United States Navy Articles from ARTICLEHUBS.COM Free Article Directory

Search our Site:

The United States Navy (USN) is a branch of the United States armed forces tasked with conducting military operations at sea. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 333,127 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 282 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft.^[1]

The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was disbanded shortly thereafter. The United States Constitution provided the legal basis for a seaborne military force by giving Congress the power "to provide and maintain a navy".^[2] Depredations against American shipping by Barbary Coast corsairs spurred Congress to employ this power by passing the Naval Act of 1794 ordering the construction and manning of six frigates.^[3] The U.S. Navy came to international prominence during the 20th century, especially during World War II. It was a part of the conflict from the onset of American military involvement—the attack on Pearl Harbor—to Japan's official surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. In the subsequent Cold War, the U.S. Navy evolved into a nuclear deterrent and crisis response force while preparing for a possible global war with the Soviet Union.

The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable presence in the world, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is a blue water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it an active player in American foreign and defense policy. The United States Navy is the largest in the world with a battle fleet tonnage greater than that of the next 13 largest combined.^[4] The U.S. Navy also possesses the world's largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service and 2 under construction.

The Navy is administratively managed by the Department of the Navy, which is headed by the civilian Secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is, itself, a division of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the Secretary of Defense. The highest ranking Naval officer is the Chief of Naval Operations.

United States Navy Subcategories United States Navy Articles