Military of the United States
| United States Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Military manpower | |
| Military age | 17–45 years old[1] |
| Availability | males & females ages 17–49:
109,305,756 (2005 est.).[2] |
| Citizenship | Regular Army: No Citizenship Requirement For Enlisted Members / All Officers must be US Citizens. National Guard: Citizens Only. |
| Reaching military age annually | males & females: 4,180,074 (2005 est.) |
| Total armed forces | 2,685,713 (Ranked 2nd) |
| Active troops | 1,426,713 (Ranked 2nd) |
| Total troops | 2,685,713 (Ranked 7th) |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $441.6 billion (Ranked 1st.) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.7% (FY2006 est.) (Ranked 26th) |
| Dollar Figure (per citizen) | $935.64($1470)[3] (ranked 3rd) |
The military of the United States, officially known as the United States Armed Forces, is made of five branches:
- United States Army
- United States Navy
- United States Marine Corps
- United States Air Force
- United States Coast Guard
The President of the United States is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense, which is controlled by the Secretary of Defense. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Marine Corps is a part of the Navy.
About 1.4 million people are currently on active duty in the military with another 1,259,000 people on reserve (with 456,000 people in the Army and Air National Guard). There is currently no drafting. Women cannot serve in some combat positions, but they can serve in most non-combat Military Occupational Specialty. Because of war, some of these non-combat jobs actually see combat regularly.[4]
Ranks[change | change source]
All branches of the US military have both Officers and Enlisted. Enlisted people with a rank of E-4 and above are called Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs). It is usually their job to make sure that common jobs are done properly every day. Each branch also includes Warrant Officers (Chief Warrant Officers in the Navy) . These were enlisted members who have been made officers. They are considered experts in their field, they are higher rank than other enlisted troops, but below officers. There are four ranks of Warrant Officers: WO-1 through WO-4 (CWO-1 to CWO-4)
Here are some common ranks for the US Army, Air Force and Marines. Each branch of the military uses different names for the enlisted ranks, but they all use the same for officers. The Navy and the Coast Guard have different ranks; for those see United States Navy.
*Each branch of the military has only one of these specific E-9 grade enlisted personnel and are considered the senior enlisted person of their branch. The Sergeant Major of the Army, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force are the spokespersons of the enlisted force at the highest levels of their services. |
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References[change | change source]
- ↑ People of 17 years of age, with permission of parents, can join the U.S. armed services.
- ↑ CIA World Fact Book https://cia.gov/cia//publications/factbook/geos/us.html
- ↑ Money spent by different countries on their militaries
- ↑ Go Army. "Careers & Jobs". http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?id=47. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Official U.S. DOD site
- United States Order of Battle
- Kamouflage.net > U.S. Military camouflage patterns
- Global Security on U.S. Military Operations
- Today's Military website
- Largest Military Personnel Locator
- US Military ranks and rank insignia
- US Military Mottos