I’ve had several requests to repost this, which I originally put on my website on December 24, 2004.
Since there is a general blanket amnesia often affecting Americans about their own history, I thought it was time for a list of all the times the United States has used its military in other countries.
The following abbreviated list includes only the use of force abroad and not domestic use of the military against American citizens. Many smaller “police actions” involving U.S. troops abroad are not included.
The list does not include coups and clandestine actions against foreign governments. The list does not include some support actions, such as U.S. operations in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador in the “War on Drugs” or the current “advisor” status of troops in the Phillipines or Mali, etc. I have included only actions within the last 100 years:
The target of the U.S. military’s actions is in parentheses:
1901-1913 – Philippines (Moro rebellion)
1903-1903 – Honduras (rebellion)
1903-1904 – Dominican Republic (rebellion)
1906-1909 – Cuba (rebellion)
1907-1911 – Honduras (Bonilla)
1911-1912 – China (rebellions)
1912-1925 – Nicaragua (leftists)
1913-1919 – Mexico (various rebellions, Villa)
1914-1924 – Dominican Republic (various factions)
1915-1934 – Haiti (Sam, etc)
1917-1918 – WW1 – Europe (Triple Alliance)
1917-1922 – Cuba (rebellions)
1918-1920 – Panama (strikes, election protests, etc)
1918-1922 – Russia/Soviet Union (civil war)
1919-1919 – Honduras (rebellion)
1920-1920 – Guatemala (Unionists)
1922-1922 – Turkey (Nationalists)
1924-1925 – Honduras (rebellions)
1925-1925 – Panama (general strike)
1926-1933 – Nicaragua (Sandino, others)
1931-1932 – El Salvador (Marti)
1933-1933 – Cuba (rebellion)
1935-1935 – Philippines (Sakdal Uprising)
1941-1945 – WW2 – Europe/Africa/Asia (Axis powers)
1945-1949 – China (Maoism)
1950-1951 – United States (Puerto Rican independence)
1950-1953 – Korea (DPRK)
1956-1975 – Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia (communists)
1957-1959 – Lebanon (leftists)
1957-1958 – Jordan (leftists/anti-monarchists)
1959-1960 – Haiti (anti-Duvalier rebels)
1964-1964 – Panama (Canal activists)
1965-1966 – Dominican Republic (Bosch supporters)
1970-1972 – Trinidad (rebellions)
1972-1973 – Nicaragua (Sandinistas)
1973-1973 – United States (Lakotas at Wounded Knee)
1982-1984 – Lebanon (leftist & Muslim)
1983-1984 – Grenada (communists)
1986-1990 – Bolivia (peasants)
1989-1989 – St. Croix (black rebellion)
1989-1989 – Panama (Noriega)
1991-2003 – Iraq/Kuwait (Iraqi military)
1993-1993 – Somalia (Aidid)
1993-1993 – Bosnia (Serb military)
1994-1994 – Haiti (civil war)
1999-2004 – Yugoslavia (Serbia)
2001-2001 – Macedonia (Albanian rebels)
2001-2005 – Afghanistan (Taliban)
2003-2005 – Iraq (Saddam Hussein, insurgents)
2004-2004 – Haiti (various factions)
Yes, I’ve included the action at Wounded Knee because it was against units of a sovereign nation… feel free to disagree with this choice.
Pax
