FAS

Use of U.S. Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2008

02.25.09 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

Hundreds of times in the last 210 years, the United States has deployed its military forces in conflicts abroad, although the U.S. has only formally declared war on eleven occasions.

A newly updated tabulation of those military deployments (pdf) — which do not include covert actions, disaster relief, or military training exercises — has recently been prepared by the Congressional Research Service.  A copy of the updated report was obtained by Secrecy News.

See “Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2008,” February 2, 2009.

publications
See all publications
Government Capacity
Policy Memo
Report
Four Innovations Driving Climate Progress in State Government

Cities and states are best positioned to design policies to accelerate clean energy, innovation, and economic development because they can design approaches that work in different social, political, and economic contexts. 

04.22.26 | 18 min read
read more
Government Capacity
day one project
Policy Memo
Outcome-Based Contracting Reorients Government IT Acquisition Around Public Value and Mission Results

Outcome-Based Contracting reframes procurement around the staged achievement of measurable mission outcomes rather than the delivery of predefined technical artifacts.

04.21.26 | 16 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Building Human Infrastructure to Mitigate AI Fairness Harms in K-12 Education

The real opportunity of AI lies not just in the tools, but in an educator workforce prepared to wield them. When done right, this investment in human infrastructure ensures AI accelerates learning outcomes for all students, closing the “digital design divide.”

04.20.26 | 5 min read
read more
Clean Energy
Blog
Beyond Cap and Trade: What’s Next for Carbon Markets?

If carbon markets are going to play a meaningful role — whether as engines of transition finance, as instruments of accurate pricing across heterogeneous climate interventions, or both — they need the infrastructure and standards that any serious market requires.

04.16.26 | 9 min read
read more