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Military1
The Military of the United States, officially known as the United States Armed Forces, is structured into five branches consisting of the:
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
United States Air Force
United States Coast Guard
The U.S. Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also have active duty uniformed officers, know as the Commissioned Officer Corps (see United States Uniformed Services).
All branches are part of the United States Uniformed Services and are under civilian control with the President of the United States serving as Commander-in-Chief. All branches except the Coast Guard are part of the Department of Defense, which is under the authority of the Secretary of Defense, who is also a civilian. The Coast Guard falls under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security. During wartime, the Coast Guard may be placed under the Department of Defense through the Department of the Navy in times of need acting as a service to the Navy.[5]
Approximately 1,426,713 personnel are currently on active duty in the military with an additional 1,259,000 personnel in the seven reserve components .[6] As it is currently a volunteer military, there is no conscription. Women are not allowed to serve in some combat assignments, but they are allowed to serve in most non-combat specialties. Due to the realities of war some of these non-combat positions see combat regularly. [7]
Much of U.S. military capability is involved in logistics and transportation, which enable rapid buildup of forces as needed. The Air Force maintains a large fleet of C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster, and C-130 Hercules transportation aircraft with an equally large fleet of aerial refuelling tankers. The Marine Corps maintains Marine Expeditionary Units at sea with the Navy's Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. The Navy's fleet of 11 active aircraft carriers, combined with a military doctrine of power projection, enables a flexible response to potential threats. For these reasons, the United States military is universally considered the most powerful in the world.
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