ABSTRACT
Most Americans are aware that there have been military actions in the world since World War II, but the extent of such activity may well be surprising. This chapter presents a number of military actions or wars that have taken place since World War II, in three categories: conventional war, unconventional war, and deterred war. A number of strategic conditions and developments in the post-World War II world have created the environment of constraints with which Americans must be concerned in considering the exercise of military power. Most important has been the appearance of nuclear weapons and range delivery systems, which changed the implications of warfare to the extent that issues of immediate and literal survival of large parts of national populations are posed by the potential for their use. This immediately constraints the scope and purpose of military force used for political means.
