US Armed Forces
<p style=" margin: 0.4em 0px 0.5em; line-height: 19px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>United States Armed Forces</b><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-4" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>5<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>are the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_forces" title="Armed forces" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">military forces</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of the United States. They consist of the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army" title="United States Army" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Army</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Navy" title="United States Navy" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Navy</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Marine_Corps" title="United States Marine Corps" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Marine Corps</a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Air_Force" title="United States Air Force" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Air Force</a>, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Coast_Guard" title="United States Coast Guard" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Coast Guard</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-5" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>6<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The United States has a strong tradition of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_control_of_the_military" title="Civilian control of the military" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">civilian control of the military</a>. The<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States" title="President of the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">President</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is the overall head of the military, and helps form military policy with the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Defense" title="United States Department of Defense" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">United States Department of Defense</a>(DoD), a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_executive_departments" title="United States federal executive departments" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">federal executive department</a>, acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out. The DoD is headed by the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Defense" title="United States Secretary of Defense" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Secretary of Defense</a>, who is a civilian and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Cabinet" title="United States Cabinet" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Cabinet</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>member. The Secretary of Defense is second in the military's<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_of_command" title="Chain of command" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">chain of command</a>, just below the President, and serves as the principal assistant to the President in all matters related to the Department of Defense.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-6" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>7<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>To coordinate military action with diplomacy, the President has an advisory<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Security_Council" title="United States National Security Council" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Security Council</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>headed by a<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Advisor_(United_States)" title="National Security Advisor (United States)" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Security Advisor</a>. Both the President and Secretary of Defense are advised by a seven-member<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff" title="Joint Chiefs of Staff" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Joint Chiefs of Staff</a>, which includes the head of each of Department of Defense service branches as well as the chief of the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_Bureau" title="National Guard Bureau" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Guard Bureau</a>. Leadership is provided by the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chairman_of_the_Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff" title="Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff" title="Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-JCS01_7-0" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-JCS01-7" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>8<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandant_of_the_Coast_Guard" title="Commandant of the Coast Guard" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Commandant of the Coast Guard</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>is not a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
All of the branches work together during operations and joint missions, under the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Combatant_Command" title="Unified Combatant Command" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Unified Combatant Commands</a>, under the authority of the Secretary of Defense with the exception of the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard falls under the administration of the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Homeland_Security" title="United States Department of Homeland Security" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Department of Homeland Security</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and receives its operational orders from the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Homeland_Security" title="United States Secretary of Homeland Security" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Secretary of Homeland Security</a>. The Coast Guard may be transferred to the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy" title="United States Department of the Navy" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Department of the Navy</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>by the President or Congress during a time of war.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-8" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>9<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>All five armed services are among the seven<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniformed_services_of_the_United_States" title="Uniformed services of the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">uniformed services of the United States</a>; the others are the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Public_Health_Service_Commissioned_Corps" title="United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Oceanic_and_Atmospheric_Administration_Commissioned_Corps" title="National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps</a>.
From the time of its inception the military played a decisive role in the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_United_States" title="History of the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">history of the United States</a>. A sense of national unity and identity was forged out of the victorious<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_Wars" title="Barbary Wars" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Barbary Wars</a>, as well as the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812" title="War of 1812" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">War of 1812</a>. Even so, the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States" title="Founding Fathers of the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Founders</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>were suspicious of a permanent military force and not until the outbreak of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">World War II</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>did a large standing army become officially established. The<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Act_of_1947" title="National Security Act of 1947" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Security Act of 1947</a>, adopted following World War II and during the onset of the Cold War, created the modern U.S. military framework; the Act merged previously Cabinet-level<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_War" title="United States Department of War" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Department of War</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_the_Navy" title="United States Department of the Navy" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Department of the Navy</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>into the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Defense" title="United States Department of Defense" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">National Military Establishment</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(renamed the Department of Defense in 1949), headed by the Secretary of Defense; and created the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_the_Air_Force" title="United States Department of the Air Force" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Department of the Air Force</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and National Security Council.</p>
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The U.S. military is one of the largest militaries in terms of number of personnel. It draws its manpower from a large pool of paid<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volunteer_military" title="Volunteer military" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">volunteers</a>; although<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscription_in_the_United_States" title="Conscription in the United States" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">conscription</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>has been used in the past in various times of both war and peace, it has not been used since 1972. As of 2011, the United States spends about $550 billion annually to fund its military forces,<sup id="cite_ref-Budget_FY2011_3-1" class="reference" style=" line-height: 1em; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces#cite_note-Budget_FY2011-3" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; white-space: nowrap; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span>[</span>4<span>]</span></a></sup><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and appropriates approximately $160 billion to fund<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_Terrorism" title="War on Terrorism" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Overseas Contingency Operations</a>. Put together, the United States constitutes roughly<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures" title="List of countries by military expenditures" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">43 percent of the world's military expenditures</a>. The U.S. armed forces as a whole possess large quantities of advanced and powerful equipment, along with widespread placement of forces around the world, giving them significant capabilities in both defense and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_projection" title="Power projection" style=" text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">power projection</a>.</p>