The 'United States Army' is the largest and oldest branch of the
armed forces of the
United States. Like all
armies, it has the primary responsibility for land-based military operations.
The modern Army had its roots in the
Continental Army which was formed on
June 14 1775, before the establishment of the
United States, to meet the demands of the
American Revolutionary War.
Congress created the United States Army on
June 3 1784 after the end of the war to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The Army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army, and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force.
[1]
Control and operation of the Army is administered by the
Department of the Army, one of the three
service departments of the
Department of Defense. The civilian head is the
Secretary of the Army and the highest ranking military officer in the department is the
Chief of Staff. As of
March 31,
2007, the
Regular Army reported a strength of 507,082 soldiers.
[2] By the end of 2005, the
Army National Guard (ARNG) reported 333,177 and the
United States Army Reserve (USAR) reported 189,005,
[3] putting the approximate combined component strength total at 1,029,264.
Structure
The U.S. Army is made up of three components: the active (
Regular Army) component; and two reserve components, the
Army National Guard and the
Army Reserve. Both reserve components are primarily composed of part-time soldiers who train once a month, known as
Battle Assembly, and conduct two to three weeks of annual training each year. Both the Regular Army and the Army Reserve are organized under
Title 10 of the
United States Code, while the National Guard is organized under
Title 32. While the
Army National Guard is organized, trained and equipped as a component of the U.S. Army, when it is not in federal service it is under the command of individual state's governors. However the
National Guard can be federalized by presidential order and against the governor's wishes.
[4]
HHC, U.S. Army Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
The U.S. Army is led by a civilian
Secretary of the Army, who reports to the
Secretary of Defense, and serves as civilian oversight for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, who is a member of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, the service chiefs from each service who, as a body, under the guidance of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff advise the
President and Secretary of Defense on military matters.
In 1986, the
Goldwater-Nichols Act mandated that operational control of the services follows a chain of command from the President to the Secretary of Defense directly to the
Unified Combatant Commanders, who have control of all armed forces units in their geographic or function area of responsibility. Thus, the Chief of Staff of each service only has the responsibility to organize, train and equip their respective service component. The services provide trained forces to the Combatant Commanders for use as they see fit.
The Army is currently undergoing a period of transformation, which is expected to be finished in 2009. When it is finished, there will be five geographical commands which will line up with the five geographical Unified Combatant Commands (COCOM).
★
United States Army Central headquartered at
Fort McPherson,
Georgia
★
United States Army North headquartered at
Fort Sam Houston,
Texas
★
United States Army South headquartered at
Fort Sam Houston,
Texas
★
United States Army Europe headquartered at
Campbell Barracks,
Heidelberg,
Germany
★
United States Army Pacific headquartered at
Fort Shafter,
Hawaii
Each command will receive a numbered army as operational command, except in the case of U.S. Army Pacific, which will not receive one but will have a numbered army for U.S. Army forces in
South Korea.
As part of the same transformation plan, the U.S. Army is currently undergoing a transition from being a
division-based force to a
brigade-based force. When finished, the active army will have increased its number of combat brigades from 33 to 42, and increases of a similar scale will have taken place in the National Guard and Reserve forces. Division lineage will be retained, but the divisional HQs will be able to command any brigades, not just brigades that carry their divisional lineage. The central part of this plan is that each brigade will be modular, i.e., all brigades of the same type will be exactly the same, and thus any brigade can be commanded by any division. There will be three major types of ground combat brigades:
★ 'Heavy' brigades will have about 3,700 troops and be equivalent to a
mechanized infantry brigade.
★ 'Infantry' brigades will have around 3,300 troops and be equivalent to a light infantry or airborne brigade.
★ 'Stryker' brigades will have around 3,900 troops and be based around the
Stryker family of vehicles.
In addition, there will be combat support and service support modular brigades. Combat support brigades include 'Aviation' brigades, which will come in heavy and light varieties, and 'Fires' (artillery) brigades. Combat Service support brigades include 'Sustainment' brigades and come in several varieties and serve the standard support role in an army.
Main articles: Transformation of the United States Army
Most U.S. Army units can be operational divided into the following components from largest to smallest:
★
Corps: Formerly consisting of two or more divisions and organic support brigades, they are now termed an "operational unit of employment," that may command a flexible number of modular units. Usually commanded by a
Lieutenant General. 20,000-45,000 soldiers.
★
Division: Formerly consisted of three maneuver brigades, an artillery brigade, a division support command, an aviation brigade, an engineer brigade (in heavy divisions only) and other support assets. Until the
Brigade Combat Team program was developed, the division was the smallest self-sufficient level of organization in the U.S. Army. Current divisions are "tactical units of employment," and may command a flexible number of modular units, but generally will include four brigade combat teams and a combat aviation brigade. Usually commanded by a
Major General. 10,000-15,000 soldiers.
★
Brigade (or group): Composed of two or more battalions (see
Regiment for combat arms units), and usually commanded by a
Colonel, supported by a staff in a
Headquarters and Headquarters Company. Since the Brigade Unit of Action program was initiated, maneuver brigades have transformed into brigade combat teams, generally consisting of two maneuver battalions, a cavalry squadron, a fires battalion, a special troops battalion (with engineers, signals, and military intelligence), and a support battalion. Stryker Brigade Combat Teams have a somewhat larger structure. 3,000-5,000 soldiers.
★
Battalion (or Cavalry
Squadron): Composed of two to five companies and led by a
Battalion Commander, usually a
Lieutenant Colonel supported by a staff in a
Headquarters and Headquarters Company. 300-1000 soldiers.
★
Company (or
artillery battery/cavalry troop): Composed of three to four platoons and led by a
Company Commander, usually a
Captain supported by a
First Sergeant. 62-190 soldiers.
★
Platoon: Composed of two or more squads and led by a
Platoon Leader, usually a
Second Lieutenant supported by a
platoon sergeant (
Sergeant First Class). 32 soldiers.
★
Section: Usually directed by a
Staff Sergeant who supplies guidance for junior NCO Squad leaders. Often used in conjunction with platoons at the company level.
★
Squad: Composed of two teams and is typically led by a
Staff Sergeant. 9-10 soldiers.
★
Fire team: The smallest unit, consisting of a team leader, a rifleman, a grenadier, and an automatic rifleman. Fire team leaders are usually
Sergeants, but may be
Corporals. 4 soldiers.
Army components
During
The First World War, the "
National Army" was organized to fight the conflict. It was demobilized at the end of
World War I, and was replaced by the Regular Army, the Organized Reserve Corps, and the State Militias. In the 1920s and 1930s, the "career" soldiers were known as the "
Regular Army" with the "Enlisted Reserve Corps" and "Officer Reserve Corps" augmented to fill vacancies when needed.
In 1941, the "
Army of the United States" was founded to fight the Second World War. The Regular Army, Army of the United States, the National Guard, and Officer/Enlisted Reserve Corps (ORC and ERC) existed simultaneously. After World War II, the ORC and ERC were combined into the
United States Army Reserve. The Army of the United States was re-established for the
Korean War and
Vietnam War and was demobilized upon the suspension of the
Draft.
Currently, the Army is divided into the
Regular Army, the
Army Reserve, and the
United States National Guard. Prior to 1903 members of the National Guard were considered state soldiers unless federalized by the President. Since the
Militia Act of 1903 all National Guard soldiers have held dual status: as National Guardsmen under the authority of the governor of their state and as a reserve of the U.S. Army under the authority of the President.
Since the adoption of the
total force policy, in the aftermath of the
Vietnam War, reserve component soldiers have taken a more active role in U.S. military operations. Reserve and Guard units took part in the
Gulf War, peacekeeping in
Kosovo, and the 2003
invasion of
Iraq.
Various
State Defense Forces also exist, sometimes known as State Militias, which are sponsored by individual state governments and serve as an auxiliary to the National Guard. Except in times of extreme national emergency, such as a mainland
invasion of the United States, State Militias are operated independently from the U.S. Army and are seen as state government agencies rather than a component of the military.
Although the present-day Army exists as an all volunteer force, augmented by Reserve and National Guard forces, measures exist for emergency expansion in the event of a catastrophic occurrence, such as a large scale attack against the U.S. or the outbreak of a
major global war. The current "call-up" order of the United States Army is as follows:
US Army Beret Flash
# Regular Army volunteer force
# Army Reserve total mobilization
# Full scale activation of all National Guard forces
# Recall of all retired personnel fit for military duty
# Re-establishment of the draft and creation of a conscript force within the Regular Army
# Recall of previously discharged officers and enlisted who were separated under honorable conditions
# Activation of the State Defense Forces/State Militias
# Full scale mobilization of the unorganized U.S. militia
The final stage of Army mobilization, known as "activation of the unorganized militia" would effectively place all able bodied males in the service of the U.S. Army. The last time an approximation of this occurred was during the
American Civil War when the
Confederate States of America activated the "Home Guard" in 1865, drafting all males, regardless of age or health, into the
Confederate Army.
Combat maneuver organizations
The US Army currently consists of 10 divisions as well as several independent units. The following order of battle will be realized following the completion of the Army's transformation plan in 2009. Each division will have four ground maneuver brigades (shown here), and will also include at least one aviation brigade as well as a fires brigade and a service support brigade. Additional brigades can be assigned or attached to a division headquarters based on its mission.
★
'
1st Armored Division', headquartered at
Fort Bliss, Texas
★
★ Four Heavy brigades at Fort Bliss.
★
'
1st Cavalry Division', headquartered at
Fort Hood, Texas
★
★ Four Heavy brigades at Fort Hood.
★
'
1st Infantry Division', headquartered at
Fort Riley, Kansas
★
★ Two Heavy brigades and one Infantry brigade at Fort Riley, and one Heavy Brigade at
Fort Knox, Kentucky.
★
'
2nd Infantry Division', headquartered at
Camp Red Cloud,
South Korea
★
★ One Heavy brigade at
Camp Casey, South Korea, one Infantry brigade at
Fort Carson, Colorado, and three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams (SBCTs) at
Fort Lewis, Washington.
★
'
3rd Infantry Division', headquartered at
Fort Stewart, Georgia
★
★ Three Heavy brigades at Fort Stewart and one Heavy brigade at
Fort Benning, Georgia.
★
'
4th Infantry Division', headquartered at
Fort Hood, Texas
★
★ Two Heavy brigades at Fort Hood and two Heavy brigades at
Fort Carson, Colorado.
★
'
10th Mountain Division', headquartered at
Fort Drum, New York
★
★ Three Infantry brigades at Fort Drum and one Infantry brigade at
Fort Polk, Louisiana.
★
'
25th Infantry Division', headquartered at
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
★
★ Two brigades at Schofield Barracks (one Infantry and one Stryker), one Stryker brigade at
Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and one Airborne brigade at
Fort Richardson, Alaska.
★
'
82nd Airborne Division', headquartered at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
★
★ Four Airborne brigades at Fort Bragg.
★
'
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)', headquartered at
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
★
★ Four Infantry brigades at Fort Campbell.
★
'
173d Airborne Brigade', headquartered at
Vicenza, Italy
★
'
2nd Cavalry Regiment' ''(Stryker Brigade Combat Team)'', headquartered at Vilseck, Germany
★
'
3d Armored Cavalry Regiment', headquartered at
Fort Hood, Texas
★
'
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment', headquartered at
Fort Irwin, California, serves as the Opposing Force (
OPFOR) at the
National Training Center (NTC).
History
1700s
The
Continental Army was created on 14 June 1775 by the
Continental Congress as a unified army for the states to fight
Great Britain, with
George Washington appointed as its commander. George Washington, although not a great tactician, made use of the
Fabian strategy and used hit-and-run tactics, hitting where the enemy was weakest, to wear down the British forces and their
Hessian mercenary allies. With a decisive victory at
Yorktown, and the help of
French and
Dutch, the Continental Army prevailed against the British, and with the
Treaty of Paris, the independence of the United States was acknowledged.
After the war, though, the Continental Army was quickly disbanded as part of the Americans' distrust of standing armies, and amateur state militias became the new nation's sole ground army, with the exception of one battery of artillery guarding West Point's arsenal. However, because of continuing conflict with
American Indians, it was soon realized that it was necessary to field a trained standing army. The first of these, the
Legion of the United States, was established in 1791.
1800s
The
First Barbary War (1801-1805) was the first of two
Barbary Wars fought between the
United States and the
North African states known collectively as the
Barbary States. The First Barbary War proved that America could execute a war far from home, and that American forces had the cohesion to fight together as Americans rather than Georgians or New Yorkers. The
United States Navy and
Marines became a permanent part of the American army and the American mythos, and Lieutenant
Decatur returned to the U.S. as its first post-Revolutionary war hero.
The
War of 1812 (1812-1815), the second and last American war against the British, was mostly a series of defeats for the US Army. An invasion of
Canada completely failed, and US troops were unable to stop the British from
burning the new capital of Washington, D.C.. However, the Regular Army, under Generals
Winfield Scott and
Jacob Brown, proved they were professional and capable of defeating a British army in the
Niagara Campaign of 1814. Two weeks after a treaty was signed, though,
Andrew Jackson defeated the
British invasion of New Orleans. However this had little effect, as per the treaty both sides returned to the
status quo.
Between 1815 and 1860, a spirit of
Manifest Destiny struck the United States, and as settlers moved west the US Army engaged in a long series of skirmishes and battles with American Indians the colonists uprooted. The US Army also fought the short
Mexican–American War, which was a victory for the United States and resulted in the new territories of
California,
Nevada,
Utah,
Colorado,
Arizona,
Wyoming and
New Mexico.
The
Civil War (1861-1865) was the most costly war for the United States. After most states in the South
seceded to form the
Confederate States of America, CSA troops opened fire on the US fort
Fort Sumter in
Charleston, South Carolina, starting the war. For the first two years Confederate forces solidly defeated the US Army, but after the decisive
Battle of Gettysburg combined with superior industrial might and numbers, Union troops fought a brutal campaign through Confederate territory and the war ended with a Confederate surrender at
Appomatox Courthouse in April 1865. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all
white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and an extraordinary 18% in the South.
[5]
Following the Civil War, the US Army fought a long battle with American Indians, who resisted US expansion into the center of the continent. But by the 1890s the US saw itself as a potential player internationally. US victories in the
Spanish-American War (1898) and the more unknown and controversial
Philippine-American War (1898-1913), as well as US intervention in
Latin America and the
Boxer Rebellion, gained America more land and international prestige.
1900s
The US joined
World War I (1914-1918) in 1917 on the side of Britain and France. Millions of US troops were sent to the front and were instrumental in the push that finally broke through the German lines. With victory on November 11, 1918, the Army once again decreased its forces.
World War II started in 1939 but the United States did not join until 1941 following the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On the
European front, US Army troops made up large portions of the forces that captured
North Africa,
Sicily, and
Italy, and on
D-Day, the resulting liberation of Europe and defeat of
Germany, the millions of US Army troops played a central role. In the Pacific, millions of Army soldiers participated in the "
island hopping" campaign that wrested the
Pacific islands from Japanese control. Following
Axis Powers surrender in August/September 1945, US troops were deployed to Japan and Germany to occupy the two nations.
Korea. Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division man a heavy machine gun.
However, this set the stage for the west-east confrontation known as the
Cold War (late 1940s to late 1980s/early 1990s). Millions of US troops were deployed to
West Germany and the rest of Europe in anticipation of Soviet attack, but the invasion never came. Instead, US troops and their allies fought non-Soviet
communist forces in
Korea and
Vietnam, as part of the
domino theory.
The
Korean War started in 1950. Hundreds of thousands of US troops, under a
UN umbrella, were sent to prevent the takeover of
South Korea by
North Korea, and later, to invade the northern nation. After repeated advances and retreats on the part of both sides, as well as
Chinese involvement, a cease-fire returned the peninsula to the status quo in 1953.
Dak To, South Vietnam. An infantry patrol moves up to assault the last Viet Cong position after an attempted overrun of the artillery position by the Viet Cong during Operation Hawthorne.
The
Vietnam War is often regarded as a low point in morale in the Army's record. While US troops had been in the
Republic of Vietnam since 1959, they did not come into the country in large numbers until 1965, to fight the communist
North Vietnam. The
guerrilla war tactics of the
Viet Cong and the
North Vietnamese Army proved difficult to adapt to, and with political handicaps and changing priorities in the political climate back home, the US military was allowed to withdraw from Vietnam in 1973. Two years later, the country was unified under a communist government.
The 1980s was mostly a decade of reorganization. The US Army converted to an all-volunteer force with more emphasis on training and technology. The
Goldwater-Nichols Act was passed in 1986, creating the
Unified Combatant Commands. In addition, the Army had a small participation in the successful invasions of
Panama (
Operation Just Cause) and
Grenada (
Operation Urgent Fury).
By 1991 Germany was reunited and the
Soviet Union was near collapse, and the Cold War was effectively over. Then
Iraq invaded its tiny neighbor
Kuwait, and the international community deployed hundreds of thousands of troops, mostly US Army formations, to
take back the nation. The war was a major victory for the Army, as the US mechanized formations obliterated the
Iraqi Army units, taking back the country in only a few days, and proving the effectiveness of the new untried all-volunteer force.
After the Gulf War, the Army did not experience major combat operations for the remainder of the 1990s, but it did participate in numerous peace keeping activities such as the
UN peacekeeping mission in
Somalia in 1993, where the abortive
Operation Gothic Serpent action led to the total withdrawal of both US and UN forces, and also contributed troops to a
NATO peacekeeping force in former
Yugoslavia in the middle of the decade.
21st century
After the
September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and as part of the
Global War on Terror, US and NATO forces invaded
Afghanistan in 2001, replacing the
Taliban government. Much more controversially, the US and
other nations invaded Iraq in 2003 and defeated the
Saddam Hussein dictatorship, his army weakened by 10 years of crippling UN sanctions. In the following years the war has arguably bogged down into another counter-insurgency campaign, with large numbers of
suicide bomb attacks and the loss of almost 4,000 US servicemen and thousands more injured and paralysed. Despite the high price that US military is paying with rising casualties and longer deployments for Regular Army as well as Reserve and Guard troops, Iraq is still far from stable. However, some milestones have been reached, such as the capture of Saddam Hussein and the holding of elections which have had varying degrees of effective
democracy throughout the regions of
Iraq.
'Values'. In the mid- to late 1990s, the Army officially adopted what have come to be known as "''The 7 Army Core Values''." The Army began to teach these values as basic warrior traits. The seven Army Core Values are as follows:
# 'Loyalty' - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit, and fellow Soldiers.
# 'Duty' - Fulfill your obligations.
# 'Respect' - Treat others as they should be treated.
# 'Selfless Service' - Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
# 'Honor' - Live the Army Values.
# 'Integrity' - Do what's right, both legally and morally.
# 'Personal Courage' - Face fear, danger, or adversity, both physical and moral.
The values were arranged to form the acronym LDRSHIP (leadership).
[6]
Rank structure
Main articles: Ranks and Insignia of NATO,
United States Army enlisted rank insignia,
United States Army officer rank insignia
These are the US Army ranks and their equivalent NATO designations.
Commissioned Officers
[7]:
There are several paths to becoming a commissioned officer including Army ROTC, the United States Military Academy at West Point or the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, and Officer Candidate School. Certain professionals, physicians, nurses, lawyers, and chaplains are commissioned directly into the Army. But no matter what road an officer takes, the insignia are the same.
The highest officer rank is the five-star general (General of the Army) and the lowest is the second lieutenant.
Address all personnel with the rank of general as "General (last name)" regardless of the number of stars. Likewise, address both colonels and lieutenant colonels as "Colonel (last name)" and first and second lieutenants as "Lieutenant (last name)."
Warrant Officers
[7]:
Warrant Officers are single track, specialty officers with subject matter expertise in a particular area. They are initially appointed as warrant officers (in the rank of WO1) by the Secretary of the Army, but receive their commission upon promotion to Chief Warrant Officer Two (CW2).
Technically, warrant officers are to be addressed as "Mr. (last name)" or "Ms. (last name)." However, many personnel do not use those terms and prefer "Sir", "Ma'am", or simply "Chief".
Warrant Officers of rank CW2 and higher may also be addressed as "Chief (last name)".
Enlisted Personnel
[7]:
Sergeants are referred to as NCOs, short for noncommissioned officers. Corporals are also called "hard stripes", in recognition of their leadership position. This distinguishes them from specialists who might have the same pay grade, but not the leadership responsibilities.
Address privates (E1 and E2) and privates first class (E3) as "Private (last name)." Address specialists as "Specialist (last name)." Address sergeants, staff sergeants, sergeants first class, and master sergeants as "Sergeant (last name)." Address higher ranking sergeants by their full ranks in conjunction with their names.
Uniforms
Main articles: Army Service Uniform,
Army Combat Uniform,
Future Force Warrior
Currently, the Army is in the process of phasing out the separate woodland and
3-color desert Battle Dress Uniform (BDUs) and replacing them with the single
Army Combat Uniform (ACU), which features a digital camouflage pattern and is designed for use in woodland, desert, and urban environments.
The Army plans to deploy the
Future Force Warrior system starting in 2010, with upgrades in subsystems deployed every two years following. Designed as a fully integrated infantryman combat system, initial versions are to be simple in operation with basic electronics; final versions (2032) involve such technologies as a powered
exoskeleton and various nanotechnologies.
The standard garrison service uniform is known as "Army Greens" or "Class As" and has been worn by all officers and enlisted personnel since its introduction in 1956 when it replaced earlier
Olive Drab (OD) and khaki (and tan worsted or TW) uniforms worn between the 1890s and 1985. The "Army Blue" uniform, dating back to the mid-19th century, is currently the Army's formal dress uniform, but in 2009 it will replace the Army Green and the Army White uniforms (a uniform similar to the Army Green uniform, but worn in tropical postings) and will become the "new"
Army Service Uniform, which will function as both a garrison uniform (when worn with a gray shirt and necktie) and a dress uniform (when worn with a white shirt and either a necktie for parades or a bow tie for "after six" or "black tie" events). The beret, adopted Army-wide in 2001, will continue to be worn with the new ACU for garrison duty and with the Army Service Uniform for non-ceremonial functions.
Equipment
'Individual weapons'
U.S. Army soldier with M249 SAW Para
The primary individual weapons of the Army are the
M16A2/A4 assault rifle[10] and its compact variant, the
M4 carbine[11]. Optionally, the
M9 bayonet can be attached to either variant for close-quarters fighting.
[12] The 40 mm
M203 grenade launcher can also be attached for additional firepower.
[13] Some soldiers whose duties require a more compact weapon, such as combat vehicle crew members, staff officers, and military police, are issued a sidearm in lieu of (or in addition to) a rifle. The most common sidearm in the U.S. Army is the 9 mm
M9 pistol[14] which is issued to the majority of combat and support units. Other, less commonly issued sidearms include the
M11, used by Special Agents of the
CID,
[15][16][17] and the
MK23, used by some Army Special Forces units.
[18]
In addition to these basic rifles and sidearms, many combat units' arsenals are supplemented with a variety of specialized weapons, including the
M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) light machine-gun, to provide suppressive fire at the fire-team level,
[19] the
M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun or the
Mossberg 590 Shotgun for door-breaching and close-quarters combat, the
M14 Rifle for long-range marksmen, and the
M107 Long Range Sniper Rifle, the
M24 Sniper Weapon System, or the
XM110 semi-automatic sniper rifle for snipers.
Hand grenades, such as the
M67 fragmentation grenade and
M18 smoke grenade, are also commonly used by combat troops.
'Crew-served weapon systems'
M120 120 mm mortar
The Army employs various crew-served weapons (so named because they are operated by two or more soldiers in order to transport items such as spare barrels, tripods, base plates, and extra ammunition) to provide heavy firepower at ranges exceeding that of individual weapons. The
M240 is the Army's standard medium general-purpose machine gun.
[20] The M240 (left-hand feed) and M240C (right-hand feed) variants are used as
coaxial machine guns on the
M1 Abrams tank and the
M2 Bradley IFV, respectively; the M240B is the infantry variant and can be fired from a bipod or tripod if carried by hand, or employed from a pintle mount atop a vehicle. The
M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun has been in use since 1932 in a variety of roles, from infantry support to air defense. The M2 is also the primary weapon on most
Stryker ACV variants and the secondary weapon system on the M1 Abrams tank. The
MK 19 40 mm grenade machine gun is mainly used by motorized units, such as Stryker Brigades, HMMWV-mounted cavalry scouts, and Military Police.
[21] It is commonly employed in a complementary role to the M2.
The Army uses three types of
mortar for indirect fire support when heavier artillery may not be appropriate or available. The smallest of these is the 60 mm
M224, normally assigned at the infantry company level.
[22] At the next higher echelon, infantry battalions are typically supported by a section of 81 mm
M252 mortars.
[23] The largest mortar in the Army's inventory is the 120 mm
M120/M121, usually employed by mechanized battalions, Stryker units, and cavalry troops because its size and weight require it to be transported in a tracked carrier or towed behind a truck.
[24]
'Vehicles'
M2A3 Bradley IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle)
and
Main articles: List of land vehicles of the U.S. Armed Forces
The U.S. Army was the first in the world to achieve 100% automotive mobility, and spends a sizable portion of its military budget to maintain a diverse inventory of vehicles. The U.S. Army maintains the highest vehicle-to-soldier ratio in the world.
The Army's most common vehicle is the
HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle), which is capable of serving as a cargo/troop carrier, weapons platform, and ambulance, among many other roles.
[25] The
M1A2 Abrams is the Army's primary
main battle tank,
[26] while the
M2A3 Bradley is the standard
infantry fighting vehicle.
[27] Other vehicles include the
M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicle, the
Stryker,
[28] and the
M113 armored personnel carrier.
[29]
'Artillery'
Main articles: List of crew-served weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces#Artillery
The U.S. Army's principal
artillery weapons are the
M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer
[30] and the
M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS),
[31] both mounted on tracked platforms and assigned to heavy mechanized units. Fire support for light infantry units is provided by towed howitzers, including the 105 mm
M119A1[32] and the 155 mm
M777 (which will replace the
M198).
[33]
'Aircraft'
AH-64 Apache helicopter
While the U.S. Army operates a few fixed-wing aircraft, it mainly operates several types of rotary-wing aircraft. These include the
AH-64 Apache attack helicopter,
[34] the
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance/light attack helicopter,
[35] the
UH-60 Black Hawk utility tactical transport helicopter,
[36] and the
CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopter.
[37]
In addition, the Army's
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment operates the
MH-6/AH-6 small assault/attack helicopters, as well as highly-modified versions of the Black Hawk and Chinook, primarily in support of US Army Special Operations Forces, but also those of the other US armed forces. .
[38]
Training
Training in the United States Army is generally divided into two categories - individual and collective.
Individual training for enlisted soldiers usually consists of 14 weeks for those who hope to hold the MOS, 11B (Infantryman). Other combat MOS's consist of similar training length. Support and other MOS hopefuls attend nine weeks of
Basic Combat Training followed by
Advanced Individual Training in their primary
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) at any of the numerous MOS training facilities around the country. The length of time spent in AIT depends on the MOS of the soldier. Depending on the needs of the Army BCT is conducted at a number of locations, but two of the longest running are the Armor School at
Fort Knox, Kentucky and the
Infantry School at
Fort Benning, Georgia. For officers this training includes pre-commissioning training either at
USMA,
ROTC, or
OCS. After commissioning, officers undergo six weeks of training at the Basic Officer Leadership Course at
Ft. Benning or
Ft. Sill followed by their branch specific training at the Officer Basic Course which varies in time and location based on their future jobs.
Collective training takes place both at the unit's assigned station, but the most intensive collective training takes place at the three Combat Training Centers (CTC); the
National Training Center (NTC) at
Fort Irwin, California, the
Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) at
Fort Polk, Louisiana, and the
Combined Maneuver Training Center (CMTC) at
Hohenfels, Germany.
Famous Former Soldiers
★
Alan Alda, Actor;
★
Piers Anthony, Author;
★
James Arness, Actor;
★
David Brinkley, Newsman;
★
Mel Brooks, Actor;
★
Jack Buck, Cardinals Baseball Announcer;
★
Art Carney, Actor;
★
Julia Child, Famous Chef;
★
George Armstrong Custer, US General;
★
Joe DiMaggio, Baseball Hall of Fame;
★
Robert Dole, US Senator;
★
Clint Eastwood, Actor;
★
Dwight D. Eisenhower, US President;
★
Clark Gable, Actor;
★
Jerry Garcia, Singer;
★
Ulysses Simpson Grant, US General/US President;
★
Hank Greenberg, Baseball Hall of Fame;
★
Alexander Haig, US Secretary of State;
★ [Daniel K. Inouye]], Medal of Honor Recipient/US Senator;
★
Thomas “Stonewall” Jonathan Jackson, Civil War General;
★
James Earl Jones, Actor;
★
Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State;
★
Don Knotts, Actor;
★
Kris Kristofferson, Singer/Actor;
★
Louis L'Amour, Author;
★
Burt Lancaster, Actor;
★
Robert E. Lee, Civil War General;
★
Rocky Marciano, Boxer;
★
George C. Marshall, US General/US Secretary of State;
★
Audie Murphy, Medal of Honor Recipient/Actor;
★
Colin L. Powell, US Secretary of State;
★
Elvis Presley, Singer/Actor;
★
Tony Randall, Actor;
★
Ronald Reagan, US President;
★
Jackie Robinson, Baseball Hall of Fame;
★
Andy Rooney, Commentator;
★
Mickey Rooney, Actor;
★
Pat Sajak, TV Game Show Host;
★
Telly Savalas, Actor;
★
Rod Serling, Author/Producer;
★
Warren Spahn, Baseball Hall of Fame;
★
Jimmy Stewart, Actor;
★
Strom Thurmond, US Senator;
★
Harry Truman, US President;
★
Joseph Wapner, TV Judge;
★
George Washington, US President;
★
Hoyt Wilhelm, Baseball Hall of Fame;
★
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Actor
'Source:' Baron, Scott. ''They Also Served: Military Biographies of Uncommon Americans''. http://www.amazon.com/They-Also-Served-Biographies-Americans/dp/1877639370
Major commands
[39]
| Major Command | Current Commander | Location of Headquarters |
|---|
| Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) | MG John DeFreitas III | Fort Belvoir, Virginia |
| Corps of Engineers (USACE) | LTG Robert Van Antwerp Jr. | Washington, D.C. |
| Medical Command (MEDCOM) | MG Gale Pollock (acting) | Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
| Army Materiel Command (AMC) | GEN Benjamin S. Griffin | Fort Belvoir, Virginia |
| Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) | GEN William S. Wallace | Fort Monroe, Virginia |
| Forces Command (FORSCOM) | GEN Charles C. Campbell | Fort McPherson, Georgia |
| US Army South (USARSO) | BG Ken Keen | Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
| Special Operations Command (USASOC) | LTG Robert W. Wagner | Fort Bragg, North Carolina |
| Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC) | MG Kathleen M. Gainey | Fort Eustis, Virginia |
| Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) | LTG Kevin T. Campbell | Redstone Arsenal, Alabama |
| Eighth United States Army (EUSA) | LTG David P. Valcourt | Yongsan Army Garrison, Seoul |
| Army Pacific Command (USARPAC) | LTG John M. Brown III | Fort Shafter, Hawaii |
| US Army Europe & Seventh Army (USAREUR) | GEN David D. McKiernan | Campbell Barracks, Heidelberg, Germany |
| U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIDC) | BG Rodney L. Johnson | Fort Belvoir, Virginia |
| United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW) | MG Richard J. Rowe Jr. | Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. |
| US Army Network Command (NETCOM) | BG Carroll F. Pollett | Fort Huachuca, Arizona |
See also
★
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
★
United States Army Band
★
Army Medical Department
★
Awards and decorations of the United States military
★
Vehicle markings of the United States military
★
Badges of the United States Army
★
Branch insignia of the United States Army
★
Comparative Military Ranks
★
List of U.S. Army installations
★
United States Armed Forces
★
Military Organizations
★
Special Operations Forces
★
State Defense Forces
★
United States Army Rangers
★
Military History of the United States
★
Transformation of the United States Army
References
1. http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/faq/birth.htm
2. http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/ms1.pdf
3. http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/demographics/FY05%20Army%20Profile.pdf
4. Perpich v. Department of Defense, 496 U.S. 334 (1990)
5. The Deadliest War
6. The 7 Army Values, verified 2007-01-05
7. From the Future Soldiers Web Site (http://www.futuresoldiers.com)
8. From the Future Soldiers Web Site (http://www.futuresoldiers.com)
9. From the Future Soldiers Web Site (http://www.futuresoldiers.com)
10. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m16.html
11. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m4.html
12. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/bayonet.html
13. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m203.html
14. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m9.html
15. http://www.remtek.com/arms/sig/model/228/228.htm
16. http://www.wood.army.mil/MPBULLETIN/pdfs/April%2006/Miklos.pdf
17. http://www.wood.army.mil/qaosurvey/mp/eocq/asaceocq.htm
18. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/mk23.htm
19. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m249.html
20. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/m240b.html
21. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/individual/mk193.html
22. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/m224.html
23. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/m252.html
24. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/m120.html
25. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/wheeled/hmmwv.html
26. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/tracked/abrams.html
27. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/tracked/bradley.html
28. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/wheeled/stryker.html
29. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/tracked/m113.html
30. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/paladin.html
31. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/mlrs.html
32. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/indirect/m119.html
33. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/lw155.htm
34. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/aircraft/apache.html
35. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/aircraft/kiowa.html
36. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/aircraft/blackhawk.html
37. http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/aircraft/chinook.html
38. http://www.soc.mil/160soar/soar_home.htm
39. http://www.army.mil/organization/major.html
External links
★
ARMY.MIL - Official Homepage of the United States Army
★
GoArmy.com Official recruiting site
★
America's Army Official
Army Game Project site
★
US Army fact file
★
US Army organization page
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Army Formations
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US Army modular forces page
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US Department of Defense Quit tobacco site
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Fiscal Year 2004 US Army report (PDF document)
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Archive of photos taken by soldiers and military contractors serving in active duty
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US Army ranks and rank insignia
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US Army Mottos
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US Army Insignia website
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US Army Institute of Heraldry insignia list
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Images of Women In U.S. Army History
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Latest Information and Jobs for Army Applicants
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Army suicide after conflicts, Iraq, Veteran Groups
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Joint Fires Integration and Interoperability Team works with all branches
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