United States Army

The United States Army (USA) is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which was formed (14 June 1775) to fight the American Revolutionary War (1775–83)—before the U.S. was established as a country. After the Revolutionary War, the Congress of the Confederation created the United States Army on 3 June 1784, to replace the disbanded Continental Army. The United States Army considers itself descended from the Continental Army, and dates its institutional inception from the origin of that armed force in 1775.

United States

Coordinates: 40°N 100°W / 40°N 100°W / 40; -100

The United States of America (USA), commonly referred to as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a federal republic composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major territories and various possessions. The 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., are in central North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwestern part of North America and the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific. The territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. At 3.8 million square miles (9.842 million km²) and with over 320 million people, the country is the world's third or fourth-largest by total area and the third most populous. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many countries. The geography and climate of the United States are also extremely diverse, and the country is home to a wide variety of wildlife.

Army

An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine)) or ground force is a fighting force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps. Within a national military force, the word army may also mean a field army. They differ from army reserves who are activated only during such times as war or natural disasters.

In several countries, the army is officially called the Land Army to differentiate it from an air force called the Air Army, notably France. In such countries, the word "army" on its own retains its connotation of a land force in common usage. The current largest army in the world, by number of active troops, is the People's Liberation Army of China with 2,250,000 active troops and 800,000 reserve personnel followed by the Indian Army with 1,129,000 active troops and 2,142,900 reserve personnel.

War in Afghanistan

War in Afghanistan, or sometimes termed Afghan War, is the bane of many would-be conquerors and would-be peacemakers. The British had a conceit of "the Great Game", which involved pitting various countries against one another, especially in the Afghanistan area. The United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States all struggled there.

Warfare in Afghanistan has always been difficult to conclude besides by complete withdrawal. The nation's mountainous terrain and generally sparse population allows for guerilla warfare. Unlike some other mountainous nations, Afghanistan's location and routes through it have been considered strategic.

Wars included in the topic include:

Ranger School

The United States Army Ranger School is an intense 61-day combat leadership course oriented toward small-unit tactics. It has been called the "toughest combat course in the world" and "is the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer". It is open to soldiers (commissioned officer, warrant officer, or enlisted), sailors, airmen, and Marines in the US Armed Forces, as well as allied military students.

Ranger training began in 1950 and has undergone multiple changes to its training regimen. A Desert Phase was employed for about a decade between the 1980s and 1990s. Its removal left the three phases used in the 21st century: (1) Darby, (2) Mountains, and (3) Florida.

Overview

"Without a doubt, Ranger School is the most physically and mentally demanding course in the U.S. Army."

The course is conducted in various locations. Training in the Benning Phase occurs in and around Camp Rogers and Camp Darby at Fort Benning, Georgia. Training at the Mountain Phase is conducted at Camp Merrill, in the remote mountains near Dahlonega, Georgia. The Florida Phase is conducted at various locations near Camp Rudder, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Desert Phase—conducted initially at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and later relocated to Dugway Proving Ground, Utah and Fort Bliss, Texas, was eliminated in 1995.