Military Branches – The Foundation of the Five
The Military branches consist of five separate services each with reserve units and National Guard. The first branch formed was the United States Army on June 14th of 1775 to unify American volunteer militias into one organized unit to fight British troops that were up until then only supported by their separate colonies. George Washington was then appointed Commander-in-Chief on July 3 shortly after the official formation of the Army. The Navy was then formed in October of 1775. Although after the initial American War for Independence the naval vessels and warships were sold and the service members were released until 1789 when the Constitution was ratified and Congress officially established the Navy in 1798 to protect interests at home and abroad primarily for seafaring warfare and peacekeeping as well as providing vessels for air and deploying ground troops. Shortly after the foundation of the Army and Navy was the foundation of the Marines. The Marines were formed in November of 1775 to serve aboard naval vessels as security as well as for land assaults and raiding parties. The United States Marine Corps is often the first force sent into combat situations and their role has expanded in the modern military. The Air Force was originally a division of the Army formed in 1920 until after World War II when it became its own official branch in 1947 as the technology of warfare changed and the modern Air Force is now a superior force in modern technology for not only air travel but for space, and computer technologies as well.
