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- Air Force. The Air Force is the most recently established branch of the military and was officially established as a separate branch in 1947. Its main purpose is to support the security of the United States through air and space exploitation.
- Army. The Army is the oldest branch of the military and was established in 1775. The Army is considered to be the ground force of the military. Even though there are aviation units within the Army, their main missions are on the ground and the majority of the soldiers who serve have a job related to ground forces.
- Navy. The Navy was also established in 1775 and is considered to be the defender of the seas. While those serving in the Navy also operate on land, their main mission is on the sea.
- Marines. The Marines are the second smallest branch of the military. Their purpose has changed somewhat over the years. When it was first established in 1775, it was under the Navy as a ground force element of the branch.
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America’s military has always been a product of the American community, beginning with the town militias of the 1700s. The Founding Fathers kept this in mind when they formed the nation’s government; although states were allowed to maintain militias (the origin of today’s National Guard), the Constitution put “the common defense” of the nation as t...
The Constitution gives Congress the responsibility to provide for “the common defense and general welfare of the United States” and, in regard to military matters, the following authority: 1. to declare war; 2. to raise and maintain armed forces; 3. to make rules for the government and regulation of the armed forces; 4. to organize, arm and discipl...
The military operational chain of command runs from the president through the secretary of defense to the commanders of the combatant commands and down to unit commanders. Only the president and the secretary of defense have the constitutional authority to order military action and intertheater troop movements. The secretary of defense runs the Dep...
The U.S. armed forces comprise the four military services—the Army, the Navy (including the Marine Corps), the Air Force (including the Space Force) and the Coast Guard. 1. The Armyis the primary land force. Its purpose is to employ dominant landpower to defeat an adversary and to seize, occupy and defend terrain. 2. The Navy’s mission is to gain a...
The Army, Navy and Air Force have their own civilian service secretaries (e.g., secretary of the Army) who direct the nonoperational activities of their military departments. The chain of command runs from the president through the secretary of defense to the service secretary and then to the military chief of that service and down to that service’...
The JCS comprise the military service chiefs—the chief of staff, Army; the chief of Naval operations; the commandant, Marine Corps; the chief of staff, Air Force; the chief of space operations, Space Force; and the chief of the National Guard Bureau—plus the chairman and vice chairman. The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff (CJCS) is senior to a...
The U.S. armed forces are distributed among unified combatant commands comprising forces from two or more services. These unified commands are determined either by geography, i.e., “theater” (U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Indo–Pacific Command, U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Southern Command and U.S. Space Comma...
National security refers to the protection of the United States from internal and external threats to the country’s territory, population, government or economy. The president is responsible for developing the National Security Strategy (NSS), which outlines the administration’s strategic approach to America’s enduring and most pressing interests. ...
Consistent with the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, the National Defense Strategy (NDS), most recently updated in March 2022, sets out how DoD will contribute to advancing and safeguarding vital U.S. national interests—protecting the American people, expanding America’s prosperity and realizing and defending democratic values. In 2022...
The classified Defense Planning Guidance and the National Military Strategy (NMS), informed and structured around the goals outlined in the NSS, are also periodically updated and released. Similarly, the classified Capstone Concept for Joint Operations is published as guidance for carrying out the NMS. The most recent unclassified editions of each ...
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Apr 12, 2021 · Essay. How Biden Will—and Won’t—Battle the Pentagon. What the new president really thinks about the military—and what the military really thinks about him. April 12, 2021, 8:00 AM. By Mark...
The armed forces consist of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. [14] [15] All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States. [16] Each of the different military services is assigned a role and domain. The Army conducts land operations.
- Army. Established on June 14, 1775, the U.S. Army is the oldest branch of the military. The Army was essential to the U.S. gaining independence because of the bravery of its soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
- Navy. The U.S. Navy is known for protecting the country by sea. However, even though they do that and do it well, they also serve on land and in the air.
- Marines. Although the U.S. Marine Corps is technically part of the Department of the Navy, it does stand alone as a separate branch of the military. It wasn’t always part of the Navy, though.
- Coast Guard. The Coast Guard protects U.S. waterways, ports, and shores, as well as acts as a first responder on our coasts. The Coast Guard is especially unique because it’s not only a military branch, but also a federal law enforcement agency.
Jan 12, 2024 · And the military is definitely a subculture of America, meaning we have a lot of the same behaviors, a lot of the same impacts, such as we’re going to talk here probably in a few minutes, about even just the impact of social media, how that’s changed America. But when you look at the military as a subculture, we see some very interesting ...
With five active-duty U.S. military branches (six including the Space Force) and an equal number of reserve components, what is the best military branch to join? The difference between military branches might seem minimal from the outside, but each has their own roles, responsibilities, and even culture.
