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The United States Navy
(USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for
conducting naval operations and is one of seven uniformed services. The
U.S. Navy currently has approximately 332,000 personnel on active duty
and 125,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 280 ships in active service
and more than 3,700 aircraft.
The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which
was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded
shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal
basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to
provide and maintain a navy". Depredations against American shipping by
Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power[3] by
passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of
six frigates. The U.S. Navy came into international prominence in the
20th century, especially during World War II. It was a part of the
conflict from the onset of American military involvement—the attack on
Pearl Harbor—to Japan's official surrender on the deck of the USS
Missouri. In the subsequent Cold War, the U.S. Navy evolved into a
nuclear deterrent and crisis response force while preparing for a
possible global war with the Soviet Union.
The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable presence in the
world, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the
Middle East. Its ability to project force onto the littoral regions of
the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond
to regional crises makes it an active player in American foreign and
defense policy. The United States Navy is the largest in the world with
a tonnage greater than that of the next 17 largest combined,[4] and has
a budget of $127.3 billion for the 2007 fiscal year. The U.S. Navy also
possesses the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service and 2
under construction.
The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy,
which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of
the Navy is, itself, a division of the Department of Defense, which is
headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking Naval officer is
the Chief of Naval Operations.
In the early stages of the American Revolutionary War, the establishment
of an official navy was an issue of debate among the members of the
Continental Congress. Supporters argued that a navy would protect
shipping, defend the coast, and make it easier to seek out support from
foreign countries. Detractors countered that challenging the British
Royal Navy, then the world's preeminent naval power, was a foolish
undertaking.
Commander in Chief George Washington commissioned seven ocean-going
cruisers to interdict British supply ships, and reported the captures to
the Congress, the letter arriving to be read on 13 October a.d. 1775,
effectively ending the debate in Congress as to whether or not to
"provoke" the British by establishing a Navy. Washington's ships had
already captured British ships, somewhat a provocation.
While Congress deliberated, it received word that two unarmed British
supply ships from England were heading towards Quebec without escort. A
plan was drawn up to intercept the ships, however the armed vessels to
be used were owned not by Congress, but by individual colonies. Of
greater significance, then, was an additional plan to equip two ships
that would operate under the direct authority of Congress to capture
British supply transports. This was not carried out until October 13,
1775, when George Washington announced that he had taken command of
three armed schooners under Continental authority to intercept any
British supply ships near Massachusetts. With the revelation that
vessels were already sailing under Continental control, the decision to
add two more was made easier; the resolution was adopted and October 13
would later become known as the United States Navy's official birthday.
The Continental Navy achieved mixed results; it was successful in a few
individual engagements and raided many British merchant vessels, but it
lost 24 ships and at one point was reduced to two in active service. As
Congress turned its attention after the conflict towards securing the
western border of the new United States, a standing navy was considered
to be dispensable because of its high operating costs and its limited
number of national roles.
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