United States Armed Forces |
Military manpower |
Military age |
17–45 years old |
Availability |
Males & Females ages 17–49:
109,305,756 (2005 est.).
|
Citizenship |
Regular Army: No Citizenship Requirement For Enlisted Members / All Officers must be US Citizens. National Guard: Citizens Only. |
Reaching military age annually |
Males & Females: 4,180,074 (2005 est.) |
Total armed forces |
2,685,713 (Ranked 2nd) |
Active troops |
1,426,713 (Ranked 2nd) |
Total troops |
2,685,713 (Ranked 7th) |
Military expenditures |
Dollar figure |
$441.6 billion (Ranked 1st.) |
Percent of GDP |
3.7% (FY2006 est.) (Ranked 26th) |
Dollar Figure (per citizen) |
$935.64($1470) (ranked 3rd) |
The military of the United States, officially known as the United States Armed Forces, is made of:
United States Joint Service Color Guard on parade at Fort Myer
The President of the United States is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense, which is controlled by the Secretary of Defense. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The Marine Corps is part of the Navy.
About 1.4 million people are currently on active duty in the military with another 1,259,000 people on reserve (with 456,000 people in the Army and Air National Guard). There is currently no conscription. Women can serve in most combat positions, and in all non-combat military jobs. Because of war, some of these non-combat jobs actually see combat regularly.
Ranks
All the branches of the US military have both Officers and Enlisted. Most Enlisted people with a rank of E-4 and above are called Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs); the exception is the Air Force where E-5 is considered the first NCO rank. Their usual duties are to supervise or make sure that common jobs are done properly every day. Most branches also includes Warrant Officers (Chief Warrant Officers in the Navy.) They are considered experts in their field, they are higher rank than other enlisted troops, but below officers. There are four ranks of Warrant Officers: WO-1 through WO-4 (CWO-1 to CWO-4)
Here are some common ranks for the US Army, Air Force and Marines. These branches of the military use different names for the enlisted ranks, but they all use the same for officers. The Navy and the Coast Guard have different ranks; for those see United States Navy.
Rank |
Army |
Marines |
Air Force |
Enlisted Ranks
|
E-1 |
Private |
Private |
Airman Basic |
E-2 |
Private |
Private First Class |
Airman |
E-3 |
Private First Class |
Lance Corporal |
Airman First Class |
E-4 |
Corporal
Specialist 4 |
Corporal |
Senior Airman |
E-5 |
Sergeant |
Sergeant |
Staff Sergeant |
E-6 |
Staff Sergeant |
Staff Sergeant |
Technical Sergeant |
E-7 |
Sergeant First Class |
Gunnery Sergeant |
Master Sergeant |
E-8 |
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant |
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant |
Senior Master Sergeant |
E-9 |
Sergeant Major |
Sergeant Major
Master Gunnery Sergeant |
Chief Master Sergeant |
E-9* |
Sergeant Major of the
Marine Corps|Chief Master Sergeant
of the Air Force|}
*Each branch of the military has only one of these specific E-9 grade enlisted personnel and are considered the senior enlisted person of their branch. The Sergeant Major of the Army, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, and Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force are the spokespersons of the enlisted force at the highest levels of their services.
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Rank |
Title |
Army, Marines, and Air Force Officer Ranks
|
Navy Officer Ranks
|
O-1 |
Second Lieutenant |
Ensign |
O-2 |
First Lieutenant |
Lieutenant Junior Grade |
O-3 |
Captain |
Lieutenant |
O-4 |
Major |
Lieutenant Commander |
O-5 |
Lieutenant Colonel |
Commander |
O-6 |
Colonel |
Captain |
O-7 |
Brigadier General |
Rear Admiral (Lower Half) |
O-8 |
Major General |
Rear Admiral |
O-9 |
Lieutenant General |
Vice Admiral |
O-10 |
General |
Admiral |
|
Branches of the Military
As noted above there are several different branches of the US Military. Each Branch has a different function [Land; Sea or Air]
U.S. Army
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Distinctive Unit Insignia: 181st Inf
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Distinctive Unit Insignia: 182nd Inf
Images for kids
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The Joint Chiefs of Staff in December 2020.
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Organization of the military services and military departments within the Department of Defense
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U.S. Army Soldiers with 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division return fire during a firefight with Taliban forces in Barawala Kalay Valley in Kunar province, Afghanistan on 31 March 2011.
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U.S. Army M1A2 Abrams tanks from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment maneuver in the streets as they conduct a combat patrol in the city of Tall Afar, Iraq, on Feb. 3, 2005.
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U.S. Marines with India Company, Battalion Landing Team, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit run on the beach during an amphibious assault demonstration.
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A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft attached to VMX-22 prepares to land on the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) in the Pacific Ocean.
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USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and Carrier Strike Group 3 underway with Republic of Korea Navy ships.
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The Sodium Guidestar at the Directed Energy Directorate's Starfire Optical Range for real-time, high-fidelity tracking and imaging of satellites.
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USCGC Hamilton and TCG Turgutries in the Black Sea, April 30, 2021.
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Coast Guard Reserve Port Security boat on patrol
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Unified combatant commands areas of responsibility
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Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester, awarded the Silver Star for direct combat
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ADM Linda L. Fagan June 2021.
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See also
In Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos para niños
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