The United States Navy (USN)

The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and part of the civilian-led Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy. The military head of the U.S. Navy is the chief of naval operations, who is assisted by the vice chief of naval operations and master chief petty officer of the Navy. The Navy was founded on 13 October 1775 as the Continental Navy, which was disbanded on 1 August 1785 before being reestablished as the modern U.S. Navy on 20 January 1794.

The U.S. Navy is composed of the Regular Navy and United States Navy Reserve. The U.S. Navy is organized into eight navy component commands, which command operational forces, fifteen shore commands, which support the fleets' operating forces, five systems commands, which oversee the technical requirements of the Navy, and nine type commands, which administratively manage units of a certain type.

The navy component commands are:

· United States Fleet Forces Command / United States Naval Forces Northern Command / United States Naval Forces Strategic Command: Conducts naval operations in North America as United States Northern Command's joint force maritime component and strategic deterrence operations as United States Strategic Command's joint force maritime component.

· United States Pacific Fleet: Conducts naval operations in the Pacific and Asia as United States Indo-Pacific Command's joint force maritime component.

· United States Naval Forces Central Command: Conducts Naval operations in the Middle East as United States Central Command's joint force maritime component.

· United States Naval Forces Southern Command: Conducts naval operations in South America as United States Southern Command's joint force maritime component.

· United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa: Conducts naval operations in Europe and Africa as United States European Command's and United States Africa Command's joint force maritime component.

· United States Fleet Cyber Command /   United States Navy Space Command: Naval component to United States Cyber Command and United States Space Command.

· United States Naval Special Warfare Command: Commands the United States Navy SEALs and conducts special operations as United States Special Operations Command joint force maritime component.

· United States Navy Military Sealift Command: Conducts sealift operations as United States Transportation Command's joint force maritime component.

The U.S. Navy's unit structure is broken into several subdivisions under the operating force:

· Numbered fleet: Elements of navy component commands led by vice admirals

· Task force: Scalable organization that is responsible to the fleet commander for assigned units and functions.

· Task group: An individual carrier strike group, amphibious ready group, surface strike group within a given fleet.

· Task unit: Units operating together for a specific task, such as air defense units within a carrier strike group.

· Task element: Individual units within a task unit.

The U.S. Navy's unit structure is broken into several subdivisions under the type command structure. For Naval Air Forces:

Carrier air wing / Wing: Consists of four strike fighter squadrons, one electronic attack squadron, one carrier airborne early warning squadron, on helicopter sea combat squadron, one helicopter maritime strike squadron, and one fleet logistic support squadron under the command of a captain.
 
Squadron: Consists of several aircraft under the command of a commander.