Armed Forces Overview

A Look At the United States Military

The Military forces in the United States are split into five separate services. The US Army is by far the largest branch of the military and handles ground combat operations. Secondly, the Navy handles seaborne missions. Next the Air Force has responsibility for most aerial operations. The US Marines deploy combined forces where needed. And last but not least the Coast Guard is the smallest in size, but are instrumental in our homeland defense.

The commander in chief of the United States Armed Forces is the President of the United States. The Department of Defense oversees training and equipment distribution and provisions for the branches of the military. The Joint Chiefs of Staff offer guideance and advice to the President, as well as planning and coordination of missions and operations for the military.

The US Military’s presence has existed in endless locales around the world since WWII. Several deployments were terminated with the end of the Cold War, with Guantanamo Bay being one of the oldest longest lasting deployments dating back to the Spanish American War in 1898.

There are about 1.4 million active duty personnel in the US Armed Forces, and plans are to increase that number by another 90,000. There are another million in the reserve components.

Find out more about the United States Army and the US Military right here on our web site!