This article contains the length and list of major conflicts, invasions and wars participated by the United States Armed Forces since its creation in 1775.
Lengths of US combat forces' participation in wars
editWar in the context of this list is broadly construed to be a direct armed conflict between organized US military forces and organized forces of (a) belligerent(s).
(Note: Ongoing wars are indicated in bold and with red bars.)
| Rank | War | Dates | Duration | Duration (graphical representation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | War in Afghanistan | 2001 – 2021[1] | 19.9 years (19 years, 10 months) |
|
| 2 | US intervention in Somalia | 2007 – present[2][3][4] | 19.5 years (19 years, 6 months) |
|
| 3 | Vietnam War | 1955 – 1975[5][6][7][8][a] | 19.4 years (19 years, 5 months) |
|
| 4 | Occupation of Haiti | 1915 – 1934 | 19 years |
|
| 5 | US intervention in Yemen | 2002, 2009 – present [9] | 16.6 years (16 years, 6 months) |
|
| 6 | Philippine–American War and Moro Rebellion | 1899 – 1913 | 14 years |
|
| 7 | War in North-West Pakistan | 2004 – 2017 | 13 years |
|
| 8 | War against the Islamic State | 2013 – present | 13.3 years (13 years, 3 months) |
|
| 9 | Operation Inherent Resolve | 2014 – 2026 | 12.1 years (12 years) |
|
| 10 | US military intervention in Niger | 2013 – 2024 [10][11][12][13][14] | 11 years |
|
| 11 | Northwest Indian War | 1785 – 1795 | 10 years |
|
| 12 | Iraq War | 2003 – 2011[15][16][17][18][19][20] | 8.7 years (8 years, 9 months) |
|
| 13 | American Revolutionary War | 1775 – 1783 | 8.4 years (8 years, 5 months) |
|
| 14 | Second Seminole War | 1835 – 1842 | 6.7 years (6 years, 7 month) |
|
| 15 | First Barbary War | 1801 – 1805 | 4.1 years (4 years, 1 month) |
|
| 16 | American Civil War | 1861 – 1865 | 4.1 years |
|
| 17 | World War II | 1941 – 1945 | 3.7 years (3 years, 8 months) |
|
| 18 | Korean War | 1950 – 1953 | 3.1 years (3 years, 1 month) |
|
| 19 | War of 1812 | 1812 – 1814 | 2.5 years (2 years, 6 months) |
|
| 20 | Mexican–American War | 1846 – 1848 | 1.8 years (1 year, 9 months) |
|
| 21 | World War I | 1917 – 1918 | 1.6 years (1 year, 7 months) |
|
| 22 | Great Sioux War of 1876 | 1876 – 1877 | 1.2 years (1 year, 3 months) |
|
| 23 | Gulf War | 1990 – 1991[21][b] | 0.6 years (7.2 months) |
|
| 24 | Whiskey Rebellion | 1794 – 1794 | 0.4 years (4.8 months) |
|
| 25 | 2026 Iran War | 2026-02-28 – present | 130 days |
|
| 26 | Spanish–American War | 1898 – 1898 | 114 days |
|
| 27 | Kosovo War | 1999 – 1999[22] | 79 days |
|
| 28 | Invasion of Panama | 1989 – 1990 | 42 days |
|
| 29 | Invasion of Grenada | 1983-10-25 – 1983-10-29 | 4 (3.5) days |
|
| 30 | Bay of Pigs Invasion | 1962-04-19 | 1 day[c] |
|
| 31 | 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela | 2026-01-03 | <1 day (2 hours 28 minutes) |
|
Sources are found in the main articles of each war, as well as the Associated Press.[25][26]
See also
edit- United States military deployments
- Foreign policy of the United States
- United States Department of Defense
- Declaration of war by the United States
- Military history of the United States
- Foreign interventions by the United States
- United States Armed Forces
- United States military casualties of war
- List of wars involving the United States
- List of conflicts by duration
Notes
edit- ↑ Direct US involvement ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords
- ↑ (33)The term "Persian Gulf War" means the period beginning on August 2, 1990, and ending on the date thereafter prescribed by Presidential proclamation or by law. 38 U.S.C. § 101
- ↑ The Bay of Pigs invasion was conducted by Brigade 2506, a group of Cuban exiles recruited and equipped by the CIA as part of a covert operation, and trained by instructors from the CIA and US Army Special Forces, US Air Force, and Air National Guard.[23] The botched invasion took three days: Americans were initially not authorized to participate in the invasion. However, on the last day of the failed operation (April 19, 1961), US air support was authorized, and eight Alabama Air National Guard members flew into Cuban airspace.[24]
References
edit- ↑ "Last troops exit Afghanistan, ending America's longest war". Associated Press. August 30, 2021.
- ↑ "Biden approves deployment of hundreds of US troops to Somalia". aljazeera.com. June 4, 2022.
- ↑ "New Somali President Welcomes Return of US Troops". Voice of America. June 4, 2022.
- ↑ "US increases military support for Somalia against al-Shabab". Defense News. Defense News. March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ↑ Rohn, Alan (March 26, 2013). "When was the end of the Vietnam War?". The Vietnam War. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
- ↑ "Defense.gov News Release: NAME OF TECHNICAL SERGEANT RICHARD B. FITZGIBBON TO BE ADDED TO THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL". U.S. Department of Defense. November 6, 1998. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ↑ U.S. Department of Defense 1998
- ↑ Lawrence 2009, p. 20
- ↑ "US special forces secretly deployed to assist Saudi Arabia in Yemen conflict". The Independent. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ↑ "America has lost the war against Islamist terror in Africa". The Spectator. May 3, 2024.
- ↑ "After Failure in Niger, U.S. Africa Policy Needs a Reset". Foreign Policy. July 3, 2024.
- ↑ "The US War on Terror in West Africa Is a Continuing Disaster". Jacobin. July 3, 2024.
- ↑ "America's $280 Million Military Mission in Niger Ends in Failure". Reason. July 3, 2024.
- ↑ "Niger ends military agreement with US, calls it 'profoundly unfair'". CNN. CNN. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ↑ "US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,452". San Diego Union-Tribune. May 3, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ↑ "Why can't we stop our wars?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 18, 2011. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ↑ Wood, David (April 27, 2011). "Robert Gates' Pentagon Legacy: Unfinished Wars, Unfinished Budget Reform" – via Huff Post.
- ↑ "Obama May Face Tough Decision as Iraqi Leader Signals U.S. Troops Could Stay".
- ↑ "Pentagon Rethinks Iraq pull-out Plans". Financial Times.
- ↑ Terkel, Amanda (May 11, 2011). "Iraq Withdrawal Date For U.S. Troops May Be Pushed Back Beyond 2011" – via Huff Post.
- ↑ "Our Longest U.S. War: Medical Treatments for Gulf War Illness Remain Elusive | Swords to Plowshares". Archived from the original on February 26, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ↑ "A Kosovo Chronology | War In Europe | FRONTLINE". www.pbs.org. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
- ↑ The Bay of Pigs Invasion, CIA (April 18, 2016).
- ↑ Bill Bowden, Files link Arkansans to role in Bay of Pigs: Kennedy, aides discuss it in 1963 tapes, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (April 18, 2021).
- ↑ "U.S. Participation in Major Wars". Fox News. Associated Press. November 25, 2006. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ↑ "U.S. involved in Iraq war longer than it was in World War II". UT San Diego. November 25, 2006. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
Bibliography
edit- U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) (November 6, 1998). "Name of Technical Sergeant Richard B. Fitzgibbon to be added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial". DoD. Archived from the original on August 28, 2015.
- Lawrence, A. T. (2009). Crucible Vietnam: Memoir of an Infantry Lieutenant. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-44517-2.