The Army is the military force of the United States with the chief responsibility for land combat. The U.S. Army includes the active-duty army, the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and civilian employees, all under the direction of the Department of the Army.
The Army provides the forces stationed at permanent bases around the world and maintains combat-ready troops for deployment anywhere in the world. The Army National Guard and Army Reserve train units to provide emergency disaster assistance, to serve on active duty during wars, and to reinforce the main Army.
The Army protects American interests by maintaining its standing force of just under 500,000 soldiers, backed by about 500,000 troops in the Army Reserve and over 350,000 in the Army National Guard. These troops are trained and equipped to destroy enemy armies and occupy other countries if necessary.

General Information

• Origin: Department of the Army, one of the three major components of the United States Department of Defense, was created by the National Security Act of 1947 to succeed the Department of War, which had been established in 1789.
• Management: The department is headed by the secretary of the army, a civilian who is appointed by the president and functions under the direction of the secretary of defense.
The secretary of the army is responsible for the conduct of all affairs of the army, including those necessary for its training, operations, administration, logistical support and maintenance, welfare, preparedness, and effectiveness.
The secretary is also responsible for the administration of civil functions, such as the maintenance of Arlington and Soldiers' Home National Cemeteries, and for the civil works program of the Army Corps of Engineers.
• The Army Staff: Military assistance and advice are provided by the Army Staff, headed by the chief of staff, who serves as the army member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The chief of staff is a principal adviser to the president, to the National Security Council, and to the secretary of defense.
• Organization: The Army is organized into large fighting units called divisions. In 1998 the main combat power of the Army had ten active divisions and eight reserve divisions, each containing 13,000 to 16,000 soldiers. Each division includes supply, communications, and other support units so that it can operate independently from other Army units.
The Army's active force centers on six "heavy" divisions, which fight with tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other armored vehicles. The active force also includes one airborne division that can send paratroopers to targets anywhere in the world. Also in the active force is an air assault division that uses helicopters to attack targets and deploy troops. Two more divisions are made up of light infantry—primarily foot soldiers with light weapons. The Army National Guard can mobilize eight additional divisions in time of war.
Every division is divided into three or more combat brigades or regiments, each with 3000 to 5000 soldiers. Divisions also contain supporting units of many sizes, including military police, engineers, and command support staff. Each brigade contains three to five battalions of 500 to 1200 soldiers. The battalion has three or more companies, which are sometimes called batteries (in artillery units) or troops (in cavalry units). Each company has about 150 soldiers, organized into platoons of about 40 soldiers. A platoon has three or four squads. With nine soldiers, the squad is the Army's smallest unit. Below the division level, all Army units have a specialty, such as combat, engineering, intelligence, and artillery.

Source: Encarta.com

Weaponry Small Arms: • M-9 Pistol • M-4 Carbine • M-240B Machine Gun • M-249 SAW • M-25 2 Mortar Missiles: • FIM-9 2 A Stinger • BGM-71 TOW • MIM-104 Patriot • M270 MLRS Armor: • M2/M3 Bradley • M1 Abrams • M109 Air: • C-23 Sherpa • C-12 Huron • OH-58 Kiowa • UH-1 Iroquois • MH-6 Little Bird • UH-60 Blackhawk • CH-47 Chinook • AH-64 Apache Sources: Defense Technical Information Center; Federation of American Scientists - Military Analysis Network

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