U.S. Military Interventions
United States Wars and Major Military Interventions, 1898-2004

 

Dates

 

Country or War

 

1898


SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR: US invaded, occupied, and took control of Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and other Spanish island colonies in the Pacific

 

1898

 

Hawaii: annexed by force

 

1898-1902

 

Cuba: US occupation following Spanish-American War

 

1898-1902

 

Philippines: 70,000 US troops fought insurrectionists led by Emilio Aguinaldo and occupied the islands until 1946, when Philippine independence granted

 

1900

 

China: troops from the US and other nations put down the Boxer Rebellion

 

1904-1906

 

Morocco: US Marine interventions

 

1904-1999

 

Panama: permanent US military bases protected US-controlled Panama Canal Zone

 

1907-1941

 

Dominican Republic: US military occupations 1905 to 1907; 1912; 1914; and 1916 to 1924; US controlled government finances 1905 to 1941

 

1906-1922

 

Cuba: US military ran the government from 1906 to 1909; occupied by US troops in 1912, and 1917 to 1922

 

1912-1925

 

Nicaragua: US military occupation 1909 to 1933, and controlled government finances from 1910 to 1924

 

1914-1917

 

Mexico: US military intervention during revolutionary turmoil; Marines sent to Tampico and Vera Cruz in 1914; from 1916 to1917, 6,000 US cavalry under Gen John Pershing clashed with troops of Caranza’s Mexican army

 

1915-1934

 

Haiti: US Marine occupation and US control of government finances

 

1917-1918

 

WORLD WAR I

 

1918-1920

 

Russia: US sent 15,000 troops to Murmansk, Archangel, and Vladivostok as part of an Allied force in opposition to the Bolsheviks


1941-1945

 

WORLD WAR II

 

1945-1949

 

Korea: post-War II US occupation

 

1945-1954

 

Germany: post-War II US occupation

 

1945-1957

 

Japan: post-War II US occupation

 

1950-1953

 

KOREAN WAR: US major contributor to the United Nations armed forces

 

1954

 

Guatemala: CIA-trained exiles overthrew the socialist government


1958

 

Lebanon: 5,000 US Marines sent to aid President Chamoun government

 

1961

 

Cuba: 1,400 CIA-trained exiles landed at Bay and Pigs and were defeated


1964-1973

 

VIETNAM WAR (undeclared): US troops invaded Vietnam and Cambodia

 

1965

 

Dominican Republic: 20,000 US Marines occupied the country and installed a pro-American government

 

1975

 

Cambodia: US Marines attacked Tang Island to free merchant ship Mayaguez

 

1982-1984

 

Lebanon: US contributed troops to UN peace keeping force

 

1983

 

Grenada: 1,900 US Marines invaded and deposed the existing government

 

1984

 

Nicaragua: CIA secretly mined Nicaraguan harbors

 

1986

 

Libya: US bombed the capital at Tripoli

 

1989-1990

 

Panama: US invasion force of 24,000 overthrew President Noriega


1991

 

GULF WAR: US-led invasion of Iraq involved 425,00 US troops

 

1994-1995

 

Somalia: US contributed troops to UN peace keeping force, fought in Mogadishu against troops of Mohammad Aideed.

 

1994--

 

Haiti: US occupation and subsequent contribution of 2,400 troops to a UN peace keeping force

 

1995--

Bosnia-Herzegovina and Macedonia: US contributed 20,000 troops to UN peace keeping force

 1998

Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq: U. S. cruise missile attacks

 

1999--

 

Yugoslavia: US participated in NATO actions against Yugoslavia, including bombing of cities.

 

1999--

East Timor: US contributed a small number of support personnel to the UN peace-keeping force

 2001--

Afghanistan: U. S. invades, overthrow government.

 2003--

Iraq: U. S. and British invaded Iraq, overthrew government, fought armed uprisings.

 2004--


Haiti: U.S. removed President from country, sent troops to occupy.

 

Modified from a list prepared by Emil Pocock, Eastern Connecticut State University