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List of wars involving the United States

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by TrueRavin (talk | contribs) at 19:27, 31 January 2019 (John Brown's raid would NOT be considered a "war".). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This is a list of wars fought by the United States of America.

18th-century wars

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
American Revolutionary War

(1775–1783)

Location: Eastern North America, Gibraltar, India, Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic

The Battle of Long Island, 27 August 1776
 United States
Kingdom of France France

Spain Spain

Iroquois

Watauga Association
Catawba
Lenape
Choctaw


 Dutch Republic


 Mysore

 Great Britain
Loyalists
Holy Roman Empire German Auxiliaries

Iroquois

Cherokee

Victory
Cherokee–American wars
(1776–1795)

Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Old Southwest

Abduction of Daniel Boone's daughter by the Cherokee
 United States Cherokee Victory
Northwest Indian War
(1785–1793)

Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Northwest Territory

The Battle of Fallen Timbers
 United States
Chickasaw
Choctaw
Western Confederacy Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain Victory
Shays' Rebellion
(1786–1787)

Location: Massachusetts

Shays' troops are repulsed from the armory at Springfield, Massachusetts in early 1787.
 United States Anti-Government Protesters Victory
Whiskey Rebellion
(1791–1794)

Location: Western Pennsylvania

George Washington reviews troops before their march to suppress the rebellion in western Pennsylvania.
 United States Frontier tax protesters Victory
  • Armed resistance eliminated
  • Minor tax evasion
Quasi-War
(1798–1800)
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars

Location: Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean

USS Constellation vs. L'Insurgente
 United States

Co-belligerent:
 Great Britain

France France Victory
  • Peaceful cessation of Franco-American alliance
  • End of French privateer attacks on American shipping
  • American neutrality and renunciation of claims by France

19th-century wars

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
First Barbary War
(1801–1805)
Part of the Barbary Wars

Location: Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tripoli.

Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon at Derna, April 1805
 United States
 Sweden
border=no Eyalet of Tripolitania
Morocco Sultanate of Morocco
Victory
  • Peace treaty
1811 German Coast Uprising
(1811)

Location: Territory of Orleans

 United States Rebel slaves

Supported by:
Haiti

Victory
  • Suppression and later trials
Tecumseh's War
(1811)

Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812

Location: Northwest River Ohio

The Battle of Tippecanoe
 United States Tecumseh's Confederacy
Victory
  • Peace treaty
War of 1812
(1812–1815)

Location: Eastern and Central North America

General Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking Highlanders, by painter Edward Percy Moran in 1910.
 United States
Choctaw
Cherokee Nation
Creek Allies
 United Kingdom

Tecumseh's Confederacy

Spain Spain (1814)
Stalemate

Treaty of Ghent; Status quo ante bellum with no boundary changes

  • British assault on Sacket's Harbor repulsed
  • American invasions of British North America repulsed
  • British invasions of the United States repulsed
  • Defeat of Tecumseh's Confederacy
Creek War
(1813–1814)
Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812

Location: Southern United States

The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, 1814
 United States
Lower Creeks
Cherokee Nation
Choctaw
Red Stick Creek Victory
  • Creek forced to cede 23 million acres (93,000 km²) of their territory to the United States in the Treaty of Fort Jackson
Second Barbary War
(1815)
Part of the Barbary Wars

Location: Mediterranean Sea and the Barbary states.

Decatur's squadron off Algiers
 United States Regency of Algiers Victory
  • Peace treaty
First Seminole War
(1817–1818)

Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars

Location: Pensacola, Spanish Florida

Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke near Tampa Bay
 United States Seminole

Spain Spanish Florida

Victory
Texas–Indian wars
(1820–1875)

Part of the American Indian Wars and the Mexican Indian Wars

Location: Texas

A Kiowa ledger drawing depicting a battle between Southern Plains Indians and the U.S. Army during the Red River War
 Spain

 Mexico


 Republic of Texas
 United States

Comanche Victory
Arikara War
(1823)

Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Missouri River

 United States Arikara Stalemate
  • US attacks on fortified Arikara villages fail
  • Some Arikara crops seized to offset fur trade losses
  • White Peace treaty agreed by US Col Leavenworth [1]
Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States
(1825–1828)

Part of Piracy in the Mediterranean

Location: Off Greece, Aegean Sea

Greek pirate boats attacking HMS Comet
 United States First Hellenic Republic Greek Pirates Victory
  • Defeat of Greek pirates
  • HMS Comet liberated by American forces
  • Message of thanks issued to Louis Goldsborough from the British government
Winnebago War
(1827)

Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory

 United States Prairie La Crosse Ho-Chunks
with a few allies
Victory
  • Ho-Chunks cede lead mining region to the United States
First Sumatran expedition
(1832)

Part of the Sumatran expeditions

Location: Aceh Sultanate

U.S. infantry assaulting the Acehnese forts at Kuala Batu in 1832
 United States
 Netherlands
Chiefdom of Kuala Batee Victory
Black Hawk War
(1832)

Part of the American Indian Wars

Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory

Native women and children fleeing the Battle of Bad Axe
 United States
Ho-Chunk
Menominee
Dakota
Potawatomi
Black Hawks British Band
Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi allies
Victory
Second Seminole War
(1835–1842)

Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars Location: Florida, United States

U.S. Marines search for Seminoles in the Everglades
 United States Seminole Victory
Second Sumatran expedition
(1838)

Part of the Sumatran expeditions Location: Aceh Sultanate

 United States
 Netherlands
Chiefdom of Kuala Batee Victory
  • Malays cease attacks on American vessels
Aroostook War
(1838)

Location: Maine and New Brunswick

 United States  United Kingdom Compromise
Webster–Ashburton Treaty
  • Modern border of Maine and New Brunswick agreed upon
  • British (Canadian) withdrawal from territory claimed by the United States
Ivory Coast Expedition
(1842)

Part of the African Slave Trade Patrol Location: Ivory Coast

Veterans of the expedition on board Saratoga in 1842
 United States Ivory Coast Ivory Coast Victory
Mexican–American War
(1846–1848)

Location: Texas, New Mexico, California and Mexico

2nd Dragoons charge the enemy at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846
 United States
California Republic
 Mexico Victory
Cayuse War
(1847–1855)

Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Oregon

 United States Cayuse Victory
  • Cayuse reduced in numbers and forced to cede most of their lands
Apache Wars
(1851–1900)

Part of the Texas–Indian wars Location: Southwestern United States

U.S. Cavalry dash for cover while fighting Apaches, by F. Remington
 United States Apache
Ute
Yavapai
Victory
Puget Sound War
(1855–1856)

Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Washington

 United States
Snoqualmie
Nisqually
Muckleshoot
Puyallup
Klickitat
Haida
Tlingit
Victory
First Fiji Expedition
(1855)

Part of the Fiji Expeditions' Location: Fiji

 United States Fiji Victory
Rogue River Wars
(1855–1856)

Location: Rogue Valley

 United States Rogue River people Victory
  • Indians relocated to Siletz, Grand Ronde and Coast Reservations
Third Seminole War

Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars
(1855–1858) Location: Pensacola, Florida

 United States Seminole Victory
  • By late 1850s, most Seminoles forced to leave their land; a few hundred remain deep in the Everglades on land unwanted by white settlers
Yakima War

Part of the American Indian Wars
(1855–1858) Location: Washington Territory

Seattleites evacuate to the town blockhouse as USS Decatur opens fire on advancing tribal forces.
 United States
Snoqualmie
Yakama
Walla Walla tribe
Umatilla tribe
Nez Perce tribe
Cayuse tribe
Victory
  • Peace treaty
Second Opium War

Part of the Opium Wars
(1856–1859) Location: China

Palikao's bridge, on the evening of the battle, by Émile Bayard
United Kingdom British Empire
France French Empire
 United States
Qing dynasty Victory
Utah War

Part of the Mormon wars
(1857–1858) Location: Utah Territory and Wyoming

 United States Deseret/Utah Mormons (Nauvoo Legion) Compromise
  • Resolution through negotiation
  • Brigham Young replaced as governor of the territory
  • Full amnesty for charges of sedition and treason issued to the citizens of Utah Territory by President James Buchanan on the condition that they accept American Federal authority
Navajo Wars

Part of the American Indian Wars
(1858–1866) Location: New Mexico

Fort Defiance
 United States Navajo Victory
Second Fiji Expedition

Part of the Fiji Expeditions
(1859) Location: Fiji

 United States Fiji Victory
First and Second Cortina War
(1859–1861)

Location: Texas and Mexico

United States United States

Confederate States of America Confederate States


 Mexico

Mexico Cortinista bandits Victory
Paiute War

Part of the American Indian Wars
(1860) Location: Pyramid Lake, Nevada

 United States Paiute
Shoshone
Bannock
Victory
American Civil War
(1861–1865)

Location: United States

The Battle of Antietam, by Kurz & Allison.
 United States  Confederate States Victory
Yavapai Wars
(1861–1875)

Location: Arizona

 United States Yavapai
Apache
Yuma
Mohave
Victory
Dakota War of 1862
(1862)

Location: Minnesota and Dakota

The Siege of New Ulm, Minnesota on August 19, 1862
 United States Dakota Sioux Victory
Colorado War
(1863–1865)

Location: Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska

 United States Cheyenne
Arapaho
Sioux
Victory
Shimonoseki War
(1863–1864)

Location: Kanmon Straits

Capture of a Choshu battery at Shimonoseki by British sailors and marines.
 British Empire
 Dutch Empire
France French Empire
 United States
border=no Chōshū Domain Victory
  • Chōshū pays an indemnity of $3,000,000.
Snake War
(1864–1868)

Locations: Oregon, Nevada, California, and Idaho

 United States Paiute
Bannock
Shoshone
Victory
Powder River War
(1865)

Location: Powder River State

 United States Sioux
Cheyenne
Arapaho
Stalemate
Red Cloud's War
(1866–1868)

Location: Powder River State

The Fetterman Massacre
 United States Lakota
Cheyenne
Arapaho
Defeat
Formosa Expedition
(1867)

Location: Southern Formosa (Taiwan)

US Marines and Sailors attack Formosan pirates.
 United States Paiwan Defeat
  • American withdrawal after Marine commander killed, subsequent Formosan retreat[2]
  • No other casualties
Comanche Campaign
(1867–1875)

Location: Western United States

Battle of Beecher Island. One soldier and three horses have fallen, while others continue to wage the battle.
 United States Cheyenne
Arapaho
Comanche
Kiowa
Victory
United States expedition to Korea
(1871)

Location: Ganghwado

American forces after capturing the Deokjin Fort during the Battle of Ganghwa in 1871.
 United States Joseon Dynasty Victory
Modoc War
(1872–1873)

Location: California and Oregon

Engraving of soldiers recovering the bodies of the slain May 3, 1873.
 United States Modoc Victory
Red River War
(1874–1875)

Location: Texas

 United States Cheyenne
Arapaho
Comanche
Kiowa
Victory
  • End to the Texas-Indian Wars
Las Cuevas War
(1875)

Location: Texas and Mexico

Texan soldiers.
 United States Mexican bandits Victory
  • Cattle returned to Texas
Great Sioux War of 1876
(1876–1877)

Location: Montana, Dakota and Wyoming

Custer's last stand at Little Bighorn.
 United States Lakota
Dakota Sioux
Northern Cheyenne
Arapaho
Victory
  • Legal control of Powder River Country ceded to the United States
Buffalo Hunters' War
(1876–1877)

Location: Texas and Oklahoma

 United States Comanche
Apache
Victory
Nez Perce War
(1877)

Location: Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana

Chief Joseph's band in the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain
 United States Nez Perce
Palouse
Victory
Bannock War
(1878)

Location: Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming

 United States Bannock
Shoshone
Paiute
Victory
Cheyenne War
(1878–1879)

Location: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana

Aftermath of the Battle of "The Pit."
 United States Cheyenne Victory
Sheepeater Indian War
(1879)

Location: Idaho

 United States Shoshone Victory
Victorio's War
(1879–1881)

Location: Mexico

 United States
 Mexico
Apache Victory
White River War
(1879–1880)

Location: Colorado

 United States Ute Victory
Pine Ridge Campaign
(1890–1891)

Location: South Dakota

Mass grave for the dead Lakota after the conflict at Wounded Knee Creek.
 United States Sioux Victory
Garza Revolution
(1891–1893)

Location: Texas and Mexico

3rd Cavalry Troopers searching a suspected Revolutionist, 1892
 Mexico
 United States
Garzistas Victory
Yaqui Wars
(1896–1918)

Location: Arizona and Mexico

10th Cavalry soldiers holding Yaqui prisoners at their camp in Bear Valley, January 9, 1918.
 United States
 Mexico
Yaqui
Pima
Opata
Victory
Second Samoan Civil War
(1898–1899)

Location: Samoa

Samoan warriors and American servicemen during the Siege of Apia in March 1899.
Samoa
 United States
Mataafans
 Germany
Compromise
Spanish–American War
(1898)

Location: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam

Teddy Roosevelt and the "Rough Riders" charge Spanish positions during the Battle of San Juan Hill.
 United States
Cuban Revolutionaries
Filipino Revolutionaries
Spain Spain Victory
Philippine–American War
(1899–1902)

Location: Philippines

Kurz & Allison print of the Battle of Quingua.
1899-1902
 United States

1902-1906
 United States

1899-1902
 Philippine Republic

Limited Foreign Support:
 Empire of Japan


1902-1906
Tagalog Republic

Victory
Moro Rebellion
(1899–1913)

Philippines

The 8th Infantry Regiment defeat the Moros in the four-day battle of Bagsak Mountain on Jolo Island in the Philippines.
 United States Moro
Remnants of the Sulu Sultanate
Victory
Boxer Rebellion
(1899–1901)

Location: China

Corporal Titus, of the 14th Infantry Regiment, scaling the walls of Peking.
British Empire United Kingdom
 Russia
 Japan
France France
 United States
 Germany
 Italy
 Austria-Hungary
Righteous Harmony Society (Boxers)
 China
Victory
  • Rebellion suppressed
  • Signing of the Boxer Protocol
  • Provisions for foreign troops to be stationed in Beijing

20th-century wars

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
Crazy Snake Rebellion
(1909)

Location: Oklahoma

Creek prisoners of war.
 United States Creek Victory
Border War
(1910–1919)
Part of the Mexican Revolution

Location: Mexico–United States border

American troops of the 16th Infantry Regiment rest for the night on 27 May 1916
 United States  Mexico
 Germany
Victory
Negro Rebellion
(1912)
Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Cuba

USS Mississippi in Cuba
Cuba Cuba
 United States
Cuba Cuban PIC Victory
  • Rebellion suppressed
  • Dissolution of the PIC
Occupation of Nicaragua
(1912–1933)
Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Nicaragua

US Marines holding a captured Sandinista flag.
 United States
 Nicaragua
Nicaraguan Liberals
Sandinistas
Victory
  • Nicaragua occupied until 1933.
  • Nicaraguan guerrilla troops fighting back against U.S. troops became too costly for the U.S. government and they withdrew in 1933.
  • Instauration of a US-backed Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua.
Bluff War
(1914–1915)

Location: Utah and Colorado

Prisoners of the Bluff War in Thompson, Utah, waiting to board a train for their trial in Salt Lake City.
 United States Ute
Paiute
Victory
Occupation of Veracruz
(1914)
Part of the Mexican Revolution

Location: Mexico

American ships at Veracruz
 United States Mexico Mexico Victory
  • Veracruz occupied
Occupation of Haiti
(1915–1934)
Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Haiti

2nd Marine Regiment in Haiti
 United States
Haiti Haiti
Haiti Haitian Rebels Victory
  • Haiti occupied
Occupation of the Dominican Republic
(1916–1924)
Part of the Banana Wars

Location: Dominican Republic

US Marines in the Occupation of the Dominican Republic.
 United States Dominican Republic Dominican Republic Victory
  • Dominican Republic occupied
World War I
(1914–1918)

Location: Europe, Africa, Asia, Middle East, the Pacific Islands, and coast of North and South America

Two US troops pass by dead German soldiers on a battlefield.
 France

United Kingdom British Empire

 Russia
 United States
Beiyang government China
 Italy
 Japan
 Serbia
 Montenegro
 Romania
 Belgium
 Greece
 Portugal
 Brazil

 Germany
 Austria-Hungary
 Ottoman Empire
 Bulgaria
Victory
Russian Civil War
(1918–1920)

Location: Russia, Mongolia, and Iran

US troops march through Russia before the Battle of Romanovka.
Russia White Movement
United Kingdom British Empire

 Japan
 Czechoslovakia
 Greece
 Poland
 United States
France France
 Romania
 Serbia
 Italy
Beiyang government China

 Russian SFSR
 Far Eastern Republic
Latvian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
Commune of Estonia
Mongolian Communists
Defeat
  • Allied withdrawal from Russia
  • Bolshevik victory over White Army
  • Some Supplies captured at Vladivostok
  • Humanitarian effort
Last Indian Uprising
(1923)

Location: Utah

Ute and Paiute prisoners of war.
 United States Ute
Paiute
Victory
World War II
(1939–1945)

Location: Europe, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Mediterranean, North Africa, North and South America

U.S. Army Soldiers advancing at dawn in the cover of a M4 Sherman tank, during the Battle of Bougainville, 1944.
 Soviet Union
 United States
 United Kingdom
 China
 France
 Poland
 Canada
 Australia
 New Zealand
 India
 South Africa
 Yugoslavia
 Greece
 Denmark
 Norway
 Netherlands
 Belgium
 Luxembourg
 Czechoslovakia
 Brazil
Mexico Mexico
 Ethiopia
 Mongolia
 Philippines
North Vietnam Viet Minh
Korea KLA
 Germany
 Japan
 Italy
 Hungary
 Romania
 Bulgaria
 Finland
 Thailand
 Manchukuo
 Mengjiang
 Croatia
 Slovakia
 Albania
Victory
Korean War
(1950–1953)
Part of the Cold War

Location: Korea

American soldiers in the Korean war with the Browning M1919A6 LMG.
 South Korea
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 Belgium
Canada
 France
Philippines
 Colombia
Ethiopia
Greece
 Luxembourg
Netherlands
 New Zealand
South Africa
 Thailand
 Turkey
 North Korea
 China
 Soviet Union
Stalemate
  • North Korean invasions of South Korea repelled
  • US forced out of North Korea by China.
  • Subsequent United States invasion of North Korea repelled and defeated.
  • Subsequent Chinese-North Korean-Soviet invasion of South Korea repelled
  • Korean Armistice Agreement. Although this ended the actual fighting in the Korean Peninsula, the war is not (technically) over because a peace treaty was never signed
Laotian Civil War
(1953–1975)
Part of the Indochina Wars and Cold War
Location: Laos
A U.S. Air Force Bell UH-1P from the 20th Special Operations Squadron "Green Hornets" at a base in Laos, 1970.
 Kingdom of Laos
 United States
 South Vietnam
 Thailand
Supported by:
Philippines
 Taiwan

Laos Pathet Lao
 North Vietnam
Supported by:
 Soviet Union
China

Defeat
Lebanon Crisis
(1958)

Location: Lebanon

US Marine sits in a foxhole and points his machine gun toward Beirut.
Lebanon Lebanon
 United States
Lebanon Lebanese Opposition: Victory
Bay of Pigs Invasion
(1961)
Part of the Cold War

Location: Cuba

Cuba CDRF
 United States
Cuba Cuba Defeat
  • Invasion of Cuba suppressed
Simba rebellion, Operation Dragon Rouge
(1964)
Part of the Congo Crisis and the Cold War
Congo-Léopoldville
 Belgium
 United States
Simba rebels
 Uganda[4]
Victory
  • Rebellion defeated.
Vietnam War
(1963–1973[a], 1975[b])
Part of the Cold War and Indochina Wars

Location: Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos

1st Cavalry Division, Battle of Ia Drang, 1965.
 South Vietnam
 United States
 South Korea
 Australia
 New Zealand
 Thailand
 Philippines
Cambodia Khmer Republic
border=no Kingdom of Laos
 North Vietnam
Viet Cong Viet Cong
border=no Khmer Rouge
Laos Pathet Lao
 China
 North Korea

Supported by:

 Soviet Union

Defeat
Communist insurgency in Thailand
(1965-1983)
Part of the Cold War

Location: Thailand

Ta Ko Bi Cave, a former hideout used by communist rebels.
 Thailand
 Taiwan (until July 1967)
 United States
 Malaysia
Communist Party of Thailand

Pathet Lao
Khmer Rouge (until 1978)[5][6]
Supported by:
 North Vietnam (until 1976)
 Vietnam (from 1976)
 People Republic of China (1971–1978)
Malayan Communist Party
 North Korea[6]

Victory
  • Amnesty declared on 23 April 1980 by the Thai government.
  • Order 66/2523 signed by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda.
  • Communist insurgency declines and ends in 1983.
Korean DMZ Conflict
(1966–1969)
Part of the Korean conflict and the Cold War

Location: Korean Demilitarized Zone

ROK and US troop stationed at the DMZ, 1967.
 South Korea
 United States
 North Korea Victory
  • North Korean failure to launch an insurgency in South Korea
Dominican Civil War
(1965–1966)

Location: Dominican Republic

US soldiers push a child underneath a Jeep to protect him during a firefight in Santo Domingo on May 5, 1965.
 Dominican Loyalists
 United States
Inter-American Peace Force
 Dominican Constitutionalists Victory
Insurgency in Bolivia
(1966–1967)
Part of the Cold War

Location: Bolivia

 Bolivia
 United States
Ejército de Liberación Nacional Victory
  • CIA supported Bolivian armed groups oppress Che Guevara's guerrilla forces
  • Che Guevara captured and executed
Cambodian Civil War
(1967–1975)
Location: Cambodia
US troops and tanks entering town in Cambodia.
Kingdom of Cambodia (1967–1970)
Khmer Republic (1970–1975)
 United States
 South Vietnam

Other Supports

National United Front of Kampuchea

Khmer Rouge
Khmer Rumdo
Khmer Việt Minh
 North Vietnam
Việt Cộng

Other Supports

Defeat
War in South Zaire
(1978)

Location: Zaire

 Zaire
 France
 Belgium
 United States
 Morocco
State of Katanga Front for the National Liberation of the Congo
Supported by:

Angola Angola
 Cuba
 Soviet Union

Victory
  • FNLC forces repelled
  • Thousands of civilians evacuated from Kolwezi
Gulf of Sidra encounter
(1981)

Location: Gulf of Sidra

 United States  Libya Victory
Lebanese Civil War
(1982–1984)

Location: Lebanon

US Marines on patrol in Beirut, April 1983
Lebanese Armed Forces
UNIFIL
Multinational Force in Lebanon:
Lebanese Front
Army of Free Lebanon
SLA

 Israel
Lebanese National Movement
Jammoul
PLO
Amal Movement

 Iran

Hezbollah


Islamic Unification Movement


 Syria

Arab Deterrent Force
Defeat
Invasion of Grenada
(1983)
Part of the Cold War

Location: Grenada

American soldiers in mortar positions in Grenada.
 United States
 Barbados
 Jamaica
 Antigua and Barbuda
 Dominica
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
 Saint Lucia
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Grenada PRG of Grenada
 Cuba
Military advisors:
Victory
  • Military dictatorship of Hudson Austin deposed
  • Defeat of Cuban military presence
  • Restoration of Constitutional Government
Action in the Gulf of Sidra
(1986)
Libyan corvette obliterated after attempting to fire on US forces
 United States Libya Libya Victory
  • Libyan naval forces damaged or destroyed
  • Libyan air defenses damaged
Bombing of Libya
(1986)

Location: Libya

USAF F-111 taking off for Libya
 United States Libya Libya Victory
  • Ground targets destroyed.
  • Failed Libyan Scud missile response.
  • Muammar Gaddafi survives.
Tanker War
(1987–1988)

Location: Persian Gulf

Iranian frigate Sahand after being attacked by U.S. aircraft.
United States United States Iran Iran Victory
  • Successful operations against Iran during the Iran–Iraq War
  • U.S. Navy vessel USS Vincennes shoots down civilian Iran Air Flight 655 killing all 290 passengers, among them 66 children.
  • Iran-Iraq war ends in August 1988 following UN-brokered ceasefire.
Tobruk encounter
(1989)

Location: Mediterranean Sea

Gun camera depicting the last remaining MiG-23 fighters exploding after being shot down.
 United States  Libya Victory
  • Two Libyan MiG-23 fighters shot down
Invasion of Panama
(1989–1990)

Location: Panama

U.S. troops prepare to take a neighborhood in Panama City, December 1989.
 United States
 Panamanian Opposition
 Panama Victory
Gulf War
(1990–1991)

Location: Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Israel

M1 Abrams tanks of the 3rd Armored Division advance on Medina Ridge.
 Kuwait
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Saudi Arabia
 France
 Canada
 Egypt
 Syria
 Qatar
 Bahrain
 United Arab Emirates
 Oman
 Bangladesh
Iraq Victory
Iraqi No-Fly Zone Enforcement Operations
(1991–2003)

Location: Iraq

A Tomahawk cruise missile is fired from an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer during Operation Desert Fox in December 1998.
 United States
 United Kingdom
 France
 Australia
 Belgium
 Netherlands
 Saudi Arabia
 Turkey
 Italy
Iraq Victory
  • Various bombings of Iraqi forces both arial and naval
  • Mass numbers of Iraqi targets killed or destroyed
  • Reduction in Iraqi air defense
  • Beginning of the Iraq War
First Intervention in the Somali Civil War
(1992–1995)

Location: Somalia

US Marines on patrol in Somalia.
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Spain
 Saudi Arabia
 Malaysia
 Pakistan
 Italy
 India
 Greece
 Germany
 France
 Canada
 Botswana
 Belgium
 Australia
 New Zealand
Somalia Somali National Alliance Defeat
  • Failure to capture SNA leader Mohamed Farrah Aidid; specific Aidid lieutenants captured
  • Withdrawal of U.S. forces 5 months after losses in the Battle of Mogadishu
  • The UN mandate saved close to 100,000 lives, before and after U.S. withdrawal
  • Civil war is ongoing
Bosnian War
(1992–1995)
Part of the Yugoslav Wars

Location: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Russian and American troops on a joint patrol around the Bosnian town of Zvornik on the afternoon of 29 February 1996.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia Herzeg-Bosnia
 Croatia


 United States
 Belgium
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Italy
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 Spain
 Turkey
 United Kingdom

 Republika Srpska
YPA
 Serbian Krajina
Western Bosnia
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia
Victory
Intervention in Haiti
(1994–1995)

Location: Haiti

US troops arrive in Haiti.
 United States
 Poland
 Argentina
 Haiti Victory
Kosovo War
(1998–1999)
Part of the Yugoslav Wars

Location: Serbia

Bombing of Novi Sad.
KLA
Albania AFRK
 Albania
 Croatia
 United States
 Belgium
 Canada
 Czech Republic
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Hungary
 Italy
 Luxembourg
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Portugal
 Poland
 Spain
 Turkey
 United Kingdom
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia FR Yugoslavia Victory[9][10][11][12]
  • Ceasefire reached through Kumanovo Agreement of June 1999. after Russian and Finnish envoys visit Belgrade
  • Yugoslav forces pull out of Kosovo
  • UN Resolution 1244 confirming Kosovo as de jure part of FRY
  • De facto separation of Kosovo from FR Yugoslavia under UN administration
  • Return of Albanian refugees, ethnic cleansing of Serbs
  • KLA veterans join the UÇPMB, starting the Preševo insurgency
Operation Infinite Reach
(1998)

Location: Sudan and Afghanistan

al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan.
 United States al-Qaeda
 Sudan

Harkat-ul-Mujahideen
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Blunder
  • Strikes hit targets but failed objectives [13]
  • al-Qaeda suffers damage and casulties; however, its senior leaders survive the strikes
  • Al-Shifa pharmaceutical plant destroyed
  • Al-Qaeda propaganda victory leads to Osama bin Laden's image be praised in the Muslim world as a symbol of resistance
  1. ^ Direct U.S. involvement ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords. Air Force and Special Ops continued some operations until April 1975; President Ford in a televised speech on April 23, 1975 declared the end of Vietnam War.
  2. ^ The war reignited on 13 December 1974 with offensive operations by North Vietnam, leading to victory over South Vietnam in under two months.

21st-century wars

Conflict Combatant 1 Combatant 2 Result for the United States and its Allies
War in Afghanistan
(2001–present)
Part of the War on Terror

Location: Afghanistan

American and British soldiers take a tactical pause during a combat patrol in the Sangin District area of Helmand Province.
Resolute Support Mission
 Afghanistan
 United States
 Canada
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 Croatia
 Czech Republic
 Georgia
 Germany
 Italy
 Romania
 Spain
 Turkey

Formerly:
ISAF
Afghanistan Taliban

Allied groups
HIG
al-Qaeda
IJU[14]


Taliban splinter groups


Islamic State IS-Affiliates:

2001 Invasion:
Afghanistan Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

Ongoing
Iraq War
(2003–2011)
Part of the War on Terror

Location: Iraq

Soldiers from 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment conduct security before a cordon and search operation in Biaj, Iraq with their M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
 United States
 Iraq
 United Kingdom
 Australia
 South Korea
 Italy
 Georgia
 Poland
 Spain
 Netherlands
 Ukraine
 Romania

MNF–I

Ba'ath Loyalists

Islamic State of Iraq
al-Qaeda in Iraq
Mahdi Army
Special Groups
IAI
Ansar al-Sunnah


2003 Invasion:

Iraq Iraq

Victory
War in North-West Pakistan
(2004–present)
Part of the War on Terror

Location: Pakistan

MQ-1 Predator drones are typically used in covert bombing operations in the Federally administered tribal regions of Pakistan
 United States

 Pakistan

Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
al-Qaeda
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Turkistan Islamic Party
Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi

Daesh

Ongoing
War in Somalia
(2007–present)

Location: Somalia and Northeastern Kenya

MQ-9 Reaper commonly used in covert drone strikes in Somalia.
 Somalia
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Kenya
 Ethiopia
AMISOM
Al-Shabaab
Hizbul Islam

Daesh
Alleged support:
 Eritrea

Ongoing
Operation Ocean Shield
(2009–2016)

Location: Indian Ocean

A tall plume of black smoke rises from a destroyed pirate vessel that was struck by USS Farragut in March 2010.
 NATO
 United States
 Malaysia
 Norway
 United Kingdom
 New Zealand
 Denmark
 Netherlands
 Italy
 South Korea
 India
Somali pirates Victory
  • Number of pirate attacks have decreased dramatically since the start of such operations, however attacks still occur near the coast waters of Oman, Yemen, Kenya, and Somalia
  • The US Office of Naval Intelligence have officially reported that in 2013, only 9 incidents of piracy were reported and that none of them were successfully hijacked
  • Piracy drops 90% [24]
American-led intervention in Libya
(2011)
Part of the Libyan Crisis

Location: Libya

US vessels launch missiles in support of the Libyan Civil War.
 NATO
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Belgium
 Bulgaria
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Greece
 Italy
 Netherlands
 Norway
 Romania
 Spain
 Turkey
 Sweden
 Jordan
 Qatar
 United Arab Emirates

Anti-Gaddafi rebels

Libya Victory
Operation Observant Compass

(2011–2017) Location: Uganda

U.S. Marine Sgt. Joseph Bergeron, a task force combat engineer, explains combat marksmanship tactics to a group of Ugandan soldiers.

 United States

Uganda Uganda

Democratic Republic of the Congo DR Congo

Central African Republic Central African Republic

South Sudan

Lord's Resistance Army Partial Victory
  • LRA eliminated as a threat to Uganda, reduced to around 100 members, [26]
  • LRA leader Joseph Kony remains a fugitive.
  • Conflict remains ongoing.
American-led intervention in Iraq
(2014–present)
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Iraqi Civil War, the Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, and the International ISIS campaign

Location: Iraq


General Stephen J. Townsend observes a HIMARS strike that destroyed a building near Haditha, September 2016
 United States
 Iraq
 Kurdistan
 Australia
 Belgium
 Canada
 Denmark
 France
 Germany
 Jordan
 Morocco
 Netherlands
 United Kingdom
 Turkey

 Iran
Hezbollah

Islamic State Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Victory
  • Over 10,000 American airstrikes conducted in Iraq since 2014
  • Heavy damaged caused to ISIS forces resulting in losses of about 40% of its held territory by 2016, and by December 2017, its remaining strongholds were destroyed leaving small pockets of fleers.
  • Multinational humanitarian support to civilians and arming of local ground troops and militias
  • Advising and training of Iraqi forces
  • Massive numbers of war crimes committed by ISIS including ethnic cleansing, murder, rape, and enslavement. Additionally there are reports of organ trafficking
  • ISIS loses all territory in Iraq by December 2017
American-led intervention in Syria
(2014–present)
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Syrian Civil War and the International ISIS campaign

Location: Syria

USS Ross fires Tomahawk missiles towards Shayrat Military Base, during the 2017 retaliatory strike against the Syrian government.
United States United States

Democratic Federation of Northern Syria


CJTF-OIR Members:
 United Kingdom
 France
 Australia
 Canada
 Jordan
 Denmark
 Netherlands
 Belgium
 Lebanon
 Morocco
 Saudi Arabia
 UAE
 Qatar
 Bahrain


Turkey


 Israel (limited involvement; against Hezbollah and government forces only)


Formerly:
Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army (2011–2017)

Islamic State ISIS

al-Qaeda linked groups:

Partial Support:
 Qatar
 UAE
 Saudi Arabia


 Syria (limited encounters with US and Israel)

Supported by:
 Russia
 Iran
Hezbollah
 China

Ongoing
Yemeni Civil War
(2015–present)

Location: Yemen

U.S. Naval vessel patrolling along the coastline of Yemen enforcing the American-Saudi blockade against Iran.
Hadi government

Saudi-led Coalition:
 Saudi Arabia
 United Arab Emirates
 Senegal
 Sudan
 Qatar (2015–2017)
Under 1000 troops:

 al-Qaeda


 United States
 France
 United Kingdom

Supreme Political Council
Houthis
Ahrar al-Najran
Supported by:
 Iran
Hezbollah
 North Korea

AQAP


IS-affiliated groups:

Ongoing
  • Yemen's capital city of Sana'a falls under Houthi control
  • Saudi-led coalition begin to bomb Houthi rebel positions
  • Aden becomes the new capital for the Hadi government
  • Cholera outbreak in 2016
  • Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh killed in fire fight by a sniper during the ongoing battle in Sana'a
  • Targeted killing program against radical groups in the region continue since 2002; intensify after beginning of civil war
  • U.S. Naval blockade put in place in attempt to assist Saudi Arabia in preventing Iranian weapons from moving weapons into Houthi territory
  • Raids against al-Qaeda conducted U.S. Special Forces
  • Famine caused by war is affecting over 17 million people leaving 50,000 children to be a risk of dying in 2017
American intervention in Libya
(2015–present)
Part of the Second Libyan Civil War

Location: Libya

 United States
 Libya
Islamic State in Libya Ongoing
  • Liberation of Sirte
  • Hundreds of airstrikes carried out in Libya against Islamic State affiliated militant groups

See also

References

  1. ^ Serial 89, 18th Congress, 1st Session, Senate Document No. 1, p. 95
  2. ^ The Nation. J.H. Richards. 1889. pp. 256–.
  3. ^ "History: World War I".
  4. ^ Mujaju 1987, p. 484.
  5. ^ "Communist Insurgency In Thailand" (PDF). CIA Report. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Anatomy of a Counterinsurgency Victory" (PDF). January 2007. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  7. ^ "Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Larry Speakes". September 23, 1982.
  8. ^ "The Collapse of Lebanon's Army: U.S. Said to Ignore Factionalism". March 11, 1984.
  9. ^ http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a432768.pdf
  10. ^ Cambridge Scholars Publisher (2015). Coercive Diplomacy of NATO in Kosovo. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 289–. ISBN 978-1-4438-7668-1.
  11. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/07/world/nato-was-closer-to-ground-war-in-kosovo-than-is-widely-realized.html
  12. ^ https://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/isec.2009.34.1.83?journalCode=isec
  13. ^ "The operation was essentially a failure" (Bergen 2002, p. 124)"... The highly unsuccessful Operation Infinite Reach ... backfired and acted as a recruitment drive for bin Laden's Al Qaeda" (Williams 2017, pp. 52-53)."... The failed strikes were dubbed Operation Infinite Reach ... the missile attacks exposed the inadequacy of American intelligence and the futility of military power" (Wright 2006, p. 285). Zenko (2010, p. 139) judges Operation Infinite Reach to be both a political and military failure.
  14. ^ "Central Asian groups split over leadership of global jihad". The Long War Journal. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  15. ^ "Sectarian divisions change Baghdad's image". MSNBC. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2007.
  16. ^ Michael Petrou (9 September 2011). "The decline of al-Qaeda". Maclean's. George W. Bush gambled on surging thousands more troops to the embattled country. It paid off. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is now a diminished force without territory.
  17. ^ Spencer C. Tucker. U.S. Conflicts in the 21st Century: Afghanistan War, Iraq War, and the War on Terror. ISBN 1-4408-3879-8. Al Qaeda in Iraq was decimated by the end of the Iraq War in 2011
  18. ^ South, Todd (2019-01-20). "Army’s long-awaited Iraq war study finds Iran was the only winner in a conflict that holds many lessons for future wars". Army Times. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  19. ^ Galbraith, Peter W. (2007). The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End. Simon & Schuster. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-7432-9424-9.
  20. ^ "Iran expands regional 'empire' ahead of nuclear deal". Reuters.
  21. ^ "How to Stop Iran's Growing Hegemony". National Review Online.
  22. ^ "The JRTN Movement and Iraq's Next Insurgency | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point". Ctc.usma.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2014-08-02. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "Al-Qaeda's Resurgence in Iraq: A Threat to U.S. Interests". U.S. Department of State. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2010.
  24. ^ "Somali piracy is down 90 per cent from last year". The Journal. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  25. ^ Holmes, Oliver (24 January 2012). "UPDATE 1-Anger, chaos but no revolt after Libya violence". Bani Walid. Reuters Africa. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  26. ^ Baddorf, Zack (20 April 2017). "Uganda Ends Its Hunt for Joseph Kony Empty-Handed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 21 April 2017.

External links