The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services. The modern Army has its roots in the Continental Army which was formed on June 14, 1775, before the establishment of the United States, to meet the demands of the American Revolutionary War. Congress created the United States Army on June 14, 1784 after the end of the war to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The Army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force.[1]

The primary mission of the Army is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities ... in support of the National Security and Defense Strategies."[2] Control and operation is administered by the Department of the Army, one of the three service departments of the Department of Defense. The civilian head is the Secretary of the Army and the highest ranking military officer in the department is the Chief of Staff, unless the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are Army officers. The Regular Army reported a strength of approximately 547,741 soldiers as of January 31, 2009.[3] The Army National Guard (ARNG) reported 352,000 and the United States Army Reserve (USAR) reported 189,000, putting the approximate combined component strength total approximately 1,088,000 soldiers.[4]