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United States Armed Forces

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United States Armed Forces
Emblems of the U.S. Armed Forces service branches
Founded14 June 1775; 250 years ago (1775-06-14)[a]
Service branches
HeadquartersThe Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
Websitedefense.gov

www.army.mil

dhs.gov
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief[[Donald Trump]]
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
Chief of StaffJ. Daniel Caine
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine, USAF
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Christopher W. Grady, USN
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman SEAC David L. Isom, USN
Personnel
Military age17 with parental consent, 18 for voluntary service.[b]
ConscriptionInactive since 1973 (males must register at age 18)
Available for
military service		15 million (2021)[7], age 18–25
Active personnel1,328,000[8] (ranked 3rd)
Reserve personnel799,500[9]
Expenditure
Budget$1.02 Trillion (FY 2026)[10]
Percent of GDP3.4%[10]
Industry
Domestic suppliersList
Foreign suppliers United Kingdom
 Germany
 Netherlands
 France
 Israel
 Italy
 Sweden
 Australia
 Japan
 Jordan
 Spain
 Norway
  Switzerland
 Singapore
 South Africa
 Czech Republic
 Canada
 South Korea
 Brazil
 Bulgaria
Annual importsUS$652.6 million (2014–2022)[11]
Annual exportsUS$28.50 billion (2014–2022)[11]
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of the United States
Warfare directory of the United States
Conflicts involving the United States
Battles involving the United States
Ranks

The United States Armed Forces are the military of the United States. It has six branches: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

The current President of the United States is Donald J Trump. He is the current 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 located within the Department of Homeland Security. The Marine Corps located within the Department 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 conscription. Women can serve in most combat positions, and in all non-combat military jobs. Because of war, some of these non-combat jobs actually see combat regularly.[12]

Branches of the Military

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There are six main parts, called "branches," of the U.S. military:[13][14][15][16]

Branch What they do
Army The oldest and largest branch. They fight mostly on land.
Navy They use ships and submarines to protect the oceans and seas.
Marine Corps They are experts at landing on beaches and fighting in many different places.
Air Force They use airplanes, jets, and drones to fight in the air.
Space Force The newest branch. They protect U.S. satellites and interests in space.
Coast Guard They protect the coasts of the U.S. and rescue people at sea.

History

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In the American Revolutionary War, the U.S. military was formed in 1775. Initially, it was known as the Continental Army and was commanded by George Washington.[17][18][19]

The U.S. military has since been engaged in numerous large wars,[20][21] including:

Personnel (People)

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The military has two major categories of persons:

  • Enlisted Personnel: These are the working people who perform the majority of the operations and work.[22]
  • Officers: These are the heads that strategize missions and control the recruited members.[23]

By the year 2026, the number of people on Active Duty (full-time workers) is approximately 1.3 million. Hundreds of thousands of National Guard and Reserves members also train part-time and can be deployed to assist in times of emergency.[24][25][26][27]

Budget and Technology

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No other country spends more on military expenditure than the United States. The budget in 2026 can be described as more than 1 trillion.[28] This money is used for:

Ranks

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All branches of the United States military have Commissioned Officers and Non Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel. Most Enlisted members with a rank of E-4 and above are called Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), the exception is the Air Force where E-5 is considered the first Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank. Their usual duties are to supervise or make sure that common jobs are done properly every day. Most branches of the United States Military include Warrant Officers (Chief Warrant Officers in the Navy.) They are considered experts in their field, they are higher rank than other enlisted troops, but below Commissioned Officer. There are four or five ranks of Warrant Officers in most of the branches: WO-1 through WO-4 or WO-5(CWO-1 to CWO-4 or CWO-5)

Here are some common ranks for the US Army,Air Force and Marines. These branches of the military use 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. There are no five star general Ranks. The General of the Army, General of the Air Force and Fleet Admiral are only used in wartime situations. The United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force have Commissioned Officer and Non-Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel Ranks with the Navy and Coast Guard also having Officer Ranks. These Titles are seen below.

RankArmyMarinesAir Force
Army,Marines and Air Force Non Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel Ranks
E-1 Private Private Airman Basic
E-2 Private Private First Class Airman
E-3 Private First Class Lance Corporal Airman First Class
E-4 Corporal
Specialist 4		 Corporal Senior Airman
E-5 Sergeant Sergeant Staff Sergeant
E-6 Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant Technical Sergeant
E-7 Sergeant First Class Gunnery Sergeant Master Sergeant
E-8 Master Sergeant
First Sergeant		 Master Sergeant
First Sergeant		 Senior Master Sergeant
E-9 Sergeant Major Sergeant Major
Master Gunnery Sergeant		 Chief Master Sergeant
E-9* Sergeant Major
Of the Army*		 Sergeant Major Of the
Marine Corps*		 Chief Master Sergeant
Of the Air Force*

*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.

  
RankTitle
Army,Marine Corps,Air Force and Space Force Commissioned Officer Ranks
Navy Officer Ranks
O-1Second Lieutenant Ensign
O-2First Lieutenant Lieutenant Junior Grade
O-3Captain Lieutenant
O-4Major Lieutenant Commander
O-5Lieutenant Colonel Commander
O-6Colonel Captain
O-7Brigadier General Rear Admiral (Lower Half)
O-8Major General Rear Admiral
O-9Lieutenant General Vice Admiral
O-10General Admiral

Other information

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The number of generals and admirals, is over 800.[29]

References

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  1. ↑ "Common Questions About Eligibility and Requirements". Goarmy.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  2. ↑ "General Requirements". Marines.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. ↑ "Requirements to Join". Navy.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ↑ "Join the Active Duty Air Force". Airforce.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ↑ "Join as Enlisted". Spaceforce.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. ↑ "Coast Guard removes barriers to boost recruiting". MyCG. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  7. ↑ "About Selective Service".
  8. ↑ "FY2023 NDAA: Active Component EndStrength". 23 August 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Funding Bill". 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. 1 2 "President Trump's FY2026 defence budget: Continuing priorities, new missions". International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). 23 May 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  11. 1 2 "TIV of arms imports/exports from United States, 2014–2022". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 26 January 2024.
  12. ↑ Go Army. "Careers & Jobs". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2006.
  13. ↑ "Our Missions".
  14. ↑ "Our Forces". Archived from the original on 4 February 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "About Us".[permanent dead link]
  16. ↑ "Military Size by Country 2026". World Population Review. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  17. ↑ "General George Washington" (PDF).
  18. ↑ John, Bonin. "Thompson's Rifle Battalion" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "American War and Military Operations Casualties: Lists and Statistics" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY" (PDF).
  21. ↑ "George Washington: Father of His Country". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  22. ↑ "Military Careers". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "Military Careers". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Demographics of the U.S. Military | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  25. ↑ "Posture Statement".[permanent dead link]
  26. ↑ "OUSD(C) - Budget Materials". comptroller.war.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  27. ↑ "Military Members by State 2026". World Population Review. 25 March 2026. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  28. ↑ "USAspending.gov". www.usaspending.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
  29. ↑ https://www.kyivpost.com/post/61110. Retrieved 2025-09-30

Notes

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  1. ↑ With the establishment of the Continental Army.
  2. ↑ 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]

Other websites

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