“Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody?” Carter asked. “None. And we have stayed at war.” The U.S., he noted, has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country “the most warlike nation in the history of the world,” Carter said. This is, he said, because of America’s tendency to force other nations to “adopt our American principles.”
List of wars involving the United States
18th-century wars
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for the United States and its Allies |
---|---|---|---|
American Revolutionary War (1775–1783)Location: Eastern North America, Southern North America, Gibraltar, India, Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic The Battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776 |
![]() ![]() Watauga Association |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
US-allied victory
|
Cherokee–American wars (1776–1795)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Old Southwest Abduction of Daniel Boone’s daughter by the Cherokee |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US-allied victory |
Northwest Indian War (1785–1793)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Northwest Territory |
![]() ![]() |
Western Confederacy
List
|
US-allied victory
|
Quasi-War (1798–1800)Location: Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Convention of 1800
|
19th-century wars[edit]
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for the United States and its Allies |
---|---|---|---|
First Barbary War (1801–1805)Part of the Barbary Wars Location: Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tripoli Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon at Derna, April 1805 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
US-allied victory |
Tecumseh’s War (1811)Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812 Location: Northwest River Ohio |
![]() |
Tecumseh’s Confederacy
List
|
US victory |
War of 1812 (1812–1815)Location: Eastern and Central North America General Andrew Jackson stands on the parapet of his makeshift defenses as his troops repulse attacking Highlanders, by painter Edward Percy Moran in 1910. |
![]() ![]() ![]() Creek Allies |
![]() List
|
Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Creek War (1813–1814)Part of the American Indian Wars and the War of 1812 Location: Southern United States The Battle of Horseshoe Bend, 1814 |
![]() Lower Creeks ![]() ![]() |
Red Stick Creek | US-allied victory |
Second Barbary War (1815)Part of the Barbary Wars Location: Mediterranean Sea and the Barbary States |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory |
First Seminole War (1817–1818)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars Location: Pensacola, Spanish Florida Barracks and tents at Fort Brooke near Tampa Bay |
![]() |
Seminole
|
US victory
|
Arikara War (1823)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Missouri River |
![]() |
Arikara | Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Winnebago War (1827)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory |
![]() ![]() |
Prairie La Crosse Ho-Chunks with a few allies |
US-allied victory
|
Black Hawk War (1832)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Illinois and Michigan Territory Native women and children fleeing the Battle of Bad Axe |
![]() Ho-Chunk Menominee ![]() Potawatomi |
Black Hawk’s British Band Ho-Chunk and Potawatomi allies |
US-allied victory
|
Texas Revolution (1835–1836)Location: Texas |
![]()
|
![]() |
Texan victory
|
Second Seminole War (1835–1842)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars Location: Florida, United States |
![]() |
Seminole | US victory
|
Mexican–American War (1846–1848)Location: Texas, New Mexico, California and Mexico 2nd Dragoons charge the enemy at the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846 |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US-allied victory
|
Cayuse War (1847–1855)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Oregon |
![]() |
Cayuse | US victory
|
Apache Wars (1851–1900)Part of the Texas–Indian wars and the American Indian Wars Location: Southwestern United States U.S. Cavalry dash for cover while fighting Apaches, by F. Remington |
![]() |
Apache Ute Yavapai |
US victory
|
Bleeding Kansas (1854–1861)Location: Kansas and Missouri Sacking of Lawrence in 1856 |
Anti-slavery settlers (Free-Staters) |
Pro-slavery settlers (Border Ruffians) | Free-Stater victory.
|
Puget Sound War (1855–1856)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Washington |
![]() Snoqualmie |
Nisqually Muckleshoot Puyallup Klickitat Haida Tlingit |
US victory
|
Rogue River Wars (1855–1856)Location: Rogue Valley |
![]() |
Rogue River people | US victory
|
Third Seminole War (1855–1858)Part of the Seminole Wars and the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
Seminole | US victory
|
Yakima War (1855–1858)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Washington Territory Seattleites evacuate to the town blockhouse as USS Decatur opens fire on advancing tribal forces. |
![]() Snoqualmie |
Yakama Walla Walla tribe Umatilla tribe Nez Perce tribe Cayuse tribe |
US victory |
Second Opium War (1856–1859)Part of the Opium Wars Location: China Palikao’s bridge, on the evening of the battle, by Émile Bayard |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US victory
|
Utah War (1857–1858)Part of the Mormon wars Location: Utah Territory and Wyoming |
![]() |
Deseret/Utah Mormons (Nauvoo Legion) | Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Navajo Wars (1858–1866)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: New Mexico |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory
|
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)Part of pre-Civil War conflicts Location: West Virginia Harper’s Weekly illustration of U.S. Marines attacking John Brown’s “Fort” Teresa Baine |
![]() |
Abolitionist Insurgents | US victory |
First and Second Cortina War (1859–1861)Location: Texas and Mexico |
![]() |
![]() |
US-allied victory |
Paiute War (1860)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Pyramid Lake, Nevada |
![]() |
Paiute Shoshone Bannock |
US victory |
American Civil War (1861–1865)Location: Southern United States, Indian Territory, Northeastern United States, Western United States, Atlantic Ocean |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
US victory
|
Yavapai Wars (1861–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Arizona |
![]() |
Yavapai Apache Yuma Mohave |
US victory |
Dakota War of 1862 (1862)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory |
Colorado War (1863–1865)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Snake War (1864–1868)Part of the American Indian Wars Locations: Oregon, Nevada, California, and Idaho |
![]() |
Paiute Bannock Shoshone |
US victory |
Powder River War (1865)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Powder River State |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Inconclusive |
Red Cloud’s War (1866–1868)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Powder River State |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
Lakota-allied victory
|
Comanche Campaign (1867–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Western United States |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() Kiowa |
US victory |
Modoc War (1872–1873)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: California and Oregon |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory |
Red River War (1874–1875)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Texas |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() Kiowa |
US victory
|
Las Cuevas War (1875)Location: Texas and Mexico |
![]() |
Mexican bandits | US victory
|
Great Sioux War of 1876 (1876–1877)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
US victory
|
Buffalo Hunters’ War (1876–1877)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
![]() Apache |
US victory |
Nez Perce War (1877)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
Nez Perce Palouse |
US victory |
Bannock War (1878)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() |
Bannock Shoshone Paiute |
US victory |
Cheyenne War (1878–1879)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Montana |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory |
Sheepeater Indian War (1879)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Idaho |
![]() |
Shoshone | US victory |
Victorio’s War (1879–1881)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Mexico |
![]() ![]() |
Apache | US-allied victory |
White River War (1879–1880)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: Colorado |
![]() |
Ute | US victory |
Pine Ridge Campaign (1890–1891)Part of the American Indian Wars Location: South Dakota |
![]() |
![]() |
US victory |
Garza Revolution (1891–1893)Location: Texas and Mexico |
![]() ![]() |
Garzistas | US-allied victory |
Yaqui Wars (1896–1918)Part of the American Indian Wars |
![]() ![]() |
![]() Pima Opata |
US-allied victory |
Second Samoan Civil War (1898–1899)Location: Samoa |
Samoa![]() |
Mataafans![]() |
Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Spanish–American War (1898)Location: Cuba, Puerto Rico, Philippines and Guam |
![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US-allied victory
|
Philippine–American War (1899–1902)Location: Philippines Kurz & Allison print of the Battle of Quingua. |
1899–1902![]() 1902-1906 |
1899–1902![]() Limited Foreign Support: 1902-1906 |
US victory
|
Moro Rebellion (1899–1913)Location: Philippines |
![]() |
![]() ![]() |
US victory |
Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901)Location: China |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() |
US-allied victory
|
20th-century wars[edit]
- ^ Advisory role from the forming of the MAAG in Vietnam to the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
- ^ Direct U.S. involvement ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords. The Paris Peace Accords of January 1973 saw all U.S forces withdrawn; the Case–Church Amendment, passed by the U.S Congress on 15 August 1973, officially ended direct U.S military involvement .
- ^ The war reignited on December 13, 1974 with offensive operations by North Vietnam, leading to victory over South Vietnam in under two months.
21st-century wars[edit]
Conflict | Combatant 1 | Combatant 2 | Result for the United States and its Allies |
---|---|---|---|
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)Part of the War on Terror and the War in Afghanistan (1978–present) Location: Afghanistan |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Formerly: |
![]() Allied groups Taliban splinter groups
2001 Invasion: |
Ongoing
|
Iraq War (2003–2011)Part of the War on Terror Location: Iraq |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]()
2003 Invasion: |
Inconclusive/other result[15]
|
Second U.S. Intervention in the Somali Civil War (2007–2021)Part of the Somali Civil War (1991–present) and the War on Terror Location: Somalia and Northeastern Kenya |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() Hizbul Islam |
Inconclusive/Other Result
|
Operation Ocean Shield (2009–2016)Part of the War on Terror Location: Indian Ocean A tall plume of black smoke rises from a destroyed pirate vessel that was struck by USS Farragut in March 2010. |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Somali pirates | US-allied victory
|
International intervention in Libya (2011)Part of the Libyan Crisis and the First Libyan Civil War Location: Libya |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US-allied victory
|
Operation Observant Compass (2011–2017)Part of the War on Terror Location: Uganda |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Ongoing
|
American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Iraqi Civil War, the Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, the War on Terror and the International ISIS campaign Location: Iraq General Stephen J. Townsend observes a HIMARS strike that destroyed a building near Haditha, September 2016 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Ongoing
|
American-led intervention in Syria (2014–present)Part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Syrian Civil War, the War on Terror and the International ISIS campaign Location: Syria USS Ross fires Tomahawk missiles towards Shayrat Military Base, during the 2017 retaliatory strike against the Syrian government. |
![]()
Formerly:
|
![]() Supported by: ![]() ![]() |
Syria-allied victory
|
American intervention in Libya (2015–2020)Part of the Second Libyan Civil War, the War on Terror, and the International ISIS Campaign Location: Libya USS Wasp conducts flight operations in Operation Odyssey Lightning. |
![]() ![]() |
![]() |
US-allied Victory
|