U.S. Army

Military science classes, political science courses or any military related college class may require an examination of the United States Army. The U.S. Army is a complex organization that has a rich history with intricate divisions that change and evolve continually. Paper Masters can assist you in writing a custom research paper on any aspect of the U.S. Army you need.

The U.S. Army traces its roots back to the American Revolution, with the creation of the Continental Army led by General George Washington. Officially, the Congress under the Articles of Confederation created the U.S. Army in June 1784.

The U.S. Army is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense. Headed by the Secretary of the Army, its chief ranking officer is the Chief of Staff of the Army, a position that can also be Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The U.S Army is made up of three components:

1. The active service
2. Two reserve components
   1. Army National Guard
   2. Army Reserve

Goal of the U.S. Army

Militaries have always relied on the populations within which they function and serve to fill their ranks. With the exception of certain mercenary forces throughout history, local populations always seem to carry the burden of fulfilling the requirements of the military both in terms of manpower and funds. While often viewed as heroic, military service is, at its core, often boring, mundane, and primarily consumed with routines centered on drilling, eating, and sleeping. It is the citizen soldier as embodied in the following passage that most citizens never seem to grasp; that is whether conscripted or voluntarily enlisted, soldiers are representative of the populations they protect and serve.

The U.S. Code describes the mission of the Army as the following:

• Preserving the peace and security of the United States
• Providing for its defense
• Supporting national policy
• Implementing national objectives
• Defeating foreign enemies intent on imperiling the peace and security of the United States.

The U.S. Army was instrumental in the westward expansion of the nation during the 19th century.

In the 20th century, the U.S. Army was key to Allied victory in the First World War and Second World Wars and played major roles in numerous Cold War regional conflicts, such as Korea and Vietnam. Beginning in 2001, the U.S. Army was a major part of the NATO effort in Afghanistan and led the invasion of Iraq that began in 2003.

Culture of the Army

The Iraq War has had a negative impact on recruiting within the overall military apparatus of America's armed forces. The ongoing conflict continues to elicit doubts about the ability of the volunteer Army to maintain the integrity of its force structure. Yet, the Iraq War's current and future influence on recruiting efficacy for the Army and the other services only serves to illustrate the underlying concerns and difficulties in maintaining a standing Army purely through a reliance on volunteers and the financial incentives that support its measures. Therefore, the question remains not only what will be the long-term impact of the Iraq War on recruiting efforts for the U.S. Army but also carries implications about the viability of the volunteer Army itself. The hypothesis is that the Army and by extension, the Marine Corps, more so than the other military services, is engaged in an unsustainable supply/demand curve that will result in some form of modified conscription unless solutions are found. The only possible alternative for Congress is to fund ever greater financial incentives that in themselves will become economically unsustainable over time.