ABSTRACT
The U.S. Army is the nation’s largest military service, providing the ultimate expression of American resolve when soldiers deploy to fight and win the nation’s wars. The Army also accomplishes other missions, such as peacekeeping operations, disaster relief, and support for civilian authorities, often through the National Guard, including riot control, hurricanes, and most recently the COVID pandemic. Nevertheless, most American citizens know very little about this key national institution’s structure, culture, or operations. This chapter provides a clear overview of the origins and evolution of the U.S. Army, focusing on its shift over time to a professional, volunteer force trained and equipped to fight overseas. It also provides information on several areas that are central to Army capabilities, including force structure, organization, and doctrine. The chapter concludes with a frank discussion of the challenges currently facing the U.S. Army, in particular the challenges of planning for an uncertain future in which limited budgets force difficult tradeoffs among force structure, readiness, and modernization.
