The United States
Armed Forces are the overall unified military forces of the United
States. The United States military is often considered to be the
most powerful in world history. The United States military was first
formed during the Continental Congress and was permanently
established after World War II.
Its component branches are:
All branches are part of the United
States Uniformed Services and are under civilian control with the
President serving as Commander-in-chief. All branches except the
Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense, which is under
the authority of the Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian.
The Coast Guard falls under the authority of the Department of
Homeland Security. During wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed
under the Department of Defense through the Department of the Navy.
As of June 30, 2008, about 1,427,546 people are on active duty in the
military with an additional 1,458,400 people in the seven reserve
components. As it is currently a volunteer military, there is no
conscription. Women are not allowed to serve in some combatant
positions, but they do serve in combat areas where they can and do
come under enemy fire.
Much of U.S. military capability is involved in logistics and
transportation, which enable rapid buildup of forces as needed. The
Air Force maintains a large fleet of C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster,
and C-130 Hercules transportation aircraft with a substantial fleet
of aerial refueling tankers. The Marine Corps maintains Marine
Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific
Fleets. The Navy's 11 active aircraft carriers, combined with a
military doctrine of power projection, enables a flexible response
to potential threats.
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