United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the permanent, professional, and volunteer army of the United States.
Contents
Composition
There are 6 active duty branches of the Armed Forces.
- U.S. Army
- U.S. Navy
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Marine Corps
- U.S. Coast Guard
- U.S. Space Force
Each has a distinct chain of command.
There are essentially 7 reserve services:
- Army National Guard
- Air National Guard
- U.S. Army Reserve
- U.S. Navy Reserve
- U.S. Air Force Reserve
- U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
- U.S. Coast Guard Reserve
The National Guard services have a single chain of command distinct from any other branches. The Reserve services are subordinate to the corresponding active duty branches.
Unified command comes from the Joint Staff and the DoD.