"USN" redirects here. For other uses, see USN (disambiguation).
For civilian military department for naval forces, see United States Department of the Navy.
United States Navy
Emblem of the United States Navy
Founded
27 March 1794 (230 years) (in current form)
13 October 1775 (248 years, 6 months) (as the Continental Navy)[1][2]
Country
United States
Type
Navy
Size
334,896 active duty personnel [3] 54,741 Navy Reserve personnel [4] 387,637 total uniformed personnel (official data as of July 31, 2023) 279,471 civilian employees (As of 2018[update])[5] 480 ships total, of which 300 are deployable (As of 2019[update])[5] 2,623 aircraft (As of 2018[update])[6]
Part of
United States Armed Forces Department of the Navy
Headquarters
The Pentagon Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Motto(s)
Semper Fortis ('Always Courageous'), (unofficial). Non sibi sed patriae ('Not for self but for country') (unofficial)
Colors
Blue and gold[7][8]
March
"Anchors Aweigh" Playⓘ
Anniversaries
13 October
Equipment
List of equipment of the United States Navy
Engagements
See list
American Revolutionary War Quasi-War First Barbary War War of 1812 Second Barbary War West Indies Anti-Piracy Operations Seminole Wars African Anti-Slavery Operations Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations First Sumatran expedition United States exploration expedition Patriot War Second Sumatran expedition Ivory Coast Expedition Capture of Monterey Mexican–American War Bombardment of Greytown Battle of Ty-ho Bay First Fiji Expedition Filibuster War Second Opium War Second Fiji Expedition Reform War Paraguay expedition American Civil War Bombardment of Qui Nhon Shimonoseki Campaign Formosa Expedition United States expedition to Korea Egyptian Expedition (1882) Bering Sea Anti-Poaching Operations Kingdom of Hawaii overthrowal Second Samoan Civil War Banana Wars
Spanish–American War
Negro Rebellion
Occupation of Nicaragua
Occupation of Haiti
Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916)
Philippine–American War Boxer Rebellion World War I Bombardment of Samsun World War II Korean War First Taiwan Strait Crisis 1958 Lebanon crisis 1958 Taiwan Strait Crisis Vietnam War Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1965) Iranian Hostage Rescue Gulf of Sidra incident (1981) Multinational Force in Lebanon Invasion of Grenada Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) Bombing of Libya (1986) Tanker War
Earnest Will
Prime Chance
Eager Glacier
Nimble Archer
Praying Mantis
1989 air battle near Tobruk Invasion of Panama Gulf War Iraqi no-fly zones Somali Civil War Bosnian War Third Taiwan Strait Crisis Kosovo War International Force for East Timor Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghanistan (2001–2014)
Philippines
Horn of Africa
Pankisi Gorge
Trans Sahara
Caribbean and Central America
Iraq War Operation Burnt Frost Operation Ocean Shield Operation Odyssey Dawn 2014 Intervention against ISIL Operation Inherent Resolve War in Afghanistan (2015–2021) 2017 Shayrat missile strike Operation Prosperity Guardian
Website
navy.mil
navy.com
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief
President Joe Biden
Secretary of Defense
Lloyd Austin
Secretary of the Navy
Carlos Del Toro
Chief of Naval Operations
ADM Lisa Franchetti
Vice Chief of Naval Operations
ADM James W. Kilby
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
MCPON James Honea
Insignia
Flag
Ensign
Jack
Pennant
Logo
Military unit
United States Armed Forces
Executive departments
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security
Staff
Office of the Secretary of Defense
Joint Chiefs of Staff
Military departments
Department of the Army
Department of the Navy
Department of the Air Force
Military services
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
United States Air Force
United States Space Force
United States Coast Guard
Command structure
Unified combatant commands
Africa Command
Central Command
European Command
Indo-Pacific Command
Northern Command
Southern Command
Cyber Command
Space Command
Special Operations Command
Strategic Command
Transportation Command
Combat support agencies
Defense Contract Management Agency
Defense Health Agency
Defense Information Systems Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Logistics Agency
Defense Threat Reduction Agency
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
National Security Agency
Central Security Service
v
t
e
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the world's most powerful navy and the largest by tonnage, at 4.5 million tons in 2021[9] and in 2009 an estimated battle fleet tonnage that exceeded the next 13 navies combined.[10] It has the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with 11 in service, 1 undergoing trials, two new carriers under construction, and six other carriers planned as of 2024. With 336,978 personnel on active duty and 101,583 in the Ready Reserve, the U.S. Navy is the third largest of the United States military service branches in terms of personnel. It has 299 deployable combat vessels and about 4,012 operational aircraft as of July 18, 2023.[11][12]
The United States Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which was established during the American Revolutionary War and was effectively disbanded as a separate entity shortly thereafter. After suffering significant loss of goods and personnel at the hands of the Barbary pirates from Algiers, the United States Congress passed the Naval Act of 1794 for the construction of six heavy frigates, the first ships of the Navy. The United States Navy played a major role in the American Civil War by blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its rivers. It played the central role in the World War II defeat of Imperial Japan. The United States Navy emerged from World War II as the most powerful navy in the world. The modern United States Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in strength in such areas as the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. It is a blue-water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward deployments during peacetime and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it a frequent actor in American foreign and military policy.
The United States Navy is part of the Department of the Navy, alongside the United States Marine Corps, which is its coequal sister service. The Department of the Navy is headed by the civilian secretary of the Navy. The Department of the Navy is itself a military department of the Department of Defense, which is headed by the secretary of defense. The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the most senior Navy officer serving in the Department of the Navy.[13]
^"Establishment of the Navy, 13 October 1775". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 28 April 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
^"Precedence of the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps". Naval History & Heritage Command. 4 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2010. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
^[Strength Changes (Last 12 Months)
^[1] Archived 18 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine, DMDC official website, accessed 14 September 2023
^ abCite error: The named reference status was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"World Air Forces 2018". flightglobal.com. p. 17. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2022.(registration required)
^"Customs and Traditions, Navy". History.Navy.mil. United States Navy. Archived from the original on 20 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022. The official Navy colors are blue and gold
^"America's Navy Color Palette: Digital" (PDF). United States Navy Licensing Guide. 8 April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
^Axe, David (10 November 2021). "Yes, The Chinese Navy Has More Ships Than The U.S. Navy. But It's Got Far Fewer Missiles". Forbes. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
^"The Russian Navy Is Aiming To Be Much Larger Than The US Navy". Business Insider. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 26 November 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
^"Navy Raises Battle Force Goal to 381 Ships in Classified Report to Congress". United States Naval Institute. Archived from the original on 15 November 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
^"Navy aircraft inventory by type U.S. 2024". Statista. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
^"Responsibilities". Chief of Naval Operations. United States Navy. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
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Global Information
United States
President Joe Biden
Lloyd Austin
Carlos Del Toro
ADM Lisa Franchetti
ADM James W. Kilby
MCPON James Honea
