The United States Armed Forces

Founded on June 14, 1775, a year before the nation declared its independence from Great Britain, the United States Armed Forces are composed of six main branches: The United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Space Force, United States Air Force and the Coast Guard. They exist to provide a cohesive and organized defending force in times of conflict or war.

The four most well-known branches are:

1) The Army: The largest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces is the oldest and arguably the most versatile. The Army deals primarily with land-based conflicts and specializes in large-scale operations and the use of heavy armored equipment and weapons. Its weapons include simple firearms to highly advanced ones.

2) The Navy: As one of the eight uniformed services of the United States, the United States Navy is the Naval War branch of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Navy is the world’s largest and most powerful, with more cargo than the next 13 navies, including eleven allied and partner nations. 

With 11 aircraft carriers in service, two more under construction, and five more slated for construction, it has the world’s most considerable combined battle fleet tonnage and aircraft carrier fleet. In addition to its active-duty personnel of over 340,000, the U.S. has over 100,000 in the Reserves. Personnel-wise, the Navy is the third-largest U.S. military branch.

3) The Marine Corps: The Marines is an elite land force specializing in amphibious combat and other operations involving manoeuvring, leading and supporting ground and air forces. It is currently made up of about 180,958 active personnel stationed at over 100 bases worldwide. The Corps also have about 38,500 reserve personnel.

4) The Air Force: As one of the youngest branches, the Air Force’s key roles include: Air superiority, Command and control, Global strike, Global integrated intelligence, Rapid global mobility, surveillance and reconnaissance. It includes approximately 330,000 active duty personnel and over 170,000 civilian employees. The Air Force also has over 60,000 reserves.

Collectively, the Armed forces of the United States are the most potent fighting force in the world, with a staggering budget of about 700 billion dollars. That is more than the next ten countries combined. Check out our sidebar to learn more about each branch, or click on the embedded links as highlighted.

It is projected to grow to more than $1.0 trillion by 2027, with inflation being considered. Thank you for reading, and please share this article with your friends and family on social media!