Each of the different military services is assigned a role and domain. The Army conducts land operations. The Navy and Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations primarily for supporting the Navy. The Air Force conducts air operations. The Space Force conducts space operations. The Coast Guard is unique in that it specializes in maritime operations and is also a law enforcement agency.[16][17]
The U.S. Armed Forces are one of the world's largest military forces in terms of personnel. They draw their personnel from a large pool of professional volunteers. The U.S. has used military conscription, but not since 1973. The Selective Service System retains the power to conscript males, requiring the registration of all male citizens and residents of the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 25.
The U.S. Armed Forces are considered the world's most powerful military, especially since the end of the Cold War.[19] The military expenditure of the U.S. was US$916billion in 2023, the highest in the world, accounting for 37% of the world's defense expenditures.[20] The U.S. Armed Forces has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enable widespread deployment of the force around the world, including around 800 military bases outside the U.S.[21]
The U.S. Air Force is the world's largest air force, followed by the U.S. Army Aviation Branch. The U.S. Naval Air Forces is the fourth-largest air arm in the world and is the largest naval aviation service, while U.S. Marine Corps Aviation is the world's seventh-largest air arm. The U.S. Navy is the world's largest navy by tonnage.[22] The U.S. Coast Guard is the world's 12th-largest maritime force.[23]
The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps was formerly considered to be a branch of the United States Armed Forces from 29 July 1945 until 3 July 1952, and is now one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.[32] Should it be called into active duty again, it would constitute a seventh branch of the Armed Forces.[33]
The United States Space Force was established as an independent service on 20 December 2019. It is the sixth branch of the U.S. military and the first new branch in 72 years.[34] The origin of the Space Force can be traced back to the Air Force Space Command, which was formed 1 September 1982 and was a major command of the United States Air Force.[35]
Presidential command over the U.S. Armed Forces is established in Article II in the Constitution whereby the president is named as the "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States."[37] The United States Armed Forces are split between two cabinet departments, with the Department of Defense serving as the primary cabinet department for military affairs and the Department of Homeland Security responsible for administering the United States Coast Guard.[38]
The military chain of command flows from the President of the United States to the secretary of defense (for services under the Defense Department) or secretary of homeland security (for services under the Department of Homeland Security), ensuring civilian control of the military. Within the Department of Defense, the military departments (Department of the Army, United States Department of the Navy, and Department of the Air Force) are civilian led entities that oversee the coequal military service branches organized within each department. The military departments and services are responsible for organizing, training, and equipping forces, with the actual chain of command flowing through the unified combatant commands.[39]
Unified combatant commands areas of responsibility
Unified combatant commands are joint military commands consisting of forces from multiple military departments, with their chain of command flowing from the president, to the secretary of defense, to the commanders of the combatant commands. Each service organizes, trains, and equips forces that are then presented to the unified combatant commands through service component commands. Special Operations Command and Cyber Command also present theater special operations commands or joint force headquarters – cyber to other combatant commanders. Army components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force land component, Navy components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force maritime component, and Air Force components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force air component, with the theater special operations command dual-hatted as the joint force special operations component, and Space Force component typically dual-hatted as the joint force space component.[47]
Combat support agencies are Department of Defense agencies with combat support missions that service operating forces planning or conducting military operations. This includes support during conflict or in the conduct of other military activities related to countering threats to U.S. national security. This mission is focused on providing support to echelons at the CCMD level and below and may not encompass the full scope of the CSA's mission.[49]
Provide military intelligence to warfighters, defense policymakers and force planners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community, in support of U.S. military planning and operations and weapon systems acquisition.[53]
Provides timely and accurate cryptologic support, knowledge, and assistance to the military cryptologic community.[57] Provide actionable signals intelligence and cybersecurity support to the Armed Forces.[58]
The United States Coast Guard is nominally under the Department of Homeland Security, but may be transferred to the Department of Defense's Department of the Navy (which is the civilian entity that oversees the coequal U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy) at the direction of the President or Congress.
With the exception of the Coast Guard, the military services only organize, train, and equip forces. The unified combatant commands are responsible for operational control of non-service retained forces.
Each of the different military services is assigned a role and domain. The U.S. Army conducts land operations, while the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, with the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations in support of the Navy. The U.S. Air Force conducts air operations, while the U.S. Space Force conducts space operations.
The U.S. Coast Guard is unique in that it is a military branch specializing in maritime operations and also a law enforcement agency.[16][17]
The United States Army (USA) is the United States Armed Forces' land force and is the largest and oldest service. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Army, it consists of one million soldiers across the Regular Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard.[16] The Army serves as the Armed Forces principal land service, responsible for conducting land warfare operations.[59]
The Army's primary responsibility is to conduct prompt and sustained land combat as part of the joint force. Army landpower focuses on destroying an enemy's armed forces, occupying its territory, and breaking the will of an adversary.[61]
The five core competencies of the Army are:
Prompt and sustained land combat
Combined arms operations:
Combined arms maneuver and wide area security
Armored and mechanized operations
Airborne and air assault operations
Special operations
Set and sustain the theater for the joint force
Integrate national, multinational, and joint power on land[61]
Conduct prompt and sustained combined arms combat operations on land in all environments and types of terrain, to include complex urban environments, in order to defeat enemy ground forces, and seize, occupy, and defend land areas.[62]
Occupy territories abroad and provide for the initial establishment of a military government pending transfer of this responsibility to other authorities.[62]
Conduct authorized civil works programs, to include projects for the improvement of navigation, flood control, beach erosion control, and other water resource developments in the United States, its territories, and its possessions, and conduct other civil activities prescribed by law. These are conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers.[62]
The Infantry Branch forms the core of the service's land combat power. U.S. Army infantry are generally equipped with the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun, which will be replaced by the XM7 rifle and XM250.[63]
Army Special Forces, commonly known as Green Berets after their iconic headgear, are among the most elite soldiers in the Army. Special Forces conduct:[72]
counterinsurgency distinguishing between civilians and enemy combatants while assisting with the stabilization, defense, and training of developing countries facing insurgent threats.
direct action seizing, capturing, recovering, or destroying enemy material; or utilizing quick strikes to recover personnel.
foreign internal defense training and equipping foreign allied military forces to defend against insurgency, subversion, terrorism, and other security threats.
special reconnaissance executing surveillance in hostile, denied, or diplomatically- or politically-sensitive environments to collect or verify information of strategic significance.
unconventional warfare enabling a resistance movement or insurgency to coerce, disrupt, or overthrow a government or occupying power by operating through or with an underground force in a denied area.
Army Special Forces are trained in military free-fall parachuting and combat diver skillsets.[72] They are considered the most versatile special operations force in the entire world, operating as a multi-purpose force since 1952.[73]
The Field Artillery's mission is to destroy, suppress or neutralize the enemy by cannon, rocket or missile fire.[76] Rocket systems include the M142 HIMARS and M270 multiple launch rocket system, which are corps-level assets found in field artillery brigades. Towed artillery includes the M119 howitzer in infantry brigade combat teams and the M777 howitzer found in both infantry and Stryker brigade combat teams. The M109 self-propelled howitzer is utilized in armored brigade combat teams.[77]
The Air Defense Artillery is responsible for defending geopolitical assets and providing maneuver forces with the freedom to move on the battlefield by deterring the enemy and destroying aerial threats, missile attacks, and surveillance platforms.[82] Weapons employed by Air Defense Artillery include the FIM-92 Stingerman-portable air-defense system, AN/TWQ-1 Avenger for short range air defense, and the counter rocket, artillery, and mortar 20mm gun system. The Iron Dome provides air defense against rockets, artillery, mortars, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The MIM-104 Patriot is capable of defeating a wide range of threats including aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, ballistic and cruise missiles, and Weapons of Mass Destruction.[82]
Air Defense Artillery has an extremely close relationship with the Air Force through its Air and Missile Defense Commands and the Space Force through Army Space and Missile Defense Command, given their shared missile defense and space roles. In 1962, Air Defense Artillery achieved the first intercept of a ballistic missile with a nuclear-tipped Nike Zeus and operated the Nike Zeus as an anti-satellite weapon after completing a successful intercept in 1963.[85][86]
Army Aviation, distinct from the U.S. Air Force and its predecessors, began as part of the field artillery in 1942. Small spotter planes were used to spot for artillery and naval bombardment, as well as to perform observation. These few aircraft formed the core of Army Aviation once the U.S. Air Force gained independence. In 1983, the Army created the Aviation Branch, for the first time since the Air Force's independence consolidating aviation under a single organization.[87]
The mission of Army Aviation is to find, fix and destroy any enemy through fire and maneuver and to provide combat support and combat service support in coordinated operations as an integral member of the combined arms team.[88] Major aircraft include the AH-64 Apache, which serves as the Army's attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk, and the CH-47 Chinook for troop and cargo transport. Army Aviation also flies the MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone.[89]
Leads Army modernization efforts, including developing future force requirements, designing future force organizations, and delivering materiel capabilities.[95]
The United States Marine Corps (USMC) serves as the U.S. Armed Forces' naval land force, responsible for executing amphibious warfare and operating in the maritime littorals in support of the U.S. Navy. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Marines, the Marine Corps consists of the Regular Marine Corps and the Marine Corps Reserve.[96] The Marine Corps maintains a very close relationship with the U.S. Navy, its sister service in the Department of the Navy. Although the Marine Corps has previously operated as an independent land force alongside the Army, its primary purpose is to serve as part of a unified naval service alongside the Navy in the maritime domain.[97]
The Marine Corps statutory mission is outlined in 10U.S.C.§5063 and as originally introduced under the National Security Act of 1947, with its three primary areas of responsibility including:
Seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and other land operations to support naval campaigns;
Development of tactics, technique, and equipment used by amphibious landing forces in coordination with the Army and Air Force; and
Conduct amphibious operations, including engagement, crisis response, and power projection operations to assure access. The Marine Corps has primary responsibility for the development of amphibious doctrine, tactics, techniques, and equipment.[62]
Provide security detachments and units for service on armed vessels of the Navy, provide protection of naval property at naval stations and bases, provide security at designated U.S. embassies and consulates, and perform other such duties as the president or secretary of defense may direct. These additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Marine Corps is primarily organized.
A Marine ground combat element (GCE) is centered around Marine infantry, typically armed with a M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle.[99] Unlike the Army, the Marine Corps does not train its own combat medics, relying on the Navy to provide hospital corpsmen.[100] These infantry units are supported by Marine Corps combat engineers, who conduct engineer reconnaissance, obstacle system emplacement, and breaching operations; and Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance teams. While the Marine Corps no longer operates its own tanks, opting to request support from the Army if needed, it maintains Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions which operate the LAV-25 amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle. Assault Amphibian Battalions operate the Assault Amphibious Vehicle and Amphibious Combat Vehicle, which enable the ground combat element to conduct amphibious landing operations.[101] Marine Corps artillery operates the M777 howitzer and the M142 HIMARS, both supporting the ground combat element and the Navy at sea by striking enemy ships.[102][103]
The Marine aviation combat element (ACE) is the operational arm of Marine Corps Aviation, working to support the ground combat element. The F-35B Lightning II and AV-8B Harrier II are flown off Navy amphibious assault ships, while the F-35C Lightning II and F/A-18 Hornet are flown off Navy carriers by Marine Corps pilots. The Marine Corps also operates the KC-130J to serve as a tanker and tactical airlift platform. The UH-1Y Venom helicopter provides the Marine Corps with light transport and attack, while the AH-1Z Viper is a dedicated attack helicopter. Medium-lift squadrons fly the MV-22 Osprey, while heavy-lift squadrons use the CH-53K King Stallion. The Marine Corps has also begun flying unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-8 Fire Scout.[104] Notably, the aviation combat element also includes Low-Altitude Air Defense Battalions, which employ the FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missile.[105]
The smallest MAGTF is the Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which is typically forward deployed on a Navy ship. Commanded by a colonel, a Marine Expeditionary Unit consist of 2,200 marines split across a battalion landing team (ground combat element), a composite helicopter squadron (aviation combat element), and a combat logistics element (logistics element). Marine Expeditionary Units are supplied for 15 days.[98] Forward deployed Marine Expeditionary Units are often embarked on Navy amphibious assault ships as part of an amphibious ready group.[106]
The mid-sized MAGTF is the Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), which is organized for specific missions. Commanded by a brigadier general, Marine Expeditionary Brigades consist of 4,000 to 16,000 marines across a Regimental-sized ground combat element, a Marine Aircraft Group, and a Combat Logistics Regiment. Marine Expeditionary Brigades are supplied for 30 days and offer increased firepower and airpower over the Marine Expeditionary Unit.[98]
The largest MAGTF is the Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), which is the primary warfighting force for larger operations. A Marine Expeditionary Force is commanded by a lieutenant general and consists of 46,000 to 90,000 marines. Currently there are only three Marine Expeditionary Forces, each with its own Marine Division, Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Logistics Group, and Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group. Marine Expeditionary Forces are supplied for 60 days.[98] Certain elements are held at the Marine Expeditionary Force level, such as Force Reconnaissance. The MEF Information Group (MIG) also provides a number of functions such as the intelligence battalion; radio battalion which conducts signals intelligence, electronic warfare, and cyberspace operations; communications battalion; the MEF support battalion; and the Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company.[107][108]
While not a MAGTF, the Marine Corps has begun to reorganize some of its regiments into Marine Littoral Regiments (MRL), which are similar in size to a Marine Expeditionary Unit. A Marine Littoral Regiment is a self-deployable force, designed to be naval in nature and operate in the littoral region. A Marine Littoral Regiment consists of a littoral combat team, a littoral anti-air battalion, and a combat logistics battalion. Notably, the Marine Littoral Regiment has no aviation combat element, unlike a Marine Expeditionary Unit.[109]
Under Headquarters Marine Corps, the Marine Corps is organized into the Fleet Marine Force, multiple commands, and Marine Corps service components to the unified combatant commands.
The United States Navy (USN) is the United States Armed Forces' maritime force. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Navy, the U.S. Navy consists of the Regular Navy and the Navy Reserve. The Navy is the United States' principal maritime service, responsible for maritime warfare operations.[115]
The Naval Surface Forces (NAVSURFOR) is the backbone of the U.S. Navy's combat power, conducting surface warfare operations and operating its fleet of combat surface ships.[117]
The Naval Surface Forces operates eleven nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVN), split between the Nimitz-class and the newer Gerald R. Ford-class. Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of the U.S. Navy's combat power, forming the nucleus of its eleven carrier strike groups (CSG). Each aircraft carrier has an embarked carrier air wing from the Naval Air Forces.[118]
The Naval Submarine Forces (NAVSUBFOR) is often referred to as the "silent service", consisting of 68 commissioned submarines.[124]
Los Angeles-class, Seawolf-class, and Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines are capable of performing sea control missions by destroying enemy submarines and surface ships, conducting surveillance and reconnaissance, performing irregular warfare, covert troop insertion, mine and anti-mine operations, and land attack missions with tomahawk cruise missiles.[125]
The Naval Air Forces (NAVAIRFOR) is the Navy's naval aviation arm, centered around the carrier air wing. The core of the carrier air wing are the Naval Air Forces strike fighter squadrons (VFA), which fly the F-35C Lightning II stealth fighter and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. A variant of the F/A-18, the EA-18G Growler is an electronic-warfare aircraft flown by electronic attack squadrons (VAQ) off of carriers or land bases. The E-2 Hawkeye provides carriers with airborne early warning and command-and-control, while the C-2A Greyhound keeps carriers supplied. The CMV-22B Osprey is currently in the process of replacing the C-2 Greyhound for carrier resupply.[128]
Although primarily centered on carriers, the Naval Air Forces do operate a small number of land-based aircraft. These include the P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon, which conduct anti-submarine warfare operations and serve as maritime patrol aircraft, alongside the unmanned MQ-4C Triton. The E-6 Mercury is also flown by the Navy to communicate instructions to U.S. strategic forces.[129][128]
Navy commands
The U.S. Navy is organized into eight navy component commands, which command operational forces and serve as joint force maritime component commands; fifteen shore commands, which support the fleets' operating forces; five systems commands, which oversee the technical requirements of the Navy; and nine type commands, which administratively manage units of a certain type.
Air Mobility Command C-17 Globemasters performing low-level flight training
The eight specified functions of the Air Force are:[133]
Conduct nuclear operations in support of strategic deterrence, to include providing and maintaining nuclear surety and capabilities.
Conduct offensive and defensive operations, to include appropriate air and missile defense, to gain and maintain air superiority and air supremacy as required, to enable the conduct of operations by U.S. and allied land, sea, air, space, and special operations forces.
Provide timely, globally integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability and capacity from forward deployed locations and globally distributed centers to support world-wide operations.
Provide rapid global mobility to employ and sustain organic air and space forces and other military service and U. S. Special Operations Command forces, as directed, to include airlift forces for airborne operations, air logistical support, tanker forces for in-flight refueling, and assets for aeromedical evacuation.
Provide agile combat support to enhance the air and space campaign and the deployment, employment, sustainment, and redeployment of air and space forces and other forces operating within the air and space domains, to include joint air and space bases, and for the Armed Forces other than which is organic to the individual military services and U.S. Special Operations Command in coordination with the other military services, combatant commands, and U.S. Government departments and agencies.
Conduct global personnel recovery operations including theater-wide combat and civil search and rescue in coordination with the other military services, combatant commands, and DoD components.
Conduct globally integrated command and control for air and space operations.
The Air Force still operates an extremely sizable force of fourth-generation fighters. The F-15C Eagle is a dedicated air superiority fighter, while the F-15E Strike Eagle has been modified to be a dual-role strike fighter, carrying both conventional and nuclear weapons.[139][140] The F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle are both being replaced by the F-15EX Eagle II, which is significantly more advanced.[141] The F-16C Fighting Falcon is a multirole fighter that has served as the primary Air Force fighter for decades, including as a dual-capable tactical nuclear strike fighter.[142][143] The A-10C Thunderbolt IIattack aircraft has been the first Air Force fighter specifically designed for close air support missions, operating against enemy ground forces and light naval ships with its GAU-8 Avenger gatling cannon and array of air-to-ground munitions.[144]
The Air Force's bomber forces are organized under Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force, executing long-range strike operations. The B-2A Spirit stealth bomber is capable of conducting both conventional and nuclear strike operations flying through air defenses.[145] The B-1B Lancer, in contrast, is a supersonic bomber that carries only conventional munitions and serves as the backbone of the bomber force.[145] Both the B-2A Spirit and the B-1B Lancer are being replaced by the B-21 Raider stealth bomber, which can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear munitions.[146] The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that the Air Force has flown since the 1950s and operates a variety of conventional and nuclear munitions, including the AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile.[147]
The Air Force's intercontinental ballistic missile forces are organized under Air Force Global Strike Command's Twentieth Air Force, serving as the land component of the nuclear triad. The LGM-30G Minuteman III serves as the only ballistic missile operated by the Air Force, with 400 stationed in hardened silos.[148] The LGM-30G will be replaced by the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile.[149]
The Air Force's special operations forces are organized under Air Force Special Operations Command, consisting of both special operations aviation and Air Force special tactics airmen on the ground. The AC-130J Ghostridergunships have the primary mission of close air support and air interdiction, using cannons and precision guided munitions.[150] The MC-130J Commando II, also a variant of the C-130 Hercules, fly exfiltration and resupply operations for special operations forces, along with conducting air-to-air refueling for helicopters.[151] The CV-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft used for the infiltration and exfiltration of special operations forces.[152] While not under Air Force Special Operations Command, rescue operations are supported by the HC-130J Combat King II and HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue aircraft.[153] The MQ-9 Reaper also serves as a remotely piloted intelligence and strike aircraft, serving under Air Force Special Operations Command and Air Combat Command.[154]
Air Force Pararescue with a HH-60 helicopter in the background
Air Force Special Tactics are the ground special warfare force of the U.S. Air Force, integrating air-ground operations. Special Tactics conduct four core missions. Global access teams assess and open airfields, ranging from international airports to dirt strips, in permissive or hostile locations to facilitate the landing and operation of air forces. Precision strike teams are trained to direct aircraft and other forces to conduct kinetic and non-kinetic strikes, as well as humanitarian aid drops. Special Tactics teams also conduct personnel recovery missions, possessing significant medical and rescue experience. Finally, Special Operations Surgical Teams conduct surgery and medical operations in battlefield operations in support of special operations.[155]
The airlift forces operate three different major aircraft. The C-5M Super Galaxy is the largest aircraft in the Air Force, serving as a strategic transport aircraft.[158] The C-17A Globemaster III is the airlift force's most flexible aircraft, conducting both strategic and tactical airlift operations. It is also capable of conducting airborne operations for the Army and aerial resupply through airdropping cargo.[159] Finally, the C-130J Super Hercules is a tactical airlifter, conducting both cargo airlift and supporting Army airborne operations.[160] Other major airlift platforms include the VC-25, which serves as the personal plane of the president of the United States, better known as Air Force One.[161]
The Air Force also operates three major aerial refueling tankers. The KC-46A Pegasus is its most modern tanker, replacing the aging KC-10A Extenders.[162] The remaining tanker is the KC-135 Stratotanker, which has flown since the 1950s.[163] Tankers are also capable of conducting limited airlift operations.
Air Force commands
The U.S. Air Force is organized into nine major commands, which conduct the majority of the service's organize, train, and equip functions. It commands forces attached to the combatant commands as joint force air component commands.[164]
Primary provider of combat air forces to the unified combatant commands. Air Combat Command operates fighter, reconnaissance, battle-management, and electronic-combat aircraft.[165]
Operates the Air Force strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile forces. Air Force component and joint force air component command for United States Strategic Command.[167]
Manages installation and mission support, discovery and development, test and evaluation, and life cycle management services and sustainment for every major Air Force weapon system.[168]
Primary provider of air mobility forces to the unified combatant commands. Air Force component and joint force air component command for United States Transportation Command.[170]
Boeing X-37B spaceplane after deorbiting and landing
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the United States Armed Forces' space force and is the newest military branch. Originally established in 2019, it traces its history through Air Force Space Command and the Western Development Division to 1954. The United States Space Force is the principal space service, responsible for space warfare operations.[171] The U.S. Space Force is composed of the Regular Space Force, not yet having organized a reserve component outside of the Air Force.
Combat power projection operations ensure freedom of action in space for the U.S. and its allies and denies an adversary freedom of action in space. These are divided into offensive and defensive space operations. Defensive operations preserve and protect U.S. and allied space capabilities, which are further sub-divided into active and passive actions. Offensive operations target a U.S. adversary's space and counterspace capabilities, achieving space superiority.[173]
Orbital warfare forces conduct protect-and-defend operations and provide U.S. national decision authorities with response options to deter and, when necessary, defeat orbital threats. The space electromagnetic warfare forces conduct offensive and defensive space control operations. Space Force cyber forces conduct defensive cyber operations to protect space assets.[175][176]
Although the U.S. Space Force is not a cyber force, it does conduct extensive cyber operations under Space Delta 6. The primary focus of Space Force cyber operations is defending U.S. Space Force networks and ensuring the operations of its spacecraft, which are controlled remotely from ground stations.[177] All space operations units have cyber squadrons assigned to defend them and incorporate offensive cyber operations.[178][179][180]
The Space Force's Space Delta 2 operates the United States Space Surveillance Network, tracking 47,000 objects in space as of 2022.[181][182] Space domain awareness encompasses the identification, characterization, and understanding of any factor associated with the space domain that could affect space operations.[173]
Space-based missile warning systems include the Defense Support Program and Space-Based Infrared System (SIBRS) spacecraft, which use infrared sensors to conduct missile defense and missile warning. SIBRS also has a battlespace awareness and technical intelligence mission.[191] The Defense Support Program spacecraft are also capable of detecting nuclear detonations, in addition to space and missile launches.[192]
Global Positioning System and military satellite communications
The Space Force's Space Delta 8 is the operator of the Global Positioning System and the military's array of communications spacecraft.[193]
The Global Positioning System is operated by the 2nd Space Operations Squadron, providing positioning, navigation, and timing information for civilian and military users across the entire world.[194] The Space Force's GPS system has become an integral element of the global information infrastructure, being used in virtually all sectors of the economy, including agriculture, aviation, marine transportation, surveying and mapping, and transit navigation. Its timing signal is used to synchronize global communication systems, electrical power grids, and financial networks.[195] The Global Positioning System also has a secondary mission of carrying nuclear detonation detection sensors.[196]
An experimental Air Force Research Laboratory vanguard program that the Space Force leads, Rocket Cargo, is exploring using rockets to supplement naval and air transport to rapidly deliver supplies to forces across the Earth.[203] The SpaceX Starship rocket is one such system currently being explored.[204]
Space Force commands
The Space Force is organized into three field commands and multiple component field commands, which serve as joint force space component commands for the unified combatant commands.[205]
The Space Force's operations field command, conducting space operations, cyberspace operations, and intelligence operations. Space Force component to United States Space Command.[206]
The Coast Guard has six major operational mission programs, through which it executes its 11 statutory missions:[211]
Maritime law enforcement
Maritime response
Maritime prevention
Maritime transport system management
Maritime security operations
Defense operations
Maritime law enforcement operations focus on protecting the United States maritime borders and assuring its maritime sovereignty. The Coast Guard conducts operations to suppress violations of U.S. law at sea, including counter-illegal migration and transnational organized crime operations. Codified missions executed under the maritime law enforcement program include drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, living marine resources, and other law enforcement.[211]
Maritime response operations see the Coast Guard conducting search-and-rescue operations and rescuing mariners responding to maritime disasters. Codified missions include search and rescue and marine environmental protection (response activities).[211]
Coast Guard aviation MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter with a rescue swimmer
Maritime prevention operations prevent marine casualties and property losses, minimize security risks, and protect the marine environment. The Coast Guard does so by developing and enforcing federal regulations, conducting safety and security inspections, and analyzing port security risk assessments. Codified missions include ports, waterways, and coastal security, marine safety, and marine environmental protection (protection activities).[211]
Maritime transport system management ensures a safe, secure, and environmentally sound waterways system. Codified missions include maintaining aids to navigation and ice operations.[211]
Maritime security operations include activities to detect, deter, prevent, and disrupt terrorist attacks, and other criminal acts in the U.S. maritime domain. This includes the execution of anti-terrorism, response, and select recovery operations. This mission performs the operational element of the Coast Guard's Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security mission and complements its Maritime Response and Prevention efforts. Codified missions include ports, waterways, and coastal security (response activities).[211]
Coast Guard Defense Operations deploy the Coast Guard globally under the Department of Defense's unified combatant commands, where it operates under the joint force maritime component commands. Codified missions include defense readiness.[211]
Coast Guard commands
The U.S. Coast Guard is organized into two area commands that cover the entire globe.[212]
The Department of the Air Force budget, unlike the Department of the Army or Department of the Navy has a sizable portion of "pass-through." This is money not controlled or used by the Air Force, but is instead passed to other Department of Defense agencies and can be up to 17% of the department's budget. This pass-through allocation gives the impression that the Air Force is the highest funded military department. It is actually the least funded.[217]
The Army's modernization efforts, led by Army Futures Command, are centralized into six priorities. Each priority is led by a Cross Functional Team.
Long Range Precision Fires is the land service's top modernization priority, focusing on rebuilding its Field Artillery Branch in response to longer range Russian and Chinese artillery systems. The Extended Range Cannon Artillery program is developing a cannon artillery piece that can accurately fire at targets 70 kilometers away, an increase from the 30 kilometer distance of current cannon artillery. The Precision Strike Missile is a surface-to-surface guided missile intended to be fired from the current M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System and M142 HIMARS, replacing their current missiles and doubling the rate of fire. The Army is also working with the Missile Defense Agency, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force to develop a common hypersonic glide body, which the Army will employ as part of the mobile ground launched Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon program. Finally, the Army is working to modify the U.S. Navy's RIM-174 Standard ERAM and UGM-109 Tomahawk land attack cruise missile for ground launch to provide the Army with mid-range artillery capability.[225]
The Army is working to modernize its communication networks for the Army Signal Corps, including developing a Unified Network consisting of an integrated tactical network, an integrated enterprise network, and unified network-enabling capabilities. Other sub-efforts include developing a common operating environment, ensuring the network is interoperable with the other services and allied countries, and increasing the mobility and reducing the signature of its command posts. Efforts also include modernizing Global Positioning System technology to provide assured positioning, navigation, and timing, and working with the United States Intelligence Community and commercial space companies to increase the Army's access to space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.[225]
Army Rangers armed with the XM7 rifle and XM250 light machine gun
The first layer of defense is the Ballistic Low-Altitude Drone Engagement, which will be mounted on the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station and is designed to engage small unmanned aerial vehicles. The second layer is the Multi-Mission High Energy Laser, which will intercept small drones and munitions. The third and fourth layers comprise the Maneuver Air Defense Technology and Next-Generation Fires Radar, which will be integrated into short range air defense systems. The fifth layer puts a High-Energy Laser Tactical Vehicle Demonstrator onto a Medium Tactical Vehicle, while the sixth layer encompasses the Low-Cost Extended-Range Air Defense to supplement the MIM-104 Patriot missiles.[225]
The Marine Corps modernization is being executed under the aegis of Force Design 2030, which is intended to return the service to its naval and amphibious roots serving as a "stand-in" force within contested areas of the maritime littorals.[228] As part of this effort, the Marine Corps has begun establishing naval-focused Marine Littoral Regiments, consisting of a Littoral Combat Team, Littoral Anti-Air Battalion, and a Combat Logistics Battalion. The Littoral Combat Team is organized around an infantry battalion with an anti-ship missile battery, focused on conducting sea denial operations in support of the Navy.[229]
The Marine Corps is in the process of acquiring the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, which is slated to replace the aging Assault Amphibious Vehicle. The Amphibious Combat Vehicle is intended to support the Marines during amphibious assaults and once they have reached shore. The Marine Corps has also adopted the Naval Strike Missile which is fielded from a modified Joint Light Tactical Vehicle as part of the Marines' artillery battalions. The concept is that small mobile units of Marines would move around different islands and shorelines with these weapons to fire on adversary ships.[230]
Like the Marine Corps, the Navy is in the process of overhauling and modernizing its fleet with a renewed focus. While the Navy is continuing to purchase Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, it is embarking on the DDG(X) program of guided missile destroyers to replace them and the Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The DDG(X) will include directed energy weapons and potentially hypersonic weapons.[231]
Concept for a Space Force Rocket Cargo program conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations
The U.S. Space Force is undergoing intensive modernization efforts. The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) is intended to track objects in geosynchronous orbit with three sites, one in the United States, one in the Indo-Pacific, and one in Europe.[236]
NASA's return to the Moon through the Artemis program is leading to a greater emphasis on cislunar domain awareness
Oracle, a spacecraft developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory for the Space Force, will demonstrate technologies that the space service needs for cislunar domain awareness – tracking objects outside of geosynchronous orbit and between Earth and the Moon. The spacecraft itself will launch to an area of gravitational stability between the Earth and the Moon to conduct operations, using a wide-field sensor and a more sensitive narrow-field sensor to discover and maintain custody of objects operating in this region. Oracle will directly support NASA's Artemis program as it returns to the Moon and track potentially hazardous near-Earth objects in support of planetary defense operations.[237]
Also an Air Force Research Laboratory program for the Space Force, Arachne is the keystone experiment in the Space Solar Power Incremental Demonstrations and Research Project, which aims to prove and mature essential technologies for a prototype space-based solar power transmission system capable of powering a forward operating base. Arachne will specifically demonstrate and mature technologies related to more efficient energy generation, radio frequency forming, and radio frequency beaming. Current forward operation bases rely on significant logistics convoys to transport fuel for power – space-based solar power would move these supply lines to space, where they cannot be easily attacked. Space Force provided space-based solar power may transition to civilian use in the same vein as GPS.[238] Other space-based power beaming demonstrations include the Space Power InfraRed Regulation and Analysis of Lifetime (SPIRRAL) and Space Power INcremental DepLoyable Experiment (SPINDLE) experiments.[239]
The Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), building on the Space Force's Global Positioning System constellation, is an Air Force Research Laboratory spacecraft that will operate in geosynchronous orbit to test advanced techniques and technologies to detect and mitigate interference to positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities and increase system resiliency for military, civil, and commercial users. NTS-3 is a Vanguard program, described as aiming to deliver potentially game changing capabilities.[240]
The Space Force's Rocket Cargo program is another Air Force Research Laboratory Vanguard program, focused on leasing space launch services to quickly transport military materiel to ports across the globe. If proven viable, the Space Force's Space Systems Command will be responsible for transitioning it to a program of record. United States Transportation Command would be the primary user of this capability, rapidly launching up to 100 tons of cargo anywhere in the world.[203]
Personnel
This section needs to be updated. The reason given is: first paragraph and women section. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2024)
While the United States Armed Forces is an all-volunteer military, conscription through the Selective Service System can be enacted at the president's request and Congress' approval, with all males ages 18 through 25 living in the United States required to register with the Selective Service.[242] Although the constitutionality of registering only males for Selective Service was challenged by federal district court in 2019, its legality was upheld by a federal appeals court in 2020.[243]
As in most militaries, members of the U.S. Armed Forces hold a rank, either that of officer, warrant officer or enlisted, to determine seniority and eligibility for promotion. Those who have served are known as veterans.
Rank names may be different between services, but they are matched to each other by their corresponding paygrade.[244] Officers who hold the same rank or paygrade are distinguished by their date of rank to determine seniority. Officers who serve in certain positions of office of importance set by law, outrank all other officers on active duty of the same rank and paygrade, regardless of their date of rank.[245]
Personnel by service
Total number of authorized personnel in FY23.[246]
Rank in the United States Armed Forces is split into three distinct categories: officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel.
Officers are the leadership of the military, holding commissions from the president of the United States and confirmed to their rank by the Senate.
Warrant officers hold a warrant from the secretaries of the military departments, serving as specialists in certain military technologies and capabilities. Upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2, they gain a commission from the president of the United States.
Enlisted personnel constitute the majority of the armed forces, serving as specialists and tactical-level leaders until they become senior non-commissioned officers or senior petty officers.
Military ranks across the services can be compared by U.S. Uniformed Services pay grade or NATO rank code.[247]
O-7 to O-10: General officers in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force or flag officers in the Navy and Coast Guard.
Officers are typically commissioned as second lieutenants or ensigns with a bachelor's degree after several years of training and education or directly commissioned from civilian life into a specific specialty, such as a medical professional, lawyer, chaplain, or cyber specialist.[252][253]
Warrant officers are specialists, accounting for only 8% of the officer corps.[251] Warrant officers hold warrants from their service secretary and are specialists and experts in certain military technologies or capabilities. The lowest-ranking warrant officers serve under a warrant, but they receive commissions from the president upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2. They derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers but remain specialists, in contrast to commissioned officers, who are generalists. There are no warrant officers in the Air Force or Space Force.[247]
Warrant officers are typically non-commissioned officers before being selected, with the exception of Army Aviation where any enlisted grade can apply for a warrant. Army Warrant officers attend the Army Warrant Officer Candidate School.[255]
Enlisted personnel comprise 82% of the armed forces, serving as specialists and tactical leaders.[251] Enlisted personnel are divided into three categories:
E-1 to E-3/4: Junior enlisted personnel are usually in initial training or at their first assignment. E-1 to E-3 in the Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard, and E-1 to E-4 in the Army, Air Force, and Space Force. In the Army, specialists (E-4) are considered to be junior enlisted, while corporals (E-4) are non-commissioned officers.
E-4/5 to E-6: Non-commissioned officers in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force and petty officers in the Navy and Coast Guard. In the Air Force and Space Force, E-5 is the first non-commissioned officer rank. Non-commissioned officers and petty officers are responsible for tactical leadership.
Women such as Deborah Sampson disguised themselves as men to join the military during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Some historians estimate that as many as 400 women disguised themselves as men to enlist during the Civil War. The first woman doctor in the Army, Mary Edwards Walker, was commissioned in 1864. In 1901, the United States Army Nurse Corps was established as a quasi-military auxiliary, followed by the United States Navy Nurse Corps in 1908.[257]:4–9
Women were not accepted in the armed forces outside of medical roles until World War I, when they were allowed to enlist to perform clerical roles. Women were accepted into the Naval Reserve Force in 1917, and the Marine Corps Reserves and Coast Guard in 1918.[257]:9–10 The War Department forbid Army and National Guard posts from employing any women except as nurses,[257]:13 but the need for telephone operators overseas during World War I became urgent and hundreds of "Hello Girls" were recruited. These members of the Army Signal Corps wore military uniforms and took the Army oath, but were classified as civilian employees until 1977 when their military service was officially recognized.[258]
After the Armistice of 11 November 1918 was signed, enlisted women were demobilized and the nurse corps returned to peacetime strength. The Naval Reserve Act of 1916, which authorized the Navy to enlist "citizens", was changed in 1925 to specify "male citizens".[257]:16–17
During World War II, all branches of the U.S. military enlisted women. The Woman's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was established by the Army in 1942 with auxiliary status, and converted to the Women's Army Corps (WAC) in June, 1943.[c][257]:24–25 Also formed during this time were the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), the Navy's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services (WAVES), the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, and the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (SPARS).[259]
Women experienced combat as nurses in the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, before the U.S. officially entered the war. In 1944, WACs arrived in the Pacific and in Normandy. During the war, 67 Army nurses and 16 Navy nurses were captured and spent three years as Japanese prisoners of war. There were 350,000 American women who served during World War II, and 432 were killed in the line of service.[259] In total, they gained over 1,500 medals, citations, and commendations.
After World War II, demobilization led to the vast majority of serving women being returned to civilian life. By 1946, the Coast Guard had demobilized all of its women members, while the other branches retained some.[257]:105 Law 625, The Women's Armed Services Act of 1948, was signed by President Harry S. Truman, allowing women to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces in fully integrated units during peace time, albeit with limits that did not apply to men.[d] The intent of Congress was that women should be noncombatants only, but because of the difficulty in defining restrictions for the Army in the law, it was left up to the service secretaries to comply with that intent, although the law did prohibit women from serving aboard ships and on aircraft that engaged in combat missions.[257]:118–120 The Army retained a separate corps for women (WAC), while the other services integrated women into their organizational structure.[257]:121 In 1951, Executive Order 10240 was issued, authorizing the services to discharge women who became pregnant or had minor children in the home (including stepchildren, foster children, and siblings).[257]:125
During the Korean War of 1950–1953, many women served in the Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals. A recruiting project started in 1951 aimed to increase the number of women in the military from 40,000 to 112,000 by July 1952, but it only achieved 46,000. Some of the reasons were the lack of public support for involvement in Korea; public disapproval of women in the military; fewer women in the right age group due to the low birthrate during the Depression; and the higher standards required for women enlistees.[257]:149–155[e]
In the 1960s, recruiting and training focused on the attractiveness and femininity of women enlistees. Outside of the medical fields, women were mostly assigned to clerical, administrative, and protocol-related jobs. Women who were previously in technical positions were retrained for the few jobs now permitted for women. Of the 61 non-combat occupational groups, only 36 were open to women by 1965.[257]:180–184 Beginning in 1965, efforts to increase the number of women in the armed forces accompanied concern about the expiration of the Selective Service Act and reduction in enlistment standards to ensure sufficient troops to support the Vietnam War. Public Law 90-130, signed on 8 November 1967, removed the restrictions on female officers in the armed forces and in 1970, two women Army officers were promoted to brigadier general.[257]:187–203
During the Vietnam War, 600 women served in the country as part of the Air Force, along with 500 members of the WAC and over 6,000 medical personnel and support staff.[257]:205–228
The end of conscription in the early 1970s was a major driver of the expansion of the roles of women in the armed forces. The number of enlisted and commissioned women in the military hit 110,000 by June 1977.[257]:246–250 The Army Ordnance Corps began accepting female missile technicians in 1974.[260] Female crewmembers and officers were accepted into Field Artillery missile units.[261][262] The services opened up their Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) programs to women, and in 1976, women were admitted to the service academies.[257]:268–270
In 1974, the first six female naval aviators earned their wings as Navy pilots. The Combat Exclusion Policy that prohibited women in combat placed limitations on the pilots' advancement,[263] but at least two retired as captains.[264]
The role of women in the U.S. Armed Forces received global media attention during the 1991 Gulf War, though their perception in media was skewed during this time period as little media attention was given to the situations where women faced combat.[265][266]
In 1991, women were permitted to fly military aircraft. Since 1994, women have been permitted to serve on U.S. combat ships.[267] In 2010, the ban on women serving on submarines was lifted.[268]
A female U.S. Air Force fighter pilot at Osan Air Base in South Korea in 2017
On 3 December 2015, U.S. defense secretary Ashton Carter announced that all military combat positions would become available to women.[269] This gave women access to the roughly 10% of military jobs which were previously closed to them.[270][271] The various military services were given until January 2016 to provide plans on how they would enforce the policy change.[272] Many women believed this would allow them to improve their positions in the military, since most high-ranking officers start in combat positions.[citation needed]
No woman has ever become a Navy SEAL.[276][277] However, in July 2021, the first woman graduated from the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) training program to become a Special Warfare Combatant craft Crewman (SWCC). The SWCC directly supports the SEALs and other special forces units, and are experts in covert insertion and extraction special operation tactics.[278][279]
Despite concerns of a gender gap, all personnel both men and women, at the same rank and time of service, are compensated the same across all branches.[280] On 1 June 2022, ADM Linda L. Fagan assumed command of the U.S. Coast Guard, becoming not only the first woman to serve as Commandant of the Coast Guard, but also the first woman in American history to serve as a service chief in the U.S. Military.[281]
A study conducted by the RAND Corporation suggests that women who make the military their careers experience improved rates of promotion.[282]
As per the DoD's report on sexual assault within the U.S. Army for fiscal year 2019, 7,825 cases had been reported. This represented a 3% increase relative to the 2018 report.[283][284]
As of 2022, there are 228,966 women in the military, representing 17.5% of the total active duty force. Since 2021, the percentage of women on active duty service has increased slightly, by 0.3%. Since 2005, the population of active duty women has increased by 2.9%.[285][286]
Order of precedence
The Joint Armed Forces Color Guard at Arlington National CemeterySoldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen from their services ceremonial units stand in formation at Arlington National Cemetery
Under Department of Defense regulation, the various components of the U.S. Armed Forces have a set order of precedence that is based on founding dates.[287] This order is used for the display of service flags as well as the placement of soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen, guardians, and coast guardsmen in formations and parades.[citation needed]
While the original founding date of a U.S. Navy was earlier than that of the Marine Corps,[288] the Marine Corps takes precedence due to previous inconsistencies in the Navy's birth date. The Marine Corps has recognized its observed birth date on a more consistent basis. The Second Continental Congress is considered to have established the Navy on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the purchase of ships, but the "Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies" were not established until 27 November 1775,[289] and the Navy also lost funding and was temporarily discontinued in 1785.[290] The Marine Corps was established by an act of the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775. The Navy did not officially recognize 13 October 1775 as its birth date until 1972, when then–chief of naval operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt authorized it to be observed as such.[288]
The Coast Guard is normally situated after the Space Force, but if it is moved to the Department of the Navy, then its place in the order of precedence would change to being situated after the Navy and before the Air Force.[288][failed verification]
↑ Maximum age for first-time enlistment is 35 for the Army,[1] 28 for the Marine Corps,[2] 41 for the Navy,[3] 42 for the Air Force,[4] 42 for the Space Force,[5] and 42 for the Coast Guard.[6]
↑ WAAC members lacked military status and legal protections; they did not receive the same pay or entitlements as male counterparts, and they had no military rank.
↑ The proportion of women in each service was limited to 2 percent, and additional limits were placed on commissioned ranks, age of enlistment, and designation of their family members as dependents.[257]:120
↑ Women recruits had to meet higher educational, mental, and physical standards than men. In addition, they had to pass a psychiatric examination as well as "an investigation of the records of local police, mental hospitals, schools, former employers, and personal references".[257]:154–155
↑ E. Blake Towler, ed. (May–June 1996). "PEOPLE • PLANES • PLACES"(PDF). Naval Aviation News. pp.40–44. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces, also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of 3,600,000 in 2022.
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth version existing for acts of joint military service performed under the Department of Defense.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the National Security Council on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of a chairman (CJCS), a vice chairman (VJCS), the chiefs of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the chief of the National Guard Bureau. Each of the individual service chiefs, outside their JCS obligations, works directly under the secretaries of their respective military departments, e.g. the secretary of the Army, the secretary of the Navy, and the secretary of the Air Force.
First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment.
The Achievement Medal is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. The Achievement Medal was first proposed as a means to recognize outstanding achievement or meritorious service of military personnel who were not eligible to receive the higher Commendation Medal or the Meritorious Service Medal.
Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units including the U.S. Space Force's Space Delta 4, the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing, the Denver Naval Operations Support Center, and the National Reconnaissance Office's Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado.
The Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) is an enterprise-level shore command of the United States Navy with more than 19,000 military and staff personnel at more than 1,640 subordinate activities, sites, districts, stations, and detachments throughout the world, and was established in 1971. NETC recruits, trains and delivers those who serve the nation, taking them from "street to fleet" by transforming civilians into highly skilled, operational, and combat ready warfighters. In 2018, accessions management and distribution functions of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) were realigned under NETC and Navy Recruiting Command (NAVCRUITCOM) now serves as a subordinate command to NETC.
A space command is a military organization with responsibility for space operations and warfare. A space command is typically a joint organization or organized within a larger military branch and is distinct from a fully independent space force. The world's first space command, the United States' Air Force Space Command was established in 1982 and later became the United States Space Force in 2019.
The Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is a naval infantry force under the command of the Philippine Navy. The PMC conducts amphibious, expeditionary, and special operations missions.
In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a commissioned-officer rank. In keeping with the traditions of the militaries of most nations, the rank varies between the services, being a senior rank in the naval services and a junior rank in the ground and air forces. Many fire departments and police departments in the United States also use the rank of captain as an officer in a specific unit.
The structure of the United States Navy consists of four main bodies: the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the operating forces, and the Shore Establishment.
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combined arms, implementing its own infantry, artillery, aerial, and special operations forces. The U.S. Marine Corps is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States.
A squadron in an air force, or naval or army aviation service, is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force.
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) has a complex organizational structure. It includes the Army, Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, the Unified combatant commands, U.S. elements of multinational commands, as well as non-combat agencies such as the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency. The DoD's annual budget was roughly US$496.1 billion in 2015. This figure is the base amount and does not include the $64.3 billion spent on "War/Non-War Supplementals". Including those items brings the total to $560.6 billion for 2015.
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
The United States Space Force (USSF) is the United States Armed Forces' space service and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is one of two independent space forces in the world.
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The United States Military Academy commissions officers into the United States Army.
The United States Naval Academy commissions officers into the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy.
The United States Air Force Academy commissions officers into the United States Air Force and United States Space Force.
The United States Coast Guard Academy commissions officers into the United States Coast Guard.
