The combined United States armed forces consists of 1.4 million active duty personnel along with several hundred thousand each in the United States Army Reserve and United States National Guard.
There is currently no conscription. The armed forces are also members of the United States Uniformed Services. The United States Armed Forces is the most powerful military in the world and their force projection capabilities are unrivaled by any other singular nation (e.g. People’s Republic of China, Russia) or organization (e.g. the European Union). The United States Department of Defense is the controlling organization for the U.S. military and is headquartered at The Pentagon. The Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military is the President of the United States.
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United States Armed Forces
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Military Manpower
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| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Availability | males & females ages 15-49: 73,597,731 (2004 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | males/females: 2,124,164 (2004 est.) |
| Active troops | 1,427,000 (Ranked 2nd) |
| Military Expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $400 billion (FY2005 est.) |
| Percent of GDP | 3.7% (FY2005 est.) |
The United States military is a hierarchical military organization, with a system of military ranks to denote levels of authority within the organization. The military service is divided into a professional officer corps along with a greater number of enlisted personnel who perform day to day military operations. Unlike certain other countries, the United States officer corps is not restricted by society class, education, or nobility. United States military officers are appointed from a variety of sources, including the service academies, ROTC, and direct appointment from both civilian status and the enlisted ranks.
Organizational Layout
Personnel
Personnel in each service
| Service | Total Active Duty Personnel | Percentage Female | Enlisted | Officers |
| Army | 500,203 | 15.2% | 414,325 | 69,307 |
| Marine Corps | 176,202 | 6.0% | 157,150 | 19,052 |
| Navy | 375,521 | 14.5% | 319,929 | 55,592 |
| Air Force | 358,612 | 19.6% | 285,520 | 73,091 |
| Coast Guard | 40,151 | 10.7% | 31,286 | 7,835 |
Deployed Forces
Overseas
| Germany | 75,603 |
| South Korea | 40,258 |
| Japan | 40,045 |
| Italy | 13,354 |
| United Kingdom | 11,801 |
| Iraq | 148,000(2005.05) |
Within the United States
| Continental U.S. | 1,168,195 |
| Hawaii | 35,810 |
| Alaska | 17,989 |
| Afloat | 120,666 |
US Military Capabilities
Our forces will be strong enough to dissuade potential adversaries from pursuing a military build-up in hopes of surpassing, or equalling, the power of the United States.
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