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
Press release
Denice Ross of the Federation of American Scientists Named NAPA Academy Fellow

Denice Ross, former U.S. Chief Data Scientist and Data Policy Institute lead at the Federation of American Scientists, will be honored for her stewardship of public data by the National Academy of Public Administration, where she has been named a Fellow.

11.10.26 | 3 min read
read more
Global Risk
Blog
NATO Nuclear Posture Moving North; New Satellite Images Show Extent of New Construction at RAF Lakenheath

Confirmation that the construction of the security perimeter and associated security infrastructure at RAF Lakenheath are still ongoing once again raises questions about whether U.S. nuclear weapons have already been deployed to the base.

11.05.26 | 7 min read
read more
Climate & Environment
Blog
New Climate Intervention Regulation in Alaska Takes Inspiration from Permitting That Already Works

Alaskans are sensibly pulling back from the vogue for bans and returning to a western tradition that has worked for more than half a century – one that welcomes innovation but also oversees it closely.

11.05.26 | 3 min read
read more
Government Capacity
Blog
Why America Needs to Grow the Field of Data Policy

The strength of our nation’s data policy isn’t just in the rules we write, but in how effectively we translate those rules into a system that prioritizes the public good. Join us in this movement to design and build more resilient national data policies.

11.02.26 | 5 min read
read more