Length of U.S. participation in major wars
Encyclopedia
Length of U.S. official participation in major wars
| War | Dates | Duration | Timeline | |
| 1. | War in Afghanistan | 2001/10 - present | years |
EWLINE |
| 2. | Iraq War | 2003/03 - present | years |
EWLINE |
| 3. | Vietnam War Vietnam War The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of... * |
1964/08 - 1973/01 | 8.4 years (8 years, 5 months) |
EWLINE |
| 4. | American Revolutionary War American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the... |
1776/07 - 1783/04 | 6.7 years (6 years, 9 months) |
EWLINE |
| 5. | American Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... |
1861/04 - 1865/04 | 4 years | EWLINE |
| 6. | World War II World War II World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis... |
1941/12 - 1945/08 | 3.7 years (3 years, 8 months) |
EWLINE |
| 7. | Korean War Korean War The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union... |
1950/06 - 1953/07 | 3.1 years (3 years 1 month) |
EWLINE |
| 8. | War of 1812 War of 1812 The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant... |
1812/06 - 1814/12 | 2.5 years (2 years, 6 months) |
EWLINE |
| 9. | Mexican-American War | 1846/05 - 1848/02 | 1.8 years (1 year, 10 months) |
EWLINE |
| 10. | World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918... |
1917/04 - 1918/11 | 1.6 years (1 year, 7 months) |
EWLINE |
| 11. | Spanish-American War Spanish-American War The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence... |
1898/05 - 1898/12 | 0.7 years (8 months) |
EWLINE |
| 12. | Persian Gulf War | 1991/01 - 1991/02 | 0.1 years (1.5 months) |
EWLINE |
(Ongoing wars indicated in bold and with orange bars.) Source: Associated Press
See also
- American empireAmerican EmpireAmerican imperialism is a term referring to the economic, military and cultural influence of the United States on other countries. The concept of an American Empire was first popularized during the presidency of James K...
- American foreign policy
- CIA sponsored regime change
- Department of DefenseUnited States Department of DefenseThe United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
- Declaration of war by the United StatesDeclaration of war by the United StatesA declaration of war is a formal declaration issued by a national government indicating that a state of war exists between that nation and another. For the United States, Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution says "Congress shall have power to ... declare War"...
- Military history of the United StatesMilitary history of the United StatesThe military history of the United States spans a period of over two centuries. During the course of those years, the United States evolved from a new nation fighting the British Empire for independence without a professional military , through a monumental American Civil War to the world's sole...
- Overseas expansion of the United States
- Overseas interventions of the United StatesOverseas interventions of the United StatesThe United States has been involved in a number of overseas interventions throughout its history.- Before the Cold War :The Barbary Wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries were the first was waged by the United States outside it's boundaries after the War of Independence...
- Relative costs of American wars
- United States and state terrorism
- United States Armed ForcesUnited States armed forcesThe United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
- United States casualties of warUnited States casualties of warMilitary casualties suffered by the United States of America in war or deployments-Overview:- Wars ranked by total American deaths :"Deaths per day" are the total number of US military deaths, divided by the number of days between the dates of the commencement and end of hostilities, or until 25...
- War crimes committed by the United StatesWar crimes committed by the United StatesThe United States of America has been accused of committing war crimes at various points throughout its history. Most, but not all contemporary war crimes are defined by the International Criminal Court , the Geneva Conventions, and the associated laws of war under international law...