The Military: A Brief History and Overview
The Military: A Brief History and Overview
Transcript
The history of the US military goes back to the beginning of the Colonial Era. In 1636, Massachusetts Bay Colony organized the militia into permanent regiments to better defend the colony. This is now recognized as the birth of the Army National Guard. Although the Army Reserve was not formally established until 1908, it similarly has roots that predate independence through the service of citizen soldiers during pre-Revolutionary conflicts such as the French and Indian Wars.
In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress established the Army, the Navy, and Marines. The founding date of November 10 is still celebrated by Marines as their birthday with the traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony. Coast Guard had its beginnings in 1790 under the Tariff Act that authorized the construction of 10 vessels to enforce trade laws and prevent smuggling. The Air Force was created as a separate military service in 1947, prior to which the oversight of military aviation was divided between the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
The recognition of space as a possible combat arena began in the Cold War, and the emphasis of the Air Force on aerospace operations grew until the Air Force Space Command was established in 1982. In December 2019, this was re-designated the Space Force, a separate service branch of the US Armed Forces.
The size of the military has evolved over the years in response to changing circumstances and the role of the US and the world. For the first century, the US did not see any need for a large standing army. The size of the military remained relatively small except during wartime. Although Congress authorized the expansion of the military for the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, these expansions were relatively small and short-lived.
National conscription, the draft, was instituted for the American Civil War, during which the armed forces included more than one million men. While the US was becoming more of a global power in the late 19th century, the military, after the Spanish-American War remained significantly larger than ever before. The draft was used during World War I and World War II to provide manpower for the military and remained in effect after World War II during peacetime and through the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The draft ended in 1973, when the military moved to an all-volunteer force. Although the selective service system maintains information on male US citizens as a contingency for the possibility of reinstating the draft, the military has remained all-volunteer for the last half-century.
In 1775, during the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress established the Army, the Navy, and Marines. The founding date of November 10 is still celebrated by Marines as their birthday with the traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony. Coast Guard had its beginnings in 1790 under the Tariff Act that authorized the construction of 10 vessels to enforce trade laws and prevent smuggling. The Air Force was created as a separate military service in 1947, prior to which the oversight of military aviation was divided between the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
The recognition of space as a possible combat arena began in the Cold War, and the emphasis of the Air Force on aerospace operations grew until the Air Force Space Command was established in 1982. In December 2019, this was re-designated the Space Force, a separate service branch of the US Armed Forces.
The size of the military has evolved over the years in response to changing circumstances and the role of the US and the world. For the first century, the US did not see any need for a large standing army. The size of the military remained relatively small except during wartime. Although Congress authorized the expansion of the military for the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, these expansions were relatively small and short-lived.
National conscription, the draft, was instituted for the American Civil War, during which the armed forces included more than one million men. While the US was becoming more of a global power in the late 19th century, the military, after the Spanish-American War remained significantly larger than ever before. The draft was used during World War I and World War II to provide manpower for the military and remained in effect after World War II during peacetime and through the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
The draft ended in 1973, when the military moved to an all-volunteer force. Although the selective service system maintains information on male US citizens as a contingency for the possibility of reinstating the draft, the military has remained all-volunteer for the last half-century.