United States Army
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The United States Army is the largest, and by some standards oldest, established branch of the armed forces of the United States and is one of seven uniformed services. 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 14, 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 August 31, 2007, the Regular Army reported a strength of 519,472 soldiers.[2] By the end of 2006, the Army National Guard (ARNG) reported 346,288 and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) reported 189,975, putting the approximate combined component strength total at 1,055,734.[3]
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[edit] 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 or Unit Training Assemblies (UTAs), 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]
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. The U.S. Army Chief of Staff is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a body composed of the service chiefs from each service who advise the President and Secretary of Defense on military matters under the guidance of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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.
Most U.S. Army units can be operationally 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.
- Regiment: The Army, for the most part is no longer organized by Regiments. Rather, Battalions and Squadrons maintain Regimental Affiliations in that they are called (for example), 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry (Regiment is implied) and is written 1-8 Inf. In this case, there is no Regimental Commander and the Battlion is organizied as part of a Brigade for combat. The exceptions are those units, such as Armored Cavalry Regiments which remain organized, and fight, as a Regiment and have a Regimental Commander. The written designation is easy to distinguish and commonly misused. A "/" separates levels of command. 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavaly Regiment is written 1/3 ACR where as the 1st Squadron, 6th Field Artillery (again, Regiment is implied) is written 1-6 FA.
- Brigade (or group): Composed of two or more battalions, 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 or batteries and led by a Battalion/Squadron Commander, usually a Lieutenant Colonel supported by a staff in a Headquarters and Headquarters Company/Battery. 300-1000 soldiers.
- Company (or artillery battery/cavalry troop): Designated A thru C (plus HQ or support companies/batteries/troops) when in a 3 company/battery battalion or A thru D when organized in a 4 company/battery battalion. Regimental Troops are designated A thru T, depending on the number of Troops. The Troops are then divided into their like Squadrons. Each company/battery/troop is composed of three to four platoons and led by a Company/Battery/Troop 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.
- Team: The smallest unit. A fireteam consists of a team leader (usually a Sergeant, but may be a Corporal), a rifleman, a grenadier, and an automatic rifleman. A sniper team consists of a sniper who takes the shot and a spotter who assists in targeting. 2-4 soldiers.
[edit] 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 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.
[edit] Combat maneuver organizations
The US Army currently consists of 10 divisions as well as several independent units. The force is in the process of growth, with five additional brigades scheduled to activate by 2013, with a total increase of 74,200 soldiers from January 2007. Each division will have four ground maneuver brigades, 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, 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, Georgia 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.
172nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Schweinfurt, Germany
173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 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).
- 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, scheduled for activation in September 2010.
[edit] History
[edit] 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, Spanish 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.
[edit] 1800s
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.[citation needed]
[edit] 1900s
The United States 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.
The US joined World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. On the European front, US Army troops made up large portions of the forces that captured North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. On D-Day and in the subsequent liberation of Europe and defeat of Germany, the millions of US Army troops played a central role. In the Pacific, Army soldiers participated alongside US Marines in the "island hopping" campaign that wrested the Pacific islands from Japanese control. Following the Axis surrenders in May and September of 1945, Army troops were deployed to Japan and Germany to occupy the two nations.
However, the end of World War II set the stage for the West-East confrontation known as the Cold War (late 1940s to late 1980s/early 1990s). Millions of US troops remained stationed in West Germany and across Europe until the 1990s in anticipation of Soviet attack.
During the Cold War, American troops and their allies fought Communist forces in Korea and Vietnam. (See Domino Theory.) The Korean War began in 1950. Under a United Nations umbrella, hundreds of thousands of US troops fought to prevent the takeover of South Korea by North Korea, and later, to invade the northern nation. After repeated advances and retreats by both sides, and the Peoples' Republic of China's entry into the war, a cease-fire returned the peninsula to the status quo in 1953.
The Vietnam War is often regarded as a low point in the Army's record. While American forces had been stationed in the Republic of Vietnam since 1959, they did not deploy in large numbers until 1965, after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. American forces struggled to counter the guerrilla tactics of the communist Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army until 1973, when domestic political opposition to the war finally forced a US withdrawal. Two years later, the country was unified under a communist government.
The 1980s was mostly a decade of reorganization. The Army converted to an all-volunteer force with greater emphasis on training and technology. The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 created Unified Combatant Commands bringing the Army together with the other four US armed forces under unified, geographically organized command structures. The Army also played a role in the invasions of Grenada in 1983 (Operation Urgent Fury) and Panama in 1989 (Operation Just Cause).
By 1991 Germany was reunited and the Soviet Union was near collapse. The Cold War was, effectively, over. Then Iraq invaded its tiny neighbor, Kuwait, and a US-led coalition deployed over 500,000 troops, the bulk of them from US Army formations, to drive out Iraqi forces. The war ended in convincing victory for the Army, as western coalition forces routed an Iraqi Army organized along Soviet lines in just one hundred hours.
After the Gulf War, the Army did not see major combat operations for the remainder of the 1990s. Army units did participate in a number of peacekeeping activities, such as the UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia in 1993, where the abortive Operation Gothic Serpent led to the deaths of eighteen American soldiers and the withdrawal of international forces. The Army also contributed troops to a NATO peacekeeping force in former Yugoslavia in the middle of the decade.
[edit] 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 quickly defeated the Saddam Hussein dictatorship, his military lacking training and inadequately equipped, most soldiers poorly paid and unmotivated. 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 over 4,000 US servicemen (as of March 2008) and thousands more injured [6]. The lack of stability in the theater of operations has led to longer deployments for Regular Army as well as Reserve and Guard troops. However, some measure of success has been achieved such as the capture of Saddam Hussein and the holding of democratic elections.
[edit] Rank structure
These are the US Army ranks and their equivalent NATO designations.
| “ | 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)." |
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| US DoD Pay Grade | O-12 | O-11 | O-10 | O-9 | O-8 | O-7 | O-6 | O-5 | O-4 | O-3 | O-2 | O-1 | |
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| Title | General of the Armies | General of the Army | General | Lieutenant General | Major General | Brigadier General | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | First Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | |
| Abbreviation | General of the Armies | GA | GEN | LTG | MG | BG | COL | LTC | MAJ | CPT | 1LT | 2LT | |
| NATO Code | OF-12 | OF-11 | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | |
| 1 Awarded only in times of Congressionally declared war. | |||||||||||||
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, but instead say "Sir", "Ma'am", or most commonly, "Chief". |
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| US DoD Pay Grade | W-5 | W-4 | W-3 | W-2 | W-1 | |
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| Title | Chief Warrant Officer 5 | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | Chief Warrant Officer 3 | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | Warrant Officer 1 | |
| Abbreviation | CW5 | CW4 | CW3 | CW2 | WO1 | |
| NATO Code | WO-5 | WO-4 | WO-3 | WO-2 | WO-1 | |
Enlisted Personnel[7]:
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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. |
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| U.S. DoD Pay Grade | E-9 | E-8 | E-7 | E-6 | E-5 | E-4 | E-3 | E-2 | E-1 | ||||
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No Insignia |
| Title | Sergeant Major of the Army | Command Sergeant Major | Sergeant Major | First Sergeant | Master Sergeant | Sergeant First Class | Staff Sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Specialist | Private First Class | Private | Private |
| Abbreviation | SMA | CSM | SGM | 1SG | MSG | SFC | SSG | SGT | CPL | SPC ² | PFC | PV2 ¹ | PV1 ¹ |
| NATO Code | OR-9 | OR-9 | OR-9 | OR-8 | OR-8 | OR-7 | OR-6 | OR-5 | OR-4 | OR-4 | OR-3 | OR-2 | OR-1 |
| ¹ PVT is also used as an abbreviation for both Private ranks when pay grade need not be distinguished ² SP4 is sometimes encountered as an abbreviation for Specialist. This is a holdover from when there were additional specialist ranks at higher pay grades. |
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[edit] Uniforms
As of fiscal year '08, or 1 October 2007, the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) and Desert Combat Uniform (DCU) have been phased out of normal wear in Garrison and in Combat Zones by the Army. The BDU and DCU have been replaced with the 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 armor system 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.
[edit] Equipment
Individual weapons
The primary individual weapons of the Army are the M16 series assault rifle[8] and its compact variant, the M4 carbine[9], which is slowly replacing selected M16 series rifles in some units and is primarily used by infantry, Ranger, and Special Operations forces.[10] Optionally the M9 bayonet can be attached to either variant for close-quarters fighting.[11] The 40 mm M203 grenade launcher can also be attached for additional firepower.[12] 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[13] 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,[14][15][16] and the MK23, used by some Army Special Forces units.[17]
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,[18] 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 M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper Rifle for snipers. Hand grenades, such as the M67 fragmentation grenade and M18 smoke grenade, are also used by combat troops.
Crew-served weapon systems
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.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] At the next higher echelon, infantry battalions are typically supported by a section of 81 mm M252 mortars.[22] 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.[23]
Vehicles
- and
The U.S. Army 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.[24] The M1A2 Abrams is the Army's primary main battle tank,[25] while the M2A3 Bradley is the standard infantry fighting vehicle.[26] Other vehicles include the M3A3 cavalry fighting vehicle, the Stryker,[27] and the M113 armored personnel carrier.[28]
Artillery
The U.S. Army's principal artillery weapons are the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer[29] and the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS),[30] 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[31] and the 155 mm M777 (which will replace the M198).[32]
Aircraft
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,[33] the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior armed reconnaissance/light attack helicopter,[34] the UH-60 Black Hawk utility tactical transport helicopter,[35] and the CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopter.[36]
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. .[37]
[edit] 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 MOSs 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 Leaders Course, Phase II at Ft. Benning or Ft. Sill, followed by their branch specific training at the Basic Officer Leaders Course, Phase III (formerly called 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.
[edit] 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).[38]
[edit] Major commands
Other Commands
- 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), LTG Eric Schoomaker, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- United States Army Military District of Washington (MDW), MG Richard J. Rowe Jr., Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.
- US Army Network Command (NETCOM), BG Susan Lawrence, Fort Huachuca, Arizona
[edit] See also
- Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
- United States Army Basic Training
- Army Medical Department
- Vehicle markings of the United States military
- Branch insignia of the United States Army
- Comparative Military Ranks
- United States Armed Forces
- Military Organizations
- Special Operations Forces
- Transformation of the United States Army
- List of United States military history events
- Category:United States Army soldiers
[edit] References
- ^ June 14th: The Birthday of the U.S. Army
- ^ http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/ms1.pdf DoD PERSONNEL & PROCUREMENT STATISTICS, retrieved 2007-10-31
- ^ army.mil
- ^ Perpich v. Department of Defense, 496 U.S. 334 (1990)
- ^ The Deadliest War
- ^ U.S. Casulties in Iraq
- ^ a b c From the Future Soldiers Web Site.
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ Army position: M4 Carbine is Soldier's battlefield weapon of choice
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ SIG SAUER P228
- ^ http://www.wood.army.mil/MPBULLETIN/pdfs/April%2006/Miklos.pdf
- ^ http://www.wood.army.mil/qaosurvey/mp/eocq/asaceocq.htm
- ^ SOCOM Pistol Mk 23 Mod 0
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ M777 Lightweight 155mm howitzer (LW155)
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ U.S. Army Fact Files
- ^ 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment
- ^ The 7 Army Values, verified 2007-01-05
- ^ The United States Army | Organization
[edit] External links
- ARMY.MIL - Official Homepage of the United States Army
- GoArmy.com Official recruiting site
- America's Army Official Army Game Project site
- Army Formations
- US Army Institute of Heraldry insignia list
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