Military, as a noun and in its most common use means armed forces. As an adjective,
it describes anything related to warfare and soldiers. This word originally
derives from the Latin word militarius, which means soldier. In any nation,
military comprises of different branches of the armed forces. The US Military
has seven major branches. Those are - the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard and their Reserve (part-time duty), the Air National
Guard and the Army National Guard.
Military provides protection from the aggression of foreign armed forces. It
further helps resolve internal conflicts. The armed forces act basically to
achieve political objectives. They further the foreign policy program of their
respective governing bodies. Larger countries usually divide the armed forces
into three major branches - the Army, Navy and Air Force. The US
Military too follows this division.
The US Army is the branch of the US Military responsible for carrying out land-based
military operations. It came into existence on June 14, 1775 to handle the crisis
of the American Revolutionary War.
The US Air Force (USAF) is responsible for air-based military actions. This
branch of the US Military carries out assaults on targets in air, on water and
on land using a wide range of fighters, bombers, helicopters and other aircrafts.
The US Navy is responsible for military operations on water. They can launch
attacks from sea and ocean waters on targets on both land and water using different
types of ships, submarines and aircrafts. The US Navy also transports weapons
and personnel for other branches of the US military.
Besides the Army, Air Force and Navy, the US Military also includes Marine
Corps, Coast Guard, the Air National Guard and the
Army National Guard. All these forces are integral components of the American
There is a distinct discipline to study the use of armed forces. It is called
military science. It involves considering both offensive and defensive actions
at three "levels" - strategy, operative art and tactics. The success
of the US Military has a lot to do with its effective application of tactics