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91-617: The American Expeditionary Forces ( AEF ) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front during World War I , composed mostly of units from the U.S. Army . The AEF was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of then-Major General John J. Pershing . It fought alongside French Army , British Army , Canadian Army , British Indian Army , New Zealand Army and Australian Army units against

182-586: A colonel ) was appointed to head recruiting as the army began to mobilize for World War I. In August he was selected to command the 152nd Depot Brigade at Camp Upton , New York . In December Read was promoted to temporary major general and assigned to command first the 77th Infantry Division , and then the 15th Cavalry Division in El Paso, Texas . The 15th Cavalry Division was disbanded in favor of fielding all infantry divisions, and in April, 1918 Read took command of

273-727: A blueprint for all subsequent Allied attacks, using " tanks ". U.S. Army and Marine Corps troops played a key role in helping stop the German thrust towards Paris, during the Second Battle of the Marne in June 1918 (at the Battle of Château-Thierry (1918) and the Battle of Belleau Wood ). The first major and distinctly American offensive was the reduction of the Saint Mihiel salient during September 1918. During

364-511: A regular army formation; the 26th Division , a National Guard division; the 2nd Division , a combination of regular troops and U.S. Marines ; and the 42nd "Rainbow" Division , a National Guard division made up of soldiers from nearly every state in the United States. The fifth division, the 41st Division , was converted into a depot division near Tours . Logistic operations were under the direction of Chicago banker Charles G. Dawes , with

455-658: A single organization. The mission of Army Aviation is to find, fix and destroy any enemy through fire and maneuver and to provide combat support and combat service support in coordinated operations as an integral member of the combined arms team. Major aircraft include the AH-64 Apache , which serves as the Army's attack helicopter, the UH-60 Black Hawk , and the CH-47 Chinook for troop and cargo transport. Army Aviation also flies

546-453: A special operations force, Army Rangers are generally better equipped than standard infantry, utilizing the FN SCAR rifle. Army Special Forces , commonly known as Green Berets after their iconic headgear, are among the most elite soldiers in the Army. Special Forces conduct: Army Special Forces are trained in military free-fall parachuting and combat diver skillsets. They are considered

637-606: A wide variety of other activities. The Services of Supply initiated support techniques that would last well into the Cold War including forward maintenance, field cooking, graves registration (mortuary affairs), host nation support, motor transport, and morale services. The work of the logisticians enabled the success of the AEF and contributed to the emergence of the American Army as a modern fighting force. African Americans were drafted on

728-560: Is assigned a role and domain. The Army conducts land operations. The Navy and Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations primarily for supporting the Navy. The Air Force conducts air operations. The Space Force conducts space operations. The Coast Guard is unique in that it specializes in maritime operations and is also a law enforcement agency. From their inception during

819-544: Is led by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , who is the military head of the armed forces and principal advisor to the president and secretary of defense on military matters. Their deputy is the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Other members include the chief of staff of the Army , commandant of the Marine Corps , chief of naval operations , chief of staff of the Air Force , chief of space operations , and

910-509: Is now one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Should it be called into active duty again, it would constitute a seventh branch of the Armed Forces. The United States Space Force was established as an independent service on 20 December 2019. It is the sixth branch of the U.S. military and the first new branch in 72 years. The origin of the Space Force can be traced back to

1001-513: Is the world's 12th-largest maritime force. The history of the U.S. Armed Forces dates back to 14 June 1775, with the creation of the Continental Army , even before the Declaration of Independence marked the establishment of the United States. The Continental Navy , established on 13 October 1775, and Continental Marines , established on 10 November 1775, were created in close succession by

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1092-538: Is unique in that it is a military branch specializing in maritime operations and also a law enforcement agency. The United States Army (USA) is the United States Armed Forces' land force and is the largest and oldest service. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Army , it consists of one million soldiers across the Regular Army, Army Reserve , and Army National Guard . The Army serves as

1183-700: The 10th Mountain Division , 11th Airborne Division , 25th Infantry Division , 82nd Airborne Division , 101st Airborne Division , and 173rd Airborne Brigade have a cavalry squadron equipped with the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle . The Field Artillery's mission is to destroy, suppress or neutralize the enemy by cannon, rocket or missile fire. Rocket systems include the M142 HIMARS and M270 multiple launch rocket system , which are corps-level assets found in field artillery brigades. Towed artillery includes

1274-523: The 11th Airborne Division , 82nd Airborne Division , and 173rd Airborne Brigade are capable of airborne operations, in cooperation with the U.S. Air Force's transport aircraft. Finally, Infantry Brigade Combat Teams assigned to the 10th Mountain Division specialize in mountain warfare . Standard Infantry Brigade Combat Teams are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division , which offers additional training in jungle warfare . Armored Brigade Combat Teams comprise mechanized infantry battalions mounted in

1365-642: The 27th and 339th Infantry Regiments , to Russia. These latter two were known as the American Expeditionary Force Siberia , and the American Expeditionary Force North Russia . The AEF sustained about 320,000 casualties: 53,402 battle deaths, 63,114 noncombat deaths and 204,000 wounded. Relatively few men suffered actual injury from poison gas, although much larger numbers mistakenly thought that they had been exposed. The 1918 influenza pandemic in late 1918 raged in

1456-674: The 30th Infantry Division , which he led to France . In June he was selected by General John J. Pershing , Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front , to command the II Corps , consisting of five divisions assigned to the British sector of the Western Front . After three of his divisions were transferred to take part in the Saint-Mihiel Offensive , Read continued to command

1547-400: The 4th Infantry Division . Each Armored Brigade Combat Team also possesses a cavalry squadron equipped with M2 Bradleys for scouting and security. Stryker Brigade Combat Teams from the 2nd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 11th Airborne Division , 2nd Cavalry Regiment , and 3rd Cavalry Regiment have a cavalry squadron equipped with Strykers . Infantry Brigade Combat Teams from

1638-507: The 75th Ranger Regiment are an elite special operations infantry force in the United States Army Special Operations Command , specializing in air assault and airborne infiltration methods. The three primary missions of the 75th Ranger Regiment are special operations raids , forcible entry operations, such as an airfield seizure to enable the Air Force to bring in more forces, and special reconnaissance . As

1729-713: The Air Force Space Command , which was formed 1 September 1982 and was a major command of the United States Air Force. The U.S. Congressional Research Office annually publishes a List of Notable Deployments of U.S. Military Forces Overseas since 1798. Presidential command over the U.S. Armed Forces is established in Article II in the Constitution whereby the president is named as the " Commander in Chief of

1820-527: The American Revolutionary War , the U.S. Armed Forces have played a decisive role in the country's history . They helped forge a sense of national unity and identity through victories in the early-19th-century First and Second Barbary Wars . They played a critical role in the territorial evolution of the U.S. , including the American Civil War . The National Security Act of 1947 created

1911-594: The Battle of Saint-Mihiel , Pershing commanded the U.S. First Army , composed of seven divisions and more than 500,000 men, in the largest offensive operation ever undertaken by United States armed forces. This successful offensive was followed by the Meuse-Argonne offensive , lasting from September 26 to November 11, 1918, during which Pershing commanded more than one million American and French combatants. In these two military operations, Allied forces recovered more than 200 sq mi (488 km) of French territory from

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2002-532: The Department of the Navy , which is a military department under the leadership of the secretary of the Navy and the under secretary of the Navy . The U.S. Marine Corps itself is led by the commandant of the Marine Corps and the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps , both generals who are advised by the sergeant major of the Marine Corps . The Marine Corps statutory mission is outlined in 10 U.S.C.   § 5063 and as originally introduced under

2093-683: The FIM-92 Stinger man-portable air-defense system , AN/TWQ-1 Avenger for short range air defense , and the counter rocket, artillery, and mortar 20mm gun system. The Iron Dome provides air defense against rockets, artillery, mortars, missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The MIM-104 Patriot is capable of defeating a wide range of threats including aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, ballistic and cruise missiles, and Weapons of Mass Destruction. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense protects strategic critical assets by conducting long-range endo-and-exo-atmospheric engagements of ballistic missiles using

2184-704: The Hoboken Port of Embarkation with facilities in New York City and New Jersey , and the Newport News Port of Embarkation in Virginia . The mobilization effort taxed the American military to the limit and required new organizational strategies and command structures to transport great numbers of troops and supplies quickly and efficiently. The French harbors of Bordeaux , La Pallice , Saint Nazaire , and Brest became

2275-769: The Imperial German Army . A small number of AEF troops also fought alongside Italian Army units in 1918 against the Austro-Hungarian Army . The AEF helped the French Army on the Western Front during the Aisne Offensive (at the Battle of Château-Thierry and Battle of Belleau Wood ) in the summer of 1918, and fought its major actions in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in

2366-549: The M119 howitzer in infantry brigade combat teams and the M777 howitzer found in both infantry and Stryker brigade combat teams. The M109 self-propelled howitzer is utilized in armored brigade combat teams. During the Cold War, Army field artillery was responsible for the service's ballistic missile programs, including the PGM-11 Redstone , which was the first large ballistic missile in

2457-660: The M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle . Divisions with Armored Brigade Combat Teams include the 1st Infantry Division , 3rd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 1st Armored Division , and 1st Cavalry Division . Stryker Brigade Combat Teams are centered around Stryker infantry battalions operating out of the Stryker . Divisions with Stryker Brigade Combat Teams include the 2nd Infantry Division , 4th Infantry Division , 11th Airborne Division , 2nd Cavalry Regiment , and 3rd Cavalry Regiment . United States Army Rangers with

2548-681: The MQ-1C Gray Eagle drone. A specialized unit within Army Aviation, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) serves as a special operations unit and operates modified variants of the MH-60 Black Hawk, MH-47 Chinook, and the MH-6 Little Bird . The U.S. Army is organized into four major Army Commands, nine Army Service Component Commands which serve as the Army component and joint force land component commanders for

2639-519: The Marine Corps Reserve . The Marine Corps maintains a very close relationship with the U.S. Navy, its sister service in the Department of the Navy. Although the Marine Corps has previously operated as an independent land force alongside the Army, its primary purpose is to serve as part of a unified naval service alongside the Navy in the maritime domain. The U.S. Marine Corps is organized under

2730-570: The Medal of Honor . At the beginning, during the spring of 1918, the four battle-ready U.S. divisions were deployed under French and British command to gain combat experience by defending relatively quiet sectors of their lines. After the first offensive action and American-led AEF victory on 28 May 1918 at the Battle of Cantigny , by the U.S. 1st Division , and a similar local action by the 2nd Division at Belleau Wood beginning 6 June, both while assigned under French Corps command, Pershing worked towards

2821-603: The National Security Act of 1947 , with its three primary areas of responsibility including: George Windle Read Read was born in Indianola, Iowa , the son of James C. Read and Elizabeth Snell (Windle) Read. He graduated from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York , in 1883 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry . Read's initial assignments were in

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2912-701: The Second Continental Congress in order to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War . These forces demobilized in 1784 after the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. The Congress of the Confederation created the current United States Army on 3 June 1784. The United States Congress created the current United States Navy on 27 March 1794 and

3003-513: The canon de 155 C modèle 1917 Schneider , and the canon de 155mm GPF . American aviation units received the SPAD XIII and Nieuport 28 fighters, and the U.S. Army tank corps used French Renault FT light tanks. Pershing established facilities in France to train new arrivals with their new weapons. By the end of 1917, four divisions were deployed in a large training area near Verdun : the 1st Division,

3094-539: The chief of the National Guard Bureau . The commandant of the Coast Guard is not an official member of the Joint Chiefs, but sometimes attends meetings as one of the military service chiefs. The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman is the most senior enlisted member in the United States Armed Forces. Leadership of the Armed Forces, to include the president of the United States, the secretary of defense ,

3185-523: The deputy secretary of defense , deputy secretary of homeland security , and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Military leadership, including the secretary of defense, the secretary of Homeland Security, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also sit on the National Space Council . Unified combatant commands are joint military commands consisting of forces from multiple military departments, with their chain of command flowing from

3276-603: The joint force land component , Navy components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force maritime component , and Air Force components are typically dual-hatted as the joint force air component , with the theater special operations command dual-hatted as the joint force special operations component, and Space Force component typically dual-hatted as the joint force space component. Combat support agencies are Department of Defense agencies with combat support missions that service operating forces planning or conducting military operations. This includes support during conflict or in

3367-591: The military forces of the United States . The armed forces consist of six service branches : the Army , Marine Corps , Navy , Air Force , Space Force , and Coast Guard . All six armed services are among the eight uniformed services of the United States , along with the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps . Each of the different military services

3458-543: The secretary of Homeland Security and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are members of the United States National Security Council , which advises the president on national security, military, and foreign policy matters. The national security advisor , the homeland security advisor , and the deputy national security advisor may also be members of the United States Armed Forces. The National Security Council Deputies Committee also includes

3549-410: The sergeant major of the Army . The Army's primary responsibility is to conduct prompt and sustained land combat as part of the joint force. Army landpower focuses on destroying an enemy's armed forces, occupying its territory, and breaking the will of an adversary. The five core competencies of the Army are: The thirteen specified functions of the Army are: The Infantry Branch forms the core of

3640-523: The unified combatant commands , and thirteen direct reporting units. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) serves as the U.S. Armed Forces' naval land force, responsible for executing amphibious warfare and operating in the maritime littorals in support of the U.S. Navy. Originally established in 1775 as the Continental Marines , the Marine Corps consists of the Regular Marine Corps and

3731-492: The 1st, 2nd, 26th, 32nd, 41st and 42nd Divisions. (4th Brigade, US Marine Corps, was included as part of 2nd Division.) II Corps was activated on 24 February, by which time troop numbers justified it. Initially II Corps consisted of the 27th, 30th, 33rd, 78th and 80th Divisions. In June 1918, many component infantry units from II Corps – commanded by Maj.-Gen. George W. Read – were attached to veteran British Army or Australian Army units. This served two purposes: familiarizing

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3822-455: The 30th Division, and organized and Commanded the 2d Army Corps in its operations with the British forces in France. He displayed qualities of leadership and professional attainments of a high order, and to his efforts are largely due the brilliant success achieved. In addition, he received the French Legion of Honor (Commander), and French Croix de Guerre with Palm. In May, 1919, Read

3913-476: The 4th of July. Their involvement was voluntary and occurred despite last-minute orders from AEF headquarters, that its troops should not take part in offensive operations led by non-US generals. Thus Hamel was historically significant as the first major offensive operation during the war to involve US infantry. The AEF used French and British equipment. Particularly appreciated were the French canon de 75 modèle 1897 ,

4004-484: The AEF did not participate at the front until October 23, 1917, when the 1st Division fired the first American shell of the war toward German lines, although they participated only on a small scale. A group of regular soldiers and the first American division to arrive in France, entered the trenches near Nancy, France , in Lorraine . I Corps was officially activated in France, under the AEF, from 15 January 1918. It include

4095-435: The AEF had only a minor participation at the front up to late October 1917, but by May 1918 over one million American troops were stationed in France, with half of them fighting on the front lines. Since the transport ships needed to bring American troops to Europe were scarce at the beginning, the U.S. Army pressed into service passenger liners, seized German ships, and borrowed Allied ships to transport American soldiers from

4186-486: The Air Force through its Air and Missile Defense Commands and the Space Force through Army Space and Missile Defense Command, given their shared missile defense and space roles. In 1962, Air Defense Artillery achieved the first intercept of a ballistic missile with a nuclear-tipped Nike Zeus and operated the Nike Zeus as an anti-satellite weapon after completing a successful intercept in 1963. Army Aviation, distinct from

4277-694: The American Expeditionary Forces University at Beaune , complete with its own chapter of Phi Beta Kappa . Faculty included Walter M. Chandler , a Progressive Party member and, later, a Republican Party member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the State of New York . Botanist Edwin Blake Payson was also an instructor there. Rudolph Hjalmar Gjelsness served as librarian. Government General information United States Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are

4368-591: The American West, and his first posting was with the 16th Infantry Regiment . A few months later he transferred to the 5th Cavalry Regiment , with which he served until 1889. From 1889 to 1893, Read was Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Iowa , after which he returned to the 5th Cavalry Regiment in Texas. In 1898, Read authored The Automatic Instructor: A Practical System for Home Study . At

4459-573: The American force would not be used merely to fill gaps in the French and British armies, and he resisted European efforts to have U.S. troops deployed as individual replacements in depleted Allied units. This approach was not always well received by the western Allied leaders who distrusted the potential of an army lacking experience in large-scale warfare. In addition, the British government tried to use its spare shipping as leverage to bring US soldiers under British operational control. By June 1917, only 14,000 American soldiers had arrived in France, and

4550-420: The Americans with actual battlefield conditions in France, and temporarily reinforcing the British Empire units that were often severely-depleted in numbers, after more than three years of fighting. In fact, the first major operation in World War I to involve US troops concerned individual infantry platoons of the 33rd Division, which were attached to battalions of the Australian Corps for the Battle of Hamel on

4641-416: The Armed Forces principal land service, responsible for conducting land warfare operations. The U.S. Army is organized under the Department of the Army , which is a military department under the leadership of the secretary of the Army and under secretary of the Army . The U.S. Army itself is led by the chief of staff of the Army and vice chief of staff of the Army , both generals who are advised by

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4732-559: The Armistice; nearly all its senior white officers scorned the men under their command and repeatedly asked to be transferred. The black enlisted men were frequently diverted from their already attenuated training opportunities in France in the summer of 1918 and put to work as stevedores and common laborers." The 369th , 370th , 371st , and 372nd Infantry Regiments (nominally the 93d Division , but never consolidated as such) served with distinction under French command with French colonial units in front-line combat. The French did not harbor

4823-460: The Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States." The United States Armed Forces are split between two cabinet departments, with the Department of Defense serving as the primary cabinet department for military affairs and the Department of Homeland Security responsible for administering the United States Coast Guard . The military chain of command flows from

4914-480: The Atlantic Ocean was a massive logistical enterprise. In order to be successful, the Americans needed to create a coherent support structure with very little institutional knowledge. The AEF developed support network appropriate for the huge size of the American force. It rested upon the Services of Supply in the rear areas, with ports, railroads, depots, schools, maintenance facilities, bakeries, clothing repair shops (termed salvage), replacement depots, ice plants, and

5005-476: The Bath . The citation for his Army DSM states the following: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress , July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Major General George Windle Read, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. General Read Commanded with distinction

5096-572: The Department of Defense's military departments. The United States Coast Guard is nominally under the Department of Homeland Security , but may be transferred to the Department of Defense's Department of the Navy (which is the civilian entity that oversees the coequal U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy) at the direction of the President or Congress. With the exception of the Coast Guard, the military services only organize, train, and equip forces. The unified combatant commands are responsible for operational control of non-service retained forces. Each of

5187-409: The German army. By the time the World War I Armistice had suspended all combat on November 11, 1918, the American Expeditionary Forces had evolved into a modern, combat-tested army. Late in the war, American units ultimately fought in two other theaters at the request of the European powers. Pershing sent troops of the 332d Infantry Regiment to Italy, and President Wilson agreed to send some troops,

5278-402: The Philippines before attending the Army War College , from which he graduated in 1914. Advanced to lieutenant colonel after his war college graduation, Read served in Texas and Arizona during the US– Mexico border conflict, including the Pancho Villa Expedition . From 1915 to 1917 Read again served in Washington, D.C. , as a member of the Army General Staff. In April, 1917, Read (now

5369-443: The President of the United States to the secretary of defense (for services under the Defense Department) or secretary of homeland security (for services under the Department of Homeland Security), ensuring civilian control of the military . Within the Department of Defense, the military departments ( Department of the Army , United States Department of the Navy , and Department of the Air Force ) are civilian led entities that oversee

5460-424: The U.S. Air Force and its predecessors, began as part of the field artillery in 1942. Small spotter planes were used to spot for artillery and naval bombardment, as well as to perform observation. These few aircraft formed the core of Army Aviation once the U.S. Air Force gained independence. In 1983, the Army created the Aviation Branch, for the first time since the Air Force's independence consolidating aviation under

5551-408: The U.S. and France, where it took the lives of more than 25,000 men with the AEF, while another 360,000 became gravely ill. After the Armistice of November 11, 1918 thousands of Americans were sent home and demobilized. On July 27, 1919, the number of soldiers discharged amounted to 3,028,487 members of the military, and only 745,845 left in the American Expeditionary Forces. The AEF established

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5642-528: The U.S. arsenal, the MGM-31 Pershing , and the Pershing II . In 2023, the Army is intending to field the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon and has reestablished larger artillery formations like the 56th Artillery Command . The Air Defense Artillery is responsible for defending geopolitical assets and providing maneuver forces with the freedom to move on the battlefield by deterring the enemy and destroying aerial threats, missile attacks, and surveillance platforms. Weapons employed by Air Defense Artillery include

5733-421: The United States is the United States Armed Forces' commander-in-chief . The United States Coast Guard traces its origin to the formation of the Revenue Cutter Service on 4 August 1790, which merged with the United States Life-Saving Service on 28 January 1915 to establish the Coast Guard. The United States Air Force was established as an independent service on 18 September 1947; it traces its origin to

5824-482: The armed forces and forms military policy with the DoD and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both federal executive departments , acting as the principal organs by which military policy is carried out. The U.S. Armed Forces are one of the world's largest military forces in terms of personnel. They draw their personnel from a large pool of professional volunteers . The U.S. has used military conscription , but not since 1973. The Selective Service System retains

5915-410: The coequal military service branches organized within each department. The military departments and services are responsible for organizing, training, and equipping forces, with the actual chain of command flowing through the unified combatant commands . The Joint Chiefs of Staff , although outside the operational chain of command, is the senior-most military body in the United States Armed Forces. It

6006-409: The colored drafted men cannot be used for combatant troops", said a General Staff report in 1918, and it recommended that "these colored drafted men be organized in reserve labor battalions." They handled unskilled labor tasks as stevedores in the Atlantic ports and common laborers at the camps and in the Services of the Rear in France. The French, whose front-line troops were resisting combat duties to

6097-509: The conduct of other military activities related to countering threats to U.S. national security. This mission is focused on providing support to echelons at the CCMD level and below and may not encompass the full scope of the CSA's mission. The United States Armed Forces is composed of six coequal military service branches. Five of the branches, the United States Army , United States Marine Corps , United States Navy , United States Air Force , and United States Space Force , are organized under

6188-415: The current United States Marine Corps on 11 July 1798. All three services trace their origins to their respective Continental predecessors. The 1787 adoption of the Constitution gave Congress the power to "raise and support armies," to "provide and maintain a navy", and to "make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces", as well as the power to declare war . The President of

6279-490: The deployment of an independent US field Army. The rest followed at an accelerating pace during the spring and summer of 1918. By June Americans were arriving in-theater at the rate of 10,000 a day; most of which entered training by British, Canadian and Australian battle-experienced officers and senior non-commissioned ranks. The training took a minimum of six weeks due to the inexperience of the servicemen. The first offensive action by AEF units serving under non-American command

6370-401: The different military services is assigned a role and domain. The U.S. Army conducts land operations, while the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps conduct maritime operations, with the Marine Corps specializing in amphibious and maritime littoral operations in support of the Navy. The U.S. Air Force conducts air operations, while the U.S. Space Force conducts space operations. The U.S. Coast Guard

6461-433: The entry points into the French railway system that brought the American troops and their supplies to the Western Front. American engineers in France also built 82 new ship berths, nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of additional standard-gauge tracks, and over 100,000 miles (160,000 km) of telephone and telegraph lines. The first American troops, who were often called " Doughboys ," landed in Europe in June 1917. However

6552-453: The force around the world, including around 800 military bases outside the U.S. The U.S. Air Force is the world's largest air force, followed by the U.S. Army Aviation Branch . The U.S. Naval Air Forces is the fourth-largest air arm in the world and is the largest naval aviation service, while U.S. Marine Corps Aviation is the world's seventh-largest air arm. The U.S. Navy is the world's largest navy by tonnage . The U.S. Coast Guard

6643-584: The formation of the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps , which was formed 1 August 1907 and was part of the Army Air Forces before being recognized as an independent service in the National Security Act of 1947. The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps was formerly considered to be a branch of the United States Armed Forces from 29 July 1945 until 3 July 1952, and

6734-500: The latter part of 1918. President Woodrow Wilson initially planned to give command of the AEF to Gen. Frederick Funston , but after Funston's sudden death, Wilson appointed Major General John J. Pershing in May 1917, and Pershing remained in command for the rest of the war. Pershing insisted that American soldiers be well-trained before going to Europe. As a result, few troops arrived before January 1918. In addition, Pershing insisted that

6825-534: The modern U.S. military framework, establishing the National Military Establishment (later the Department of Defense or DoD) headed by the secretary of defense and creating both the U.S. Air Force and National Security Council ; in 1949, an amendment to the act merged the cabinet-level departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force into the DoD. The president of the U.S. is the commander-in-chief of

6916-564: The most distinguished units was the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters . The 369th was on the front lines for six months, longer than any other African-American regiment in the war. One hundred seventy-one members of the 369th were awarded the Legion of Merit . One member of the 369th, Sergeant Henry Johnson , was awarded the French Croix de guerre , and posthumously

7007-663: The most versatile special operations force in the entire world, operating as a multi-purpose force since 1952. The Armor Branch traces its history back to the United States Cavalry and are responsible for tank and cavalry reconnaissance operations. The U.S. Army fields the M1 Abrams main battle tank in Armored Battalions as part of Armored Brigade Combat Teams across the 1st Armored Division , 1st Cavalry Division , 1st Infantry Division , 3rd Infantry Division , and

7098-870: The other two divisions, which were attached to the Australian Corps in the Ypres sector, and participated in the Hundred Days Offensive (August–November 1918) that breached the Hindenburg Line . Read continued to command the II Corps after the Armistice . After the organization was demobilized in February, 1919 Read was assigned to command of the American Embarkation Center at Le Havre , France, where he

7189-566: The point of mutiny, requested and received control of several regiments of black combat troops. Kennedy reports "Units of the black 92nd Division particularly suffered from poor preparation and the breakdown in command control. As the only black combat division, the 92nd Division entered the line with unique liabilities. It had been deliberately dispersed throughout several camps during its stateside training; some of its artillery units were summoned to France before they had completed their courses of instruction, and were never fully equipped until after

7280-664: The power to conscript males, requiring the registration of all male citizens and residents of the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 25. The U.S. Armed Forces are considered the world's most powerful military, especially since the end of the Cold War . The military expenditure of the U.S. was US$ 916 billion in 2023, the highest in the world, accounting for 37% of the world's defense expenditures . The U.S. Armed Forces has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful technologies which enable widespread deployment of

7371-438: The president, to the secretary of defense, to the commanders of the combatant commands. Each service organizes, trains, and equips forces that are then presented to the unified combatant commands through service component commands. Special Operations Command and Cyber Command also present theater special operations commands or joint force headquarters – cyber to other combatant commanders. Army components are typically dual-hatted as

7462-559: The rank first of colonel and then brigadier general. Dawes reported directly to Gen. Pershing. Dawes recommended in May 1918 that the allies set up a joint logistics planning board, which was approved by the Allies in the form of the Military Board of Allied Supply (MBAS), which coordinated logistics and transportation on the Western and Italian fronts. Supporting the two million soldiers across

7553-448: The same basis as whites and made up 13 percent of the draftees. By the end of the war, over 350,000 African-Americans had served in AEF units on the Western Front. However, they were assigned to segregated units commanded by white officers. One fifth of the black soldiers sent to France saw combat, compared to two-thirds of the whites. They were three percent of AEF combat forces, and under two percent of battlefield fatalities. "The mass of

7644-567: The same levels of disdain based on skin color and for many Americans of African descent it was a liberating and refreshing experience. These African-American soldiers wore American uniforms, some dating from the time of the Union Army, with French helmets and were armed with French Model 1907/15 Berthier rifle manufactured by Remington Arms , rather than the M1903 Springfield or M1917 Enfield rifles issued to most American soldiers. One of

7735-762: The service's land combat power. U.S. Army infantry are generally equipped with the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun , which will be replaced by the XM7 rifle and XM250 . Infantry is a core part of the Army's Brigade Combat Teams . The most numerous variant, the Infantry Brigade Combat Team, comprises light infantry battalions who fight on foot. Infantry Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division are air assault capable, with infantry soldiers being transported by U.S. Army Aviation UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Infantry Brigade Combat Teams of

7826-698: The start of the Spanish–American War Read was assigned to an Ordnance unit, with which he served in Cuba until 1899. Receiving promotion to captain , he served in New Mexico from 1901 to 1902, after which he was assigned to the Philippines. After leaving Cuba, Read served in California and Hawaii. From 1905 to 1909 he served on the Army's General Staff. Promoted to major , he served in Cuba, Puerto Rico and

7917-506: The world's largest air-transportable X-band radar. The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense is an anti-ballistic missile system operated by Army Space and Missile Defense Command to defend the United States homeland against an intercontinental ballistic missile attack. Major Air Defense Artillery units include the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command and Army Space and Missile Defense Command's 100th Missile Defense Brigade . Air Defense Artillery has an extremely close relationship with

8008-499: Was 1,000 men (four companies from the 33d Division ), with the Australian Corps during the Battle of Hamel on 4 July 1918. ( Corporal Thomas A. Pope was awarded the Medal of Honor for this battle.) This battle took place under the overall command of the Australian Corps commander, Lt. Gen. Sir John Monash . The Allied force in this battle combined artillery, armor, infantry, and air support ( combined arms ), which served as

8099-716: Was assigned to command the US V Corps at Camp Jackson , South Carolina, with the permanent rank of brigadier general . In March, 1921 he received permanent promotion to major general. In October, 1922, Read was appointed commander of the Philippine Department . He assumed command in early 1923, and remained in this assignment until his 1925 retirement. In retirement Read resided in Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania . He died at Walter Reed Army Hospital , shortly before his 74th birthday, on November 6, 1934, and

8190-454: Was buried at Arlington National Cemetery , Section South, Site 1819. In 1886, Read married Burton Young (1868–1944) in a ceremony that took place in El Paso. She was the daughter of General S.B.M Young , who served as the first Army Chief of Staff. Their children included Burton Young Read (1889–1981), a career soldier who served from the early 1900s through World War II before retiring as

8281-589: Was responsible for arranging the transportation of men and materiel back to the United States . He was also the final commander of the 42nd Infantry Division as it completed post-war occupation duty in Germany and prepared to depart Europe. For his services during the war Read received numerous awards and decorations, which included the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the British Order of

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