Navy

The United States of America has seven different uniformed branches. The United States Navy is one of them. The United States' Navy is the largest navy in the world. It also boasts its possession of the largest aircraft carrier fleet in the world. As of June 2017, the Navy has 322,421 active duty members, 107,5777 Navy Reserve members, 276 combat vessels, and 3,7000 aircrafts.

"The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train, and equip combat-ready Navel forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintain freedom of the seas" - Mission Statement of the US Navy.

As the branch of the military that concerns all things at sea, the Navy has three responsibilities. These responsibilities include preparation of the navel forces, maintenance of naval aviation, and development of weapons and combat strategies.

Even in its early years, some of the early colonies believed in the power of having a Navy. During the Revolutionary war Massachusetts had its own Naval Militia group. George Washington commissioned the USS Hannah, which ended a debated about the creation of a Navy that took place at the Second Constitutional Convention. On Mary 27, 1794, the United States Navy was official created. On this day, the Third U.S. Congress passed the Act to Provide Naval Armament. After the Revolutionary War, the Navy was unable to be sustained due to the lack of remaining ships and money.

In 1794, Congress passed the Navel Act of which led the way for the creation of a permanent navy. Not long after, the Navy became fairly active during the War of 1812. The Navy was very active during the Civil War where Union troops were able to blockade ports and shut down trade.

The Navy was not used very much during World War I, but was used very strategically in World War II due to new battleships being commissioned and built. The Navy became such a threat, that Japan felt the need to bomb Pearl Harbor. By the end of World War II the Navy had hundreds of new ships, new aircraft carriers, and 8 battleships. In fact, in August of 1945 the Navy had 6,768 operational vessels.

The Navy also held an active role in the Cold War, Vietnam War, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. During this time the Navy also began using ballistic missile submarines.

Today, the Navy's focus is mostly on special operations and strike missions. They were apart of Operation Iraqi Freedom and continue to be involved in the War on Terror.