Military profile
United States Military Strength
United States ranks #1 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with 1,390,000 active personnel. It spent $954.4 billion on its military in 2025 (3.1% of GDP).
United States armed forces in numbers
Personnel
- Active military personnel
- 1,390,000#3 of 145
- Reserve military personnel
- 442,000#13 of 145
- Paramilitary forces
- 0#113 of 145
- Army personnel
- 1,010,500#4 of 145
- Air force personnel
- 660,107#1 of 145
- Navy personnel
- 731,600#1 of 145
Air power
- Total military aircraft
- 13,300#1 of 145
- Fighter aircraft
- 1,914#1 of 145
- Attack aircraft
- 843#1 of 145
- Military helicopters
- 5,584#1 of 145
- Attack helicopters
- 983#1 of 145
Land forces
- Tanks
- 5,500#3 of 145
- Self-propelled artillery
- 1,000#9 of 145
- Towed artillery
- 1,339#14 of 145
- Rocket artillery
- 1,716#5 of 145
Naval power
- Aircraft carriers
- 11#1 of 113
- Destroyers
- 92#1 of 113
- Frigates
- 0#56 of 113
- Corvettes
- 22#3 of 113
- Submarines
- 68#3 of 113
- Patrol vessels
- 10#74 of 113
- Mine warfare vessels
- 8#17 of 113
Finance
- Military spending
- $954.4 billion#1 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 3.1%#27 of 156
- Purchasing power parity (GDP, PPP)
- $20.00 trillion#2 of 145
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
United States military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of United States grew by 29% between 2010 and 2025, from $738.0 billion to $954.4 billion (current US dollars), and stood at 3.1% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of United States
Branches and forces
United States Armed Forces (aka US Military): US Army (USA), US Navy (USN; includes US Marine Corps or USMC), US Air Force (USAF), US Space Force (USSF); US Coast Guard (USCG); National Guard (Army National Guard and Air National Guard) (2025)
Personnel
approximately 1.28 million active duty Armed Forces (450,000 Army; 334,000 Navy; 317,000 Air Force; 10,000 Space Force; 168,000 Marine Corps); 42,000 Coast Guard) (2025)
Service age and conscription
17 years of age (under 18 with parental consent) for voluntary service for men and women; maximum enlistment age varies by service; 8-year initial service obligation, including 2-5 years active duty depending on the particular military service (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the US military's inventory is comprised almost entirely of domestically produced weapons systems (some assembled with foreign components) along with a smaller mix of imported equipment from a variety of countries such as Germany and the UK; the US defense industry is capable of designing, developing, maintaining, and producing the full spectrum of weapons systems; the US is the world's leading arms exporter (2025)
Deployments abroad
the US has approximately 200,000 military personnel deployed overseas on a permanent or a long-term rotational (typically 3-9 months) basis (2025)
Good to know
the US military's primary missions are to deter potential enemies, provide for the defense of the US, its Territories, Commonwealths and possessions, and any areas occupied by the US, and to protect US national interests; its responsibilities are worldwide and include providing humanitarian assistance, participating in international military exercises and operations, conducting military diplomacy, and fulfilling the US's alliance and treaty commitments; the US has been a leading member of NATO since the Alliance's formation in 1949 the US military has a global presence; the separate services operate jointly under 11 regional or functionally based joint service "combatant" commands: Africa Command; Central Command, Cyber Command, European Command, Indo-Pacific Command, Northern Command, Southern Command, Space Command, Special Operations Command, Strategic Command, and Transportation Command Congress officially created the US military in September 1789; the US Army was established in June 1775 as the Continental Army; after the declaration of independence in July 1776, the Continental Army and the militia in the service of Congress became known collectively as the Army of the United States; when Congress ordered the Continental Army to disband in 1784, it retained a small number of personnel that would form the nucleus of the 1st American Regiment for national service formed later that year; both the US Navy and the US Marines were also established in 1775, but the Navy fell into disuse after the Revolutionary War, and was reestablished by Congress in 1794; the first US military unit devoted exclusively to aviation began operations in 1913 as part of the US Army; the Army Air Corps (AAC) was the US military service dedicated to aerial warfare between 1926 and 1941; the AAC became the US Army Air Forces in 1941 and remained as a combat arm of the Army until the establishment of the US Air Force in 1947 (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2025: 3.2% · 2024: 3.2% · 2023: 3.1% · 2022: 3.2% · 2021: 3.5%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Canada
Mexico