Since its birth on June 14, 1775 – more than a year before the Declaration of Independence – the U.S. Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of our Nation.
It is a key member of a joint defense team, strategically dominant across the full spectrum of operations. The Army provides the Joint Force with the campaign-quality combat, combat support, and combat service support capabilities necessary to conduct sustained land warfare; this is our unique contribution to the Joint Team and it will be maintained.
The Army must always be ready to defend the United States and its territories; support national policies and objectives; and defeat adversaries responsible for aggression that endangers the peace and security of the United States and our allies.
To do this, the Army must continue to attract, train, motivate and retain the most competent and dedicated people in the Nation.
Over the course of its history the U.S. Army has fluctuated in size and function but has always maintained its status as an important institution of American society. Serving in the Army has been seen by many Americans over time as a respected career, and Soldiers are highly regarded for their sense of duty and the sacrifices they have made for their country.
Of the nation’s 43 presidents, 30 served in the armed forces. Of those, 17 served in the Regular Army and six in the Army National Guard or militia. Three men who attained the highest rank of general in leading wartime field armies became president: George Washington (War of Independence), Ulysses S. Grant (Civil War) and Dwight D. Eisenhower (World War II).
The institutional Army has evolved around the Army’s primary mission of providing forces with a wide range of landpower capabilities that enable combatant commanders to dominate and sustain land warfare across the spectrum of operations.
The Army therefore must recruit, organize, train, equip, supply, sustain, mobilize and demobilize those forces as well as construct, maintain and repair facilities. To do all of that requires the right people and tools and the proper mix of intellectual and technological strength.
America’s Army is regarded by friend and foe as the world’s best Army. Its values, ethos, history of service and determination to succeed ensure that our Army is trained and ready for today and the future. The U.S. Army is a proud member of the Joint Force expertly serving our Nation and its citizens as we continuously strive toward new goals and improved performance.
Army soldiers can serve in several different branches of the Army, including Active Duty and Army Reserve. On Active Duty, soldiers are full-time, and live on a base either in the U.S. or a foreign country. Active duty soldiers earn a full-time salary, as well as health and retirement benefits. In the Army Reserve, soldiers are part- time, and earn part-time salary, also with health and retirement benefits. Reserve soldiers are able to choose where they live, but are required to train and report for duty only one weekend a month and two weeks a year.
America’s Army has three distinct components that work together: the Active Army, the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.
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