This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 155.84.57.253 (talk) at 14:35, 27 April 2010 (wikilink to 1990s). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 14:35, 27 April 2010 by 155.84.57.253 (talk) (wikilink to 1990s)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The United States has seven federal uniformed services that commission officers as defined by Title 10, and subsequently structured and organized by Title 10, Title 14, Title 42 and Title 33 of the United States Code.
Uniformed services
The seven uniformed services are:
- United States Army
- United States Navy
- United States Marine Corps
- United States Air Force
- United States Coast Guard
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps
Each of the uniformed services is administratively headed by a federal executive department and its corresponding civilian Cabinet leader.
Federal executive departments
United States Department of Defense (DOD)
- United States Army (USA) — June 14, 1775
- United States Navy (USN) — October 13, 1775
- United States Marine Corps (USMC) — November 10, 1775
- United States Air Force (USAF) — September 18, 1947
United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- United States Coast Guard (USCG) — August 4, 1790
United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) — 1889
United States Department of Commerce (DOC)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps) — 1917
Statutory definition
The seven uniformed services are defined by 10 U.S.C. § 101(a)(5):
The term "uniformed services" means—
(A) the armed forces;
(B) the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and
(C) the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service.
The five uniformed services that make up the United States armed forces are defined in the previous clause 10 U.S.C. § 101(a)(4):
The term "armed forces" means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
Armed forces
Five of the uniformed services make up the armed forces, four of which are within the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security and has both military and law enforcement duties. Title 14 states that the Coast Guard is part of the military at all times, making it the only branch of the military outside the Department of Defense. During a declared state of war, however, the President or Congress may direct that the Coast Guard operate as part of the Navy. The commissioned corps of the US Public Health Service and NOAA Commissioned Corps operate under military rules with the exception of the applicability of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, to which they are subject only when militarized by executive order or while detailed to any component of the armed forces.
The National Guard is a militia force and operates under Title 32 and under State authority. The National Guard was first formed in the Colony of Virginia in 1607 and is the oldest uniformed military force founded in the New World. The National Guard can be federally recognized as a military reserve force, becoming the National Guard of the United States which can be mobilized by the President to be under Federal authority through Title 10. The National Guard of the United States is managed by the National Guard Bureau, which is a joint activity under the Department of Defense , with a general in the Army or Air Force as its top leader. The National Guard of the United States serves as a reserve component for both the Army and the Air Force and can be called up for federal active duty in times of war or national emergencies.
Noncombatant uniformed services
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps) is a uniformed branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is under the Department of Commerce.
- United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) is the uniformed personnel system of the United States Public Health Service, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services.
Commissioned officers of NOAA and PHS wear uniforms that are derived from Navy uniforms, except that the commissioning devices, buttons, and insignia reflect their specific service. Uniformed officers of NOAA and PHS are paid on the same scale as members of the armed services with respective rank and time-in-grade. Additionally, PHS Officers are covered by the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act and the Service Members Civil Relief Act (formerly the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act).
Both uniformed services consist of commissioned officers only and have no warrant ranks or enlisted ranks. (Warrant officers for the USPHS have been approved as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.) Commissioned officers of the Public Health Service and of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can be militarized by the President of the United States. Statutory authorization to militarize the Public Health Service is under Title 42 U.S.C. (Based on rank, commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (USPHS) and NOAA can be classified as Category III, IV, and V under the Geneva Convention). The U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (a predecessor to NOAA) originally began commissioning its officers so that if captured while engaged in battlefield surveying, they could not legally be tried as spies. The Public Health Service (PHS) traces its origins to a system of marine hospitals created "for the relief of sick and disabled seamen" by the U.S. Congress in 1798; it adopted a military model of organization in 1871.
See also
References
- Persons 17 years of age, with parental permission, can join the U.S. uniformed services.
- http://siadapp.dmdc.osd.mil/personnel/MILITARY/ms0.pdf
- http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:s3001pcs.txt.pdf
- http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy08/pdf/budget/defense.pdf
- 14 U.S.C. § 3
- UCMJ S 802. Art. 2. Subs. (a). Para. (8) http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode10/usc_sec_10_00000802----000-.html
- ^ H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008
- ^ H.R. 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 full text
- SEC. 1812. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU AS JOINT ACTIVITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.
- United States Code. Title 5. Part III. Chapter 21. S 2101.
- History of the Office of Surgeon General
United States Armed Forces | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||
Leadership |
| ||||||||||||
Components |
| ||||||||||||
Structure | |||||||||||||
Operations and history |
| ||||||||||||
Personnel |
| ||||||||||||
Equipment |
| ||||||||||||
United States Marine Corps | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadership |
| ||||
Major commands | |||||
Auxiliary | |||||
Structure | |||||
Personnel and training |
| ||||
Uniforms and equipment | |||||
History and traditions |
| ||||
United States Navy | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadership | |||||||||||
Structure |
| ||||||||||
Personnel and training |
| ||||||||||
Equipment | |||||||||||
History and traditions |
|
United States Air Force | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadership | |||||||||||
Structure |
| ||||||||||
Personnel and training | |||||||||||
Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
United States Coast Guard | ||
---|---|---|
Leadership | ||
Organization | ||
Personnel and training | ||
Uniforms and equipment | ||
History and traditions |
| |
Battles and operations |
|