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Over its 243 years, the United States has built an Army that is the world’s most formidable fighting force. Under General George Washington, the Continental Army fought for the independence and rights of a fledgling nation. This first American Army—primarily made up of ordinary citizens with little or no warfighting experience—comprised Soldiers who held a zealous desire for independence. Their motivation for freedom ultimately led them to defeat the well-established and well-trained British army. 

This motivation and love of country are instilled in today’s Soldiers as they continue to fight for and defend freedom from oppression for all. The Army has evolved into an agile, dynamic force that is ready to respond quickly and decisively to eliminate threats, prevail on the battlefield and continue to protect the freedom it won almost two and a half centuries ago.

The Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA’s) Institute of Land Warfare publishes Profile of the United States Army as a guide to the Army. Describing the structure and priorities of today’s Army, it is a user-friendly reference book for people familiar with the Army and an easy-to-read introduction for family members, civilian employees, contractors and future Soldiers. 

This latest edition of Profile discusses the Army’s role in preserving the country’s security and national interests; it also describes the history behind the Army’s current organization. Profile contains pertinent information and helpful graphics on the Soldier, the uniform, the Army’s current operations, Army families and the Army’s command structure and installations. Notably, this edition introduces Army Futures Command, activated in 2018. Profile also contains a glossary of the military acronyms used in this text and an index of maps illustrating locations of current Army commands, corps and divisions, current Army National Guard divisions and Army Reserve divisions and functional commands. 

AUSA fully supports the Army—Regular Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Army civilians, Army veterans and retirees and the families and communities who stand behind them—as it faces its many challenges. Profile of the United States Army, an integral part of this support, serves as a guide to the history and organization of the Army. AUSA welcomes comments and suggestions on how to make future editions as useful and informative as possible. Please direct any feedback to ilwresources@ausa.org. In publishing this book, AUSA and the Institute of Land Warfare seek to provide a greater understanding and appreciation of the people, families, institutions and organizations who strive to maintain the world’s greatest army.

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