United States Navy

Founded in 1775, the United States Navy (USN) is a component of the United States Armed Forces that provides maritime security and is one of the country's eight uniformed services. It is the most powerful naval force in the world, with a fleet of more than 20,000 ships. Since 2015, it has grown to be the world's biggest and most powerful navy, with an estimated tonnage of its active combat fleet alone surpassing that of the next 13 fleets combined (including 11 United States allied and partnership countries). It possesses the world's biggest combined combat fleet tonnage and the world's largest aircraft carrier fleet, with eleven aircraft carriers now in service, two additional carriers under construction, and five more carriers planned in the near future, according to the United Nations.. As of June 2019, the country had 290 deployable combat vessels and more than 3,700 operating aircraft.

The United States Navy may trace its roots back to the Continental Navy, which was formed during the American Revolutionary War and was essentially dissolved as a distinct organisation not long after the war's conclusion. Following a major loss of commodities and people at the hands of Barbary pirates from Algiers, the United States Congress enacted the Naval Act of 1794, which authorised the building of six large frigates, which became the first ships of the United States Navy. Through blockading the Confederacy and seizing control of its waterways, the United States Navy played a significant role in the American Civil War. During World War II, it played a crucial part in the fall of the Imperial Japanese Empire. In the aftermath of World War II, the United States Navy ascended to the position of world's most powerful navy. The United States Navy retains a significant worldwide presence in the twenty-first century, deploying in large numbers in regions such as the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean. In addition to being a blue-water navy with the capacity to project power into the littoral areas of the globe, participate in forward deployments during peacetime, and react quickly to regional emergencies, the United States Navy is also a frequent player in the United States' diplomatic and military affairs.

The United States Navy is a component of the Department of the Navy, which also includes the United States Marine Corps, which is their coequal sister service. The Secretary of the Navy is a civilian who serves as the head of the Department of the Navy. According to official documents, the Department of the Navy is a military department under the Department of Defense, which is led by the Secretary of Defense. The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) is the highest senior Navy official in the Department of the Navy and is responsible for all naval operations.