From the time of its inception, the military played a decisive role in the history of the United States.
A sense of national unity and identity was forged as a result of victory in the First Barbary War and the Second Barbary War. Even so, the Founders were suspicious of a permanent military force.
It played an important role in the American Civil War, where leading generals on both sides were picked from members of the United States Military.
Not until the outbreak of World War II did a large standing army become officially established.
The National Security Act of 1947, adopted following World War II and during the Cold War’s onset, created the modern U.S. Military framework; which created the to-be-renamed Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force and the National Security Council.
Vintage Aircraft
The U.S. Military is one of the largest militaries in the world in terms of number of personnel.
Although conscription has been used in the past in various times of both war and peace, it has not been used since 1972.
As of 2016, the United States spends about $580 billion annually to fund its military forces and Overseas Contingency Operations, which constitutes roughly 40 percent of the world’s military expenditures.
The U.S. Military has significant capabilities in both defense and power projection due to its large budget, resulting in advanced and powerful equipment, and its widespread deployment of force around the world, including about 800 military bases in foreign locations.
Added to this, the largest air force in the world is the U.S. Air Force. Moreover, the world’s second largest air force is the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps combined.
This video is of a vintage aircraft air show where the historic power and dominance of the U.S. Military is put on display. Talk about a lot of power.
Vintage Aircraft II
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