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.