United States Army facts for kids
Quick facts for kids United States Army |
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 Military service mark of the United States Army  Army Star logo |
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| Founded | 14 June 1775 (250 years ago) |
| Country |  United States |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Prompt and sustained land combat Combined arms operations
Set and sustain the theater for the joint force Integrate national, multinational, and joint power on land |
| Size | 485,000 Regular Army personnel (2021) 336,000 Army National Guard personnel (2021) 189,500 Army Reserve personnel (2021) 1,005,725 total uniformed personnel 252,747 civilian personnel (30 September 2020) 1,258,472 total 4,406 crewed aircraft |
| Part of | United States Armed Forces Department of the Army |
| Headquarters | The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Motto(s) | "This We'll Defend" |
| Colors | Black, gold and white |
| March | "The Army Goes Rolling Along" |
| Mascot(s) | Army Mules |
| Anniversaries | Army Birthday: 14 June |
| Equipment | List of U.S. Army equipment |
| Commanders | |
| Commander-in-Chief |  President Joe Biden |
| Secretary of Defense |  Lloyd Austin |
| Secretary of the Army |  Christine Wormuth |
| Chief of Staff |  GEN James C. McConville |
| Vice Chief of Staff |  GEN Randy A. George |
| Sergeant Major of the Army |  SMA Michael A. Grinston |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | .svg) |
| Field flag |  |
The United States Army is the main land-based part of the U.S. Armed Forces. It handles military operations on land. It is the largest and oldest branch of the U.S. military. The Army is one of seven U.S. uniformed services.
The modern Army started with the Continental Army. This army was formed on June 14, 1775. It was created before the United States even existed. Its purpose was to fight in the American Revolutionary War. After the war, the Congress officially created the United States Army on June 3, 1784. The Army sees itself as a continuation of the Continental Army.
The Army's main job is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities." This supports the nation's security and defense plans. The Army is part of the Department of the Army. This is one of three military departments under the Department of Defense. The Secretary of the Army leads the department. The highest-ranking military officer is the Chief of Staff of the Army.
In 2020, the Army had over 1 million soldiers. This included the Regular Army, the Army National Guard, and the U.S. Army Reserve. The Army's mission is to "fight and win our Nation's wars." It aims to provide strong land power in all types of military operations. The Army takes part in conflicts worldwide. It is the main ground force for the United States.
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What the U.S. Army Does
The United States Army is the land-based part of the U.S. military. Its main goals are:
- Keeping the peace and safety of the United States. This includes its states, territories, and any areas it occupies.
- Supporting the nation's policies and goals.
- Stopping any nations that act aggressively and threaten U.S. peace and safety.
Army Values and Beliefs
In the 1990s, the Army officially adopted "The 7 Army Core Values." These values are taught to all soldiers. They are seen as basic traits for a warrior.
- Loyalty – Be true to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and fellow soldiers.
- Duty – Always do what you are supposed to do.
- Respect – Treat everyone with kindness and fairness.
- Selfless Service – Put the country, the Army, and your team before yourself.
- Honor – Live by the Army's values every day.
- Integrity – Always do what is right, both legally and morally.
- Personal Courage – Be brave when facing fear, danger, or tough choices.
These values form the acronym LDRSHIP (leadership).
The Infantryman's Creed
The Infantryman's Creed is a special statement for soldiers in the infantry. It shows their dedication and courage.
I am the Infantry.
I am my country's strength in war. Her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight -- wherever, whenever. I carry America's faith and honor against her enemies. Never will I fail my country's trust. Always I fight on -- through the foe to the objective, to triumph over all. If necessary, I fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won two hundred years of freedom. I yield not -- to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, for I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not -- my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY!
FOLLOW ME!
History of the U.S. Army
Early Days
The Continental Army was formed on June 14, 1775. The Continental Congress created it to unite the states against Great Britain. George Washington was chosen as its first commander. Early leaders learned from the British Army and colonial militias. Later, help from France and Prussia also shaped the new army.
George Washington used clever tactics, like hit-and-run attacks. These tactics wore down the British and their allies. Washington led important victories at Trenton and Princeton. A major victory at Yorktown, with help from France, Spain, and the Netherlands, led to the Continental Army's success. The Treaty of Paris then recognized the United States as an independent nation.
After the war, the Continental Army was mostly disbanded. Americans were wary of a large standing army. State militias became the main ground force. However, conflicts with Native Americans soon showed the need for a trained army. The Legion of the United States was formed in 1791 but was later disbanded.
1800s: Growth and Conflict
The War of 1812 was the second war against Britain. An invasion of Canada failed, and the British burned Washington, D.C. However, the U.S. Army showed its strength under Generals Winfield Scott and Jacob Brown. They defeated a British army in the Niagara campaign. After the war, both sides returned to how things were before.
Between 1815 and 1860, the U.S. expanded westward. The Army fought many battles with Native Americans. The U.S. Army also won the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). This war was very important for both countries. The U.S. gained a lot of land, including parts of California, Nevada, and other western states.
The Civil War (1861-1865) was the deadliest war for the U.S. Most southern states left the Union to form the Confederate States of America. Confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter, starting the war. For the first two years, Confederate forces often won. But after key battles like Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the Union Army gained strength. They fought hard through Confederate territory. The war ended in April 1865 with the Confederate surrender. About 620,000 soldiers died in this war.
After the Civil War, the U.S. Army continued to fight Native Americans. They resisted U.S. expansion across the continent. By the 1890s, the U.S. wanted to be a global power. Victories in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War helped the U.S. gain more land and influence. The U.S. also got involved in Latin America and the Boxer Rebellion in China.
1900s: World Wars and Cold War
In 1910, the Army began using airplanes. In 1916, Pancho Villa, a Mexican rebel leader, attacked Columbus, New Mexico. This led to a U.S. intervention in Mexico. The U.S. joined World War I in 1917, fighting alongside Britain and France. U.S. troops helped break through German lines. After the war ended in November 1918, the Army reduced its size.
The U.S. entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In Europe, U.S. Army troops helped capture North Africa and Sicily. On D-Day, millions of U.S. Army troops played a key role in freeing Europe and defeating Nazi Germany. In the Pacific, Army soldiers fought alongside U.S. Marines to take back Pacific Islands from Japan. After the war ended in 1945, Army troops occupied Japan and Germany. In 1947, the Army Air Forces became the separate U.S. Air Force. In 1948, the Army ended racial segregation.
The end of World War II led to the Cold War between the East and West. When the Korean War began in 1950, the U.S. sent hundreds of thousands of troops. They fought under the United Nations to protect South Korea from North Korea. After much fighting, the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953 returned the peninsula to its original borders.
During the Cold War, American troops also fought Communist forces in Vietnam. The Vietnam War is often seen as a difficult time for the Army. Many soldiers were drafted, and the war was unpopular at home. American forces controlled battlefields but struggled against guerrilla tactics used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army.
After the Vietnam War, General Creighton Abrams created the Total Force Policy. This policy made the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve work together as one force. This meant that large military operations would need all parts of the Army involved.
The 1980s focused on making the Army better. It became an all-volunteer force, meaning soldiers chose to join. There was more focus on training and new technology. The Army also took part in invasions of Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989.
By 1989, the Cold War was ending. The Army planned to reduce its size. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. U.S. land forces quickly went to protect Saudi Arabia. In January 1991, Operation Desert Storm began. This was a U.S.-led effort with over 500,000 troops, mostly from the U.S. Army. They quickly defeated the Iraqi Army in just 100 hours. After this, the Army mostly did peacekeeping missions in the 1990s.
2000s: Modern Conflicts
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the U.S. Army became a key part of the Global War on Terror. U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001. They removed the Taliban government.
The Army also led the invasion of Iraq in 2003. In the years that followed, the mission changed. It became about fighting insurgents and terrorist attacks. This led to longer deployments for soldiers. The Army also worked on modernizing its equipment and training.
Army Equipment
The Army focuses on six main areas for new equipment: artillery, ground vehicles, aircraft, communication networks, air/missile defense, and soldier gear.
Weapons for Soldiers
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The Army uses various weapons for close-range fighting. The most common rifle is the M4 carbine. This is a smaller version of the M16 rifle. Army Rangers also use the FN SCAR. The main handgun is the 9mm M9 pistol. Both the M9 and M11 are being replaced by the M17 pistol. Soldiers also use hand grenades like the M67 fragmentation grenade and M18 smoke grenade.
Many units have special weapons. The M249 SAW provides heavy fire for a squad. The M320 grenade launcher fires grenades. Shotguns like the M1014 or Mossberg 590 are used for breaking into buildings. Snipers use rifles like the M107, M2010, and M110.
Team Weapons
The Army uses larger weapons that need a team to operate. These provide more powerful fire.
The M240 is the Army's standard medium machine gun. The M2 heavy machine gun is often mounted on vehicles. The 40mm MK 19 grenade machine gun is also mainly used on vehicles.
The Army uses three types of mortars for indirect fire. The smallest is the 60mm M224, used by infantry companies. Battalions use 81mm M252 mortars. The largest is the 120mm M120/M121, used by mechanized units.
Light infantry units get fire support from towed howitzers. These include the 105mm M119A1 and the 155mm M777.
The Army also uses rockets and missiles to fight armored targets. The AT4 is a rocket that can destroy bunkers up to 500 meters away. The FIM-92 Stinger is a shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile. The FGM-148 Javelin and BGM-71 TOW are anti-tank guided missiles.
Vehicles and Aircraft
The U.S. Army uses many vehicles. It has the most vehicles per soldier in the world. The most common vehicle is the Humvee. It can carry troops, cargo, or weapons. The M1A2 Abrams is the Army's main battle tank. The M2A3 Bradley is the standard infantry fighting vehicle. Other vehicles include the Stryker, the M113 armored personnel carrier, and Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
The Army's main artillery weapons are the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Both are on tracked vehicles for heavy units.
The United States Army Aviation Branch mostly uses helicopters. These include the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. They also use the UH-60 Black Hawk transport helicopter and the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. The Army is also using UAVs (drones) like the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.
Uniforms and Gear
The Army Combat Uniform (ACU) uses a camouflage pattern called Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP). This pattern replaced an older one in 2019.
In 2018, the Army announced a new "Army Greens" uniform. It looks like uniforms worn during World War II. This will be the standard everyday uniform. The blue Army Service Uniform will still be used for formal events.
Berets
Soldiers wear different colored berets. The black beret is no longer worn with the ACU for daily duty. It was replaced by the patrol cap in 2011. Soldiers in jump units still wear maroon berets. Members of Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) wear brown berets. Rangers and Special Forces wear tan and rifle green berets, respectively.
Tents for Deployment
The Army uses many tents when soldiers are deployed. These tents serve as temporary sleeping areas, dining halls, and command centers. They are also used for recreation and security checkpoints. Most of these tents are supported by the Natick Soldier Systems Center.
The Army is starting to use a newer tent called the deployable rapid assembly shelter (DRASH). In 2008, DRASH became part of the Army's standard command post system.
Related pages
- United States National Guard
- United States Army Reserve
- United States Army Center of Military History
Images for kids
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American soldiers hunt Japanese infiltrators during the Bougainville Campaign.
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Men of the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, advance in a snowstorm, January 1945.
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U.S. Army soldiers look upon an atomic bomb test of Operation Buster-Jangle at the Nevada Test Site during the Korean War.
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U.S. Army soldiers prepare to take La Comandancia in Panama City during the United States invasion of Panama.
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Army Rangers from the 1st Ranger Battalion conduct a MOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
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Army Rangers take part in a raid during an operation in Nahr-e Saraj, Afghanistan.
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Organization chart.
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U.S. general officers, World War II, Europe.
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U.S. soldiers from the 6th Infantry Regiment taking up positions during a foot patrol in Ramadi, Iraq.
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The 1st Cavalry Division's combat aviation brigade performs a mock charge with the horse detachment.
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U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers from the 3rd Special Forces Group patrol a field in Afghanistan.
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Rangers practice fast roping techniques from an MH-47 during an exercise at Fort Bragg.
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U.S. Army soldiers familiarizing with the latest INSAS 1B1 during exercise Yudh Abhyas 2015.
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Lockheed Martin Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system used by the army for ballistic missile protection.
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American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Champs-Élysées, in the victory parade following the Liberation of Paris.
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See also
In Spanish: Ejército de los Estados Unidos para niños
