic effect Six Sigma has had on eliminating redundancies in efforts and resources has resulted in savings nearly a quarter of their cost. Productivity has increased and costs have decreased because of such eliminations, resulting in a more financially secure Army. New software uncovered that the Army was paying to provide foreign language instruction to a substantial number of non army personnel; this discovery, followed by the restructuring of the program, saved the Army $400 million the following year. Other Six Sigma improvements, saving the Army millions, include streamlining the recruiting process, preventing food waste at West Point, and improving foreign military sales. Such successes enjoyed by the Army have recently lead to the full implementation of Six Sigma by both the
Air ForceAn air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps, is in the broadest sense, the national military that primarily conducts aerial warfare...
and
NavyA navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, as well as initiating talks with the Secretary of Defense to incorporate lean Six Sigma throughout the entire department.
Weapons
The Army employs various
individual weapons to provide light firepower at short ranges.
The
M16 series assault rifleThe M16 is the U.S. military designation for the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle....
and its compact variant, the
M4 carbineThe M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter version of the M16A2 assault rifle, achieving 80% parts commonality with the M16A2...
, which is slowly replacing selected M16 series rifles in some units and is primarily used by infantry,
RangerThe United States Army Rangers are an elite American Special Operations Force capable of conducting direct action operations.United States Army Rangers draw very strongly on the heritage, traditions and ethos of Rogers' Rangers but have no lineage back to that unit. The current U.S. Army Rangers,...
, and
Special Operations forcesUnited States Special Operations Forces are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military. They are designated by the United States Secretary of Defense, and are specifically trained to conduct operations in an area under enemy or unfriendly control or politically sensitive environments to...
. Soldiers whose duties require a more compact weapon, such as combat vehicle crew members, staff officers, and military police, are issued a sidearm in lieu of a rifle. The most common sidearm in the U.S. Army is the 9 mm
M9 pistolThe M9 pistol, formally Pistol, Semiautomatic, 9mm, M9, is a 9x19mm Parabellum pistol of the United States military adopted in the 1980s. It is basically a military specification Beretta 92F, later the 92FS....
which is issued to the majority of combat and support units.
Many combat units' arsenals are supplemented with a variety of specialized weapons, including the M249 light machine-gun, to provide suppressive fire at the fire-team level, the
M1014 Joint Service Combat ShotgunThe M4 Super 90 is an Italian-developed and made semi-automatic shotgun manufactured by Benelli Armi S.P.A.-History:On May 4, 1998, the U.S...
or the Mossberg 590 Shotgun for
door breachingDoor breaching is a process used by military, police, or emergency services to force open closed and/or locked doors. A wide range of methods are available, one or more of which may be used in any given situation...
and close-quarters combat, the
M14 rifleThe M14 rifle, formally the United States Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, M14, is an American selective fire automatic rifle firing 7.62x51mm NATO ammunition. It was the standard issue US rifle until 1970...
for long-range marksmen, and the M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle, the M24 Sniper Weapon System, or the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle for snipers.
Hand grenadeA hand grenade is an anti-personnel weapon that explodes a short time after release. The French military term grenade probably comes from the shape of the pomegranate fruit, which is also called grenade in French....
s, such as the
M67 fragmentation grenadeThe M67 grenade is a fragmentation hand grenade used by the United States Military and Canadian Forces, where it is referred to as the C13. The M67 is a replacement for the M61 grenade used during Vietnam and the older Mk 2 "pineapple" grenade used since World War II.-Description:The M67 can be...
and
M18 smoke grenadeSmoke grenades are canister-type grenades used as ground-to-ground or ground-to-air signaling devices, target or landing zone marking devices, or a screening devices for unit movements. Smoke grenades are normally considered non lethal, although incorrect use may cause injury or fatality...
, are also used by combat troops.
The Army employs various
crew-served weapons to provide heavy firepower at ranges exceeding that of individual weapons.
The
M249The M249 light machine gun , previously designated the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon , and formally written as Light Machine Gun, 5.56 mm, M249, is an American version of the FN Minimi, a light machine gun manufactured by the Belgian company FN Herstal . The M249 is manufactured in the United...
is the Army's standard light machine gun. The M240 is the Army's standard medium machine gun.. The 12.7 mm M2 heavy machine gun is used as an anti-material and anti-personnel machine gun. The M2 is also the primary weapon on most
StrykerThe IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. Based on the Canadian LAV III light-armored vehicle, which in turn is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha III 8x8, the Stryker is the U.S...
variants and the secondary weapon system on the M1 Abrams. The 40 mm
MK 19 grenade machine gunThe Mk 19 Grenade Launcher is a belt-fed automatic 40 mm grenade launcher or grenade machine gun that entered U.S. military service during the Cold War, first seeing action during the Vietnam War and remaining in service today.-Overview:...
is mainly used by motorized units. It is commonly employed in a complementary role to the M2.
The Army uses three types of
mortarA mortar is a muzzle-loading indirect fire weapon that fires shells at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It typically has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber.- Function :...
for indirect fire support when heavier artillery may not be appropriate or available. The smallest of these is the 60 mm
M224The M224 60 mm Lightweight Mortar is a smooth bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for close-in support of ground troops.-Description:...
, normally assigned at the infantry company level. At the next higher echelon, infantry battalions are typically supported by a section of 81 mm
M252 mortarThe M252 81 mm medium weight mortar is an American smooth bore, muzzle-loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon used for long-range indirect fire support to light infantry, air assault, and airborne units across the entire front of a battalion zone of influence. In the U.S. Army and U.S...
s. The largest mortar in the Army's inventory is the 120 mm M120/M121, usually employed by mechanized battalions, Stryker units, and cavalry troops because its size and weight require it to be transported in a tracked carrier or towed behind a truck.
Fire support for light infantry units is provided by towed howitzers, including the 105 mm
M119A1The M119 A1 Howitzer is a lightweight howitzer used by the United States Army. It can be easily airlifted, even by helicopter, or dropped by parachute. It does not need a recoil pit.-Development:...
and the 155 mm
M777The M777 howitzer is a towed artillery piece developed by British Vickers group, and is produced by BAE Systems Land Systems in the US. It is in the process of replacing the M198 howitzer in the United States Marine Corps and United States Army...
(which will replace the
M198The M198 howitzer is a medium-sized, towed artillery piece. It can be dropped by parachute or transported by a CH-53E Super Stallion or CH-47 Chinook. The M198 is deployed in separate corps- and army-level field artillery units, as well as in artillery battalions of light and airborne divisions...
).
Vehicles
The U.S. Army spends a sizable portion of its military budget to maintain a diverse inventory of vehicles. The U.S. Army maintains the highest vehicle-to-soldier ratio in the world.
The Army's most common vehicle is the
HMMWVThe High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle is a military 4WD motor vehicle created by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles formerly served by smaller Jeeps such as the M151 1/4 ton MUTT, the M561 "Gama Goat", their M718A1 and M792 ambulance versions, the CUCV, and other light trucks...
, which is capable of serving as a cargo/troop carrier, weapons platform, and ambulance, among many other roles. The
M1A2 AbramsThe M1 Abrams is a main battle tank produced in the United States. The M1 is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. It is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for modern armored...
is the Army's primary main battle tank, while the
M2A3 BradleyThe M2 Bradley IFV and M3 Bradley CFV are American infantry fighting vehicles manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, formerly United Defense....
is the standard
infantry fighting vehicleAn infantry fighting vehicle is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them.- Background :...
. Other vehicles include the M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicle, the
StrykerThe IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled all-wheel-drive armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. Based on the Canadian LAV III light-armored vehicle, which in turn is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha III 8x8, the Stryker is the U.S...
, and the
M113The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that formed the backbone of the U.S. Army's mobile infantry units from the time of its introduction in the 1960s. It was partly replaced by the M2 Bradley which was one of many later vehicles designed from the outset to be a more heavily armed...
armored personnel carrier.
The U.S. Army's principal
artilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
weapons are the AN/TWQ-1 Avenger, LAV-AD and the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS), both mounted on tracked platforms and assigned to heavy mechanized units.
While the U.S. Army operates a few fixed-wing aircraft, it mainly operates several types of rotary-wing aircraft. These include the
AH-64 ApacheThe AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with reverse-tricycle landing gear, and tandem cockpit for a crew of two. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra...
attack helicopterAn attack helicopter is a military helicopter specifically designed and built to carry weapons for attacking targets on the ground, such as enemy infantry, armored vehicles and structures. Weapons used on attack helicopters can include autocannons, machine-guns, rockets, and guided missiles such...
, the
OH-58D Kiowa WarriorThe Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine, single-rotor, military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. Bell Helicopter manufactured the OH-58 for the United States Army based on the 206A JetRanger helicopter. The OH-58 has been in continuous use by the U.S....
armed reconnaissance/light attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk utility tactical transport helicopter, and the
CH-47 ChinookThe Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots was faster than utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s and even many of today. Its primary roles include troop movement, artillery emplacement and battlefield resupply...
heavy-lift transport helicopter.
Uniforms
The
Army Combat UniformThe Army Combat Uniform is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army. It is the successor to the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform worn during the 1980s and 1990s. It features a number of design changes, as well as a different camouflage pattern from its...
(ACU), which features a digital camouflage pattern and is designed for use in woodland, desert, and urban environments.
The standard garrison service uniform is known as "
Army Greens" or "
Class-As" and has been worn by all officers and enlisted personnel since its introduction in 1956 when it replaced earlier olive drab (OD) and khaki (and tan worsted or TW) uniforms worn between the 1980s and 1985. The "Army Blue" uniform, dating back to the mid-19th century, is currently the Army's formal dress uniform, but in 2009, it will replace the Army Green and the Army White uniforms (a uniform similar to the Army Green uniform, but worn in tropical postings) and will become the "new"
Army Service UniformThe U.S. Army service uniform is the military uniform worn by personnel in situations in which non-formal dress is called for. It is worn in most workday situations in which business dress would be called for...
, which will function as both a garrison uniform (when worn with a white shirt and necktie) and a dress uniform (when worn with a white shirt and either a necktie for parades or a bow tie for "after six" or "black tie" events). The beret will continue to be worn with the new ACU for garrison duty and with the Army Service Uniform for non-ceremonial functions. The Army Blue Service Cap, formerly allowed for wear by all enlisted personnel, are now only allowed for wear by any soldier ranked CPL or above at the discretion of the commander.
Body armor in all units is the
Improved Outer Tactical VestThe Improved Outer Tactical Vest, or IOTV, is a replacement to the older Interceptor body armor fielded by the United States Army. It is compatible with the Deltoid Axillary protection system, E-SAPI and Side SAPI plates, as well as the interceptor body armor's groin protector...
, which is now being supplemented with a lightweight Modular Body Armor Vest.
Army birthdays
The U.S. Army was officially founded on 14 June 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized enlistment of riflemen to serve the United Colonies for one year.
Basic branches
Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775. However, the oldest Regular Army infantry regiment, the 3rd Infantry Regiment, was constituted on 3 June 1784, as the First American Regiment.
- Adjutant General's Corps, 16 June 1775
The post of Adjutant General was established 16 June 1775, and has been continuously in operation since that time. The Adjutant General's Department, by that name, was established by the act of 3 March 1812, and was redesignated the Adjutant General's Corps in 1950.
- Corps of Engineers, 16 June 1775
Continental Congress authority for a "Chief Engineer for the Army" dates from 16 June 1775. A corps of Engineers for the United States was authorized by the Congress on 11 March 1789. The Corps of Engineers as it is known today came into being on 16 March 1802, when the President was authorized to "organize and establish a Corps of Engineers … that the said Corps … shall be stationed at West Point in the State of New York and shall constitute a Military Academy." A Corps of Topographical Engineers, authorized on 4 July 1838, was merged with the Corps of Engineers on March 1863.
- Finance Corps, 16 June 1775.
The Finance Corps is the successor to the old Pay Department, which was created in June 1775. The Finance Department was created by law on 1 July 1920. It became the Finance Corps in 1950.
- Quartermaster Corps, 16 June 1775
The Quartermaster Corps, originally designated the Quartermaster Department, was established on 16 June 1775. While numerous additions, deletions, and changes of function have occurred, its basic supply and service support functions have continued in existence.
- Field Artillery, 17 November 1775
The Continental Congress unanimously elected
Henry KnoxHenry Knox was an American bookseller from Boston who became the chief artillery officer of the Continental Army and later the nation's first Secretary of War.-Early life and marriage:...
"Colonel of the Regiment of Artillery" on 17 November 1775. The regiment formally entered service on 1 January 1776.
The Armor branch traces its origin to the Cavalry. A regiment of cavalry was authorized to be raised by the Continental Congress Resolve of 12 December 1776. Although mounted units were raised at various times after the Revolution, the first in continuous service was the United States Regiment of Dragoons, organized in 1833. The Tank Service was formed on 5 March 1918. The Armored Force was formed on 10 July 1940. Armor became a permanent branch of the Army in 1950.
- Ordnance Corps, 14 May 1812
The Ordnance Department was established by act of Congress on 14 May 1812. During the Revolutionary War, ordnance material was under supervision of the Board of War and Ordnance. Numerous shifts in duties and responsibilities have occurred in the Ordnance Corps since colonial times. It acquired its present designation in 1950.
- Signal Corps, 21 June 1860
The Signal Corps was authorized as a separate branch of the Army by act of Congress on 3 March 1863. However, the Signal Corps dates its existence from 21 June 1860, when Congress authorized the appointment of one signal officer in the Army, and a War Department order carried the following assignment: "Signal Department--Assistant Surgeon
Albert J. MyerAlbert James Myer was a surgeon and United States Army officer. He is known as the father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, as its first chief signal officer just prior to the American Civil War, the inventor of wig-wag signaling , and also as the father of the U.S...
to be Signal Officer, with the rank of Major, 27 June 1860], to fill an original vacancy."
- Chemical Corps, 28 June 1918
The Chemical Warfare Service was established on 28 June 1918, combining activities that until then had been dispersed among five separate agencies of Government. It was made a permanent branch of the Regular Army by the National Defense Act of 1920. In 1945, it was redesignated the Chemical Corps.
- Corps of Military Police, 26 September 1941
A Provost Marshal General's Office and Corps of Military Police were established in 1941. Prior to that time, except during the Civil War and World War I, there was no regularly appointed Provost Marshal General or regularly constituted Military Police Corps, although a "Provost Marshal" can be found as early as January 1776, and a "Provost Corps" as early as 1778.
- Transportation Corps, 31 July 1942
The historical background of the Transportation Corps starts with World War I. Prior to that time, transportation operations were chiefly the responsibility of the Quartermaster General. The Transportation Corps, essentially in its present form, was organized on 31 July 1942. The Transportation Corps is headquartered at Fort Eustis, VA under the mantra "Spearhead of Logistics" and command of Brigadier General Brian R. Layer.
- Military Intelligence Corps, 1 July 1962
Intelligence has been an essential element of Army operations during war as well as during periods of peace. In the past, requirements were met by personnel from the Army Intelligence and Army Security Reserve branches, two-year obligated tour officers, one-tour levies on the various branches, and Regular Army officers in the specialization programs. To meet the Army's increased requirement for national and tactical intelligence, an Intelligence and Security Branch was established in the Army effective 1 July 1962, by General Orders No. 38, 3 July 1962. On 1 July 1967, the branch was redesignated as Military Intelligence.
- Air Defense Artillery, 20 June 1968.
Separated from the Field Artillery and established as a basic branch on 20 June 1968, per General Order 25, 14 June 1968.
Following the establishment of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service in 1947, the Army began to develop further its own aviation assets (light planes and rotary wing aircraft) in support of ground operations. The Korean War gave this drive impetus, and the war in Vietnam saw its fruition, as Army aviation units performed a variety of missions, including reconnaissance, transport, and fire support. After the war in Vietnam, the role of armed helicopters as tank destroyers received new emphasis. In recognition of the growing importance of aviation in Army doctrine and operations, Aviation became a separate branch on 12 April 1983, and a full member of the Army's combined arms team.
- Special Forces, 9 April 1987
The first Special Forces unit in the Army was formed on 11 June 1952, when the 10th Special Forces Group was activated at Fort Bragg,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
. A major expansion of Special Forces occurred during the 1960s, with a total of eighteen groups organized in the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. As a result of renewed emphasis on special operations in the 1980s, the Special Forces Branch was established as a basic branch of the Army effective 9 April 1987, by General Orders No. 35, 19 June 1987.
- Civil Affairs Corps, 17 August 1955 (special branch); 16 October 2006 (basic branch)
The Civil Affairs/Military Government Branch in the Army Reserve Branch was established on 17 August 1955. Subsequently redesignated the Civil Affairs Branch on 2 October 1955, it has continued its mission to provide guidance to commanders in a broad spectrum of activities ranging from host-guest relationships to the assumption of executive, legislative, and judicial processes in occupied or liberated areas. Became a basic branch per General Order 29, 12 January 2007.
- Psychological Operations, 16 October 2006
Established as a basic branch per General Order 30, 12 January 2007.
- Logistics, 1 January 2008
Established by General Order 6, 27 November 2007. Consists of multi-functional logistics officers in the rank of captain and above, drawn from the Ordnance, Quartermaster and Transportation Corps.
Special branches
- Army Medical Department, 27 July 1775
The Army Medical Department and the Medical Corps trace their origins to 27 July 1775, when the Continental Congress established the Army hospital headed by a "Director General and Chief Physician." Congress provided a medical organization of the Army only in time of war or emergency until 1818, which marked the inception of a permanent and continuous Medical Department. The Army Organization Act of 1950 renamed the Medical Department as the Army Medical Service. On June , 1968, the Army Medical Service was redesignated the Army Medical Department.
- Medical Corps, 27 July 1775
- Army Nurse Corps, 2 February 1901
- Dental Corps, 3 March 1911
- Veterinary Corps, 3 June 1916
- Medical Service Corps, 30 June 1917
- Army Medical Specialist Corps, 16 April 1947
- Chaplain Corps, 29 July 1775
The legal origin of the Chaplain Corps is found in a resolution of the Continental Congress, adopted 29 July 1775, which made provision for the pay of chaplains. The Office of the Chief of Chaplains was created by the National Defense Act of 1920.
- Judge Advocate General's Corps, 29 July 1775
The Office of Judge Advocate of the Army may be deemed to have been created on 29 July 1775, and has generally paralleled the origin and development of the American system of military justice. The Judge Advocate General's Department, by that name, was established in 1884. Its present designation as a corps was enacted in 1948.
Values
In the mid to late 1990s, the Army officially adopted what have come to be known as "
The 7 Army Core Values." The Army began to teach these values as basic warrior traits. The seven Army Core Values are as follows:
- Loyalty – Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and fellow Soldiers.
- Duty – Fulfill your obligations.
- Respect – Treat others as they should be treated.
- Selfless Service – Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
- Honor – Live the Army Values.
- Integrity – Do what's right, both legally and morally.
- Personal Courage – Face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral.
The values were arranged to form the acronym
LDRSHIPLDRSHIP is an acronym for the seven basic values of the United States Army, and stands for# Loyalty - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S...
(leadership).
See also
- Comparative Military Ranks
This article is a list of various states' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention NATO reference codes. These are the NATO rank reference...
- Military Organizations
- Special Operations Forces
- United States special operations forces
United States Special Operations Forces are active and reserve component forces of U.S. Military. They are designated by the United States Secretary of Defense, and are specifically trained to conduct operations in an area under enemy or unfriendly control or politically sensitive environments to...
- JROTC
- ROTC
- Operation Quicksilver (1990s)
- List of United States military history events
- Vehicle markings of the United States military
- Transformation of the United States Army
Army Transformation describes the future-concept of the United States Army's plan of modernization. Transformation is a generalized term for the integration of new concepts, organizations, and technology within the armed forces of the United States....
- U.S. Army air defense
Air defense of the United States Army currently primarily uses missiles which are able to deal with the capabilities of modern aircraft.- Combat group :...
- U.S. Army Basic Training
United States Army Basic Training is a rigorous program of physical and mental training required in order for an individual to become a soldier in the United States Army, United States Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. It is carried out at several different Army posts around the United States...
- U.S. Army branch insignia
- U.S. Army Center of Military History
- U.S. Army Chaplain Corps
The Chaplain Corps of the United States Army consists of ordained clergy who are commissioned Army officers as well as enlisted soldiers that serve as assistants...
- U.S. Army Medical Department
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army — known as the AMEDD — comprises the Army's six medical Special Branches . It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The AMEDD is led by the...
- U.S. Army Soldier's Creed
The Soldier's Creed:I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army values.
I will always place the mission first.
...
External links