U.S. Army

Guide Note

The U.S. Army is the branch of the U.S. Military primarily responsible for land-based operations.

Fast Facts

1. Active duty: 488,579 (2005)
2. National Guard: 333,177 (2005)
3. Reserve: 204,134 (2005)
4. Current Leadership: Pete Geren, Secretary of the Army
5. Unified Commands, or centralized bases of operation (as of 2007):
   1. United States Central Command (USCENTCOM)
   2. United States European Command (USEUCOM)
   3. United States Pacific Command (USPACOM)
   4. United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)
   5. United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)

The Continental Army, which was raised in 1775 to fight the British during the Revolutionary War, was disbanded following the Treaty of Paris in 1782, when British forces withdrew from America. Because of deep-seated suspicion against standing armies, state militias were employed until 1791, when the present U.S. Army was organized (as the Legion of the United States) as a federal Indian-fighting force. A standard regimental structure was readopted in 1797, and continues to the present day.

The U.S. Army, which contains the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve, is (like all branches of the military) determined by the Constitution to fall under the command of the President of the United States. Under normal conditions, the Army National Guard is subdivided into over fifty state and territorial forces, each commanded by the governor of a U.S. state or territory. The civilian Secretary of Defense is next in the federal chain, followed by the civilian Secretary of the Army, underneath whom is the military Army Chief of Staff. Exceptions to this system are frequent and notable, one example of which is that operational forces may report directly to the Secretary of Defense.

In top-down order, the ranks of the U.S. Army run from General of the Army (or five-star general) through a diminishing succession of generalships, to Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major, Captain, First Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant. Warrant Officers are specialists more-or-less outside the chain of command, in roles (such as aircraft pilot) that demand expertise and situational authority. The enlisted ranks run through Sergeant Major of the Army through various administrative and/or specialist grades of sergeant, through Corporal, Specialist, Private First Class, and Private.