United States Armed Forces

United States Armed Forces
Emblems of the U.S. Armed Forces service branches
Founded14 June 1775 (1775-06-14)[a]
Service branches
HeadquartersThe Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
Websitedefense.gov
dhs.gov
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief President Donald Trump
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine, USAF
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Christopher W. Grady, USN
Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman SEAC David L. Isom, USN
Personnel
Military age17 with parental consent, 18 for voluntary service.[b]
ConscriptionInactive since 1973 (males must register at age 18)
Available for
military service
15 million (2021)[7], age 18–25
Active personnel1,328,000[8] (ranked 3rd)
Reserve personnel799,500[9]
Expenditure
Budget$895 billion (2025)[10]
(ranked 1st)
Percent of GDP3.38% (2024)[11]
Industry
Domestic suppliersList
Foreign suppliers United Kingdom
 Germany
 Netherlands
 France
 Israel
 Italy
 Sweden
 Australia
 Japan
 Jordan
 Spain
 Norway
  Switzerland
 Singapore
 South Africa
 Czech Republic
 Canada
 South Korea
 Brazil
 Bulgaria
Annual importsUS$652.6 million (2014–2022)[12]
Annual exportsUS$28.50 billion (2014–2022)[12]
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of the United States
Warfare directory of the United States
Conflicts involving the United States
Battles involving the United States
Ranks
  • Commissioned officer
    • Army officer
    • Marine Corps officer
    • Navy officer
    • Air Force officer
    • Space Force officer
    • Coast Guard officer
  • Warrant officer
    • Army warrant officer
    • Marine Corps warrant officer
    • Navy warrant officer
    • Air Force warrant officer
    • Coast Guard warrant officer
  • Enlisted
    • Army enlisted
    • Marine Corps enlisted
    • Navy enlisted
    • Air Force enlisted
    • Space Force enlisted
    • Coast Guard enlisted

The United States Armed Forces are the military of the United States. It has six branches: the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard.

The current President of the United States is Donald J Trump. He is the current 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 located within the Department of Homeland Security. The Marine Corps located within the Department 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.[13]

Ranks

All branches of the United States military have Commissioned Officers and Non Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel. Most Enlisted members 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 Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) rank. Their usual duties are to supervise or make sure that common jobs are done properly every day. Most branches of the United States Military include 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 Commissioned Officer. There are four or five ranks of Warrant Officers in most of the branches: WO-1 through WO-4 or WO-5(CWO-1 to CWO-4 or CWO-5)

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. There are no five star general Ranks. The General of the Army,General of the Air Force and Fleet Admiral are only used in wartime situations. The United States Army,Marine Corps,Air Force and Space Force have Commissioned Officer and Non-Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel Ranks with the Navy and Coast Guard also having Officer Ranks. These Titles are seen below.

Rank Army Marines Air Force
Army,Marines and Air Force Non Commissioned/Enlisted Personnel 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 Army*
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.

 
Rank Title
Army,Marine Corps,Air Force and Space Force Commissioned 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

References

  1. "Common Questions About Eligibility and Requirements". Goarmy.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  2. "General Requirements". Marines.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. "Requirements to Join". Navy.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. "Join the Active Duty Air Force". Airforce.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. "Join as Enlisted". Spaceforce.com. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  6. "Coast Guard removes barriers to boost recruiting". MyCG. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  7. "About Selective Service".
  8. "FY2023 NDAA: Active Component EndStrength". 23 August 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
  9. "Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Funding Bill". 29 June 2021. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  10. "Biden inks $895 bln US defense budget for 2025". en.mehrnews.com. 24 December 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  11. "Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2024)" (PDF). NATO Public Diplomacy Division. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  12. 12.0 12.1 "TIV of arms imports/exports from United States, 2014–2022". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 26 January 2024.
  13. Go Army. "Careers & Jobs". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2006.

Notes

  1. With the establishment of the Continental Army.
  2. Maximum age for first-time enlistment is 35 for the Army,[1] 28 for the Marine Corps,[2] 41 for the Navy,[3] 42 for the Air Force,[4] 42 for the Space Force,[5] and 42 for the Coast Guard.[6]

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