US Defense History

We are finally using the US Military to defend our own border for the first time since 1848 if you consider the Civil War (1861-1865) as an internal squabble.

I define “defense” as protecting our own borders to defend our own homes and families. But all of our wars since 1898 have been fought outside of US borders and I don’t consider these to be defense.  I believe these amount to nothing but Military Foreign Aid. I am much more inclined to defend my own borders than I would to defend the borders of other countries.

Self-defense is an instinct we can observe in all living creatures. The protection of national borders and shorelines from foreign invaders has been part of human history forever. Prehistoric Clans defended their territory from attack. Wars of aggression have been clearly chronicled in writings and in the archeological record.

In the 1600s, British colonists had to defend themselves and their property from attacks by hostile Indian Tribes and wild animals. In the 1700s, State Militias were formed to defend colonists as needed and Militias were deployed in the French and Indian War (1756-1763) when George Washington led the Virginia Militia. 

By 1775, Militias in States were split between revolutionaries and loyalists. George Washington was chosen by the Continental Congress to lead the Regular Army. Revolutionary Militias operated in secret.

The American Revolutionary War began in 1775 and ended in 1783.

The Declaration of Independence was published in 1776 and is cited as the founding document.  From 1783 to 1787, the Continental Congress met to determine what the US Constitution would include.

The US Constitution was written, signed and published by the Continental Congress in 1787.

The 13 original colonies ratified the US Constitution from 1787 to 1790. George Washington was elected President in 1789. The Bill of Rights was written in 1789 and sent to the States to be ratified. The State legislatures approved 10 amendments that became effective in 1791.

It took 8 years to win the Revolutionary War and it took another 8 years to finalize the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights enshrined in the first 10 Amendments.

In 1789, when the United States Federal Government was established, Governance for Defense was created with the establishment of the Congress and War Department. State Militias continued to function as before and continued to produce military leaders. General Andrew Jackson led the Tennessee Militia to win the War of 1812.

In the Civil War 1861-1865, Militias were called up by their governors as the first defenders on both sides. Regiments were formed from geographic groups.

The US history of defense includes wars of independence like the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, It also includes wars of expansion like the Mexican War of 1848 and the Indian Wars from 1610 to 1923.

All other wars were not waged on US soil. Some were to maintain shipping routes and defend them from pirates, like the Barbary Wars (1801-1815).

The first case of Military Foreign Aid was the Spanish American War in 1898 where we joined the rebels to remove Cuba and Puerto Rico from Spanish rule.  Some were wars we were drawn into like World War I, World War II and were more for Military Foreign Aid than for actual defense. The Korean War and the Vietnam War were clearly Military Foreign Aid.

Militias were composed of armed citizens who could be called on to enter military service in time of need. In 1903, Militias in the US were renamed as the National Guard and is associated with the Army Reserves and continue to be called up by Governors of States and deployed to serve with US Regular Army troops.

The Middle East Wars from 1990 to 2018 continue to be Military Foreign Aid, but having wasted $12 trillion on these wars, we are reducing our exposure and using economic deterrents. 

Technology has impacted the skill sets required to function in today’s military, so training is required and this training continues with Reserves. It is now common for Active Duty Military to retire to Reserves and this also helps keep the Reserves current.

The concept of serving as a Citizen-Soldier is still with us, but we need to replace Military Foreign Aid with total economic sanctions to get other countries to behave. Our right to bear arms is central to maintaining our national defense and deterring crime.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader