United States

12 wars

Wars fought on the land of today's United States or by its peoples.

Timeline

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Wars

Mexican–American War Second Opium War World War I Second Sino-Japanese War World War II First Indochina War Korean War Vietnam War Soviet–Afghan War Gulf War War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)Iraq War

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Oldest first

War
Mexican–American War
United States
United States
against
Mexico
Mexico
In the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (2 February 1848) Mexico ceded about 55 per cent of its territory to the United States, which paid 15 million dollars and took on up to 3.25 million dollars of Mexico's debts to US citizens.
War
Second Opium War
Britain and France
United Kingdom (Royal Navy and British Army), Indian regiments under British command, Second French Empire, and United States (supporting)
against
Qing China
Qing dynasty
In the Convention of Peking (October 1860) the Qing confirmed the Treaties of Tianjin, opened Tianjin to trade, ceded southern Kowloon to Britain and raised the indemnity to 8 million taels each for Britain and France.
War
World War I
Allies (Entente)
France, United Kingdom, Russian Empire (until 1917), Kingdom of Serbia, Kingdom of Italy (from 1915), and United States
against
Central Powers
German Empire, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Kingdom of Bulgaria (from 1915)
The Allies won: Germany signed an armistice on 11 November 1918 and the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and the German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires broke up.
War
Second Sino-Japanese War
China: the Nationalist government, Communist-led forces and their allies
Republic of China (Nationalist government), Communist-led Eighth Route Army and New Fourth Army, Soviet Volunteer Group (1937–1941), and United States
against
Empire of Japan and its client governments
Empire of Japan, Manchukuo, Wang Jingwei regime (Nanjing, 1940–1945), and Mengjiang
Japan surrendered to the Allies in August 1945, and its forces in China surrendered at Nanjing on 9 September 1945; Manchukuo and the Wang Jingwei government ended with them.
At the same time here: World War II
War
World War II
Allies
Soviet Union (from 1941), United States, United Kingdom, Republic of China (Nationalist government), France, and Second Polish Republic
against
Axis
Nazi Germany, Empire of Japan, and Kingdom of Italy (until 1943)
The Allies won: Germany surrendered unconditionally on 8 May 1945 and Japan on 2 September 1945.
At the same time here: Second Sino-Japanese War
War
First Indochina War
French Union: France and the Associated States of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
France, State of Vietnam, Kingdom of Laos, Kingdom of Cambodia, and United States (supporting)
against
Viet Minh (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and allies
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Viet Minh), Pathet Lao, Khmer Issarak (United Issarak Front), China (supporting), and Soviet Union (supporting)
France agreed at Geneva to armistices that left the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the north and the State of Vietnam in the south, divided at the 17th parallel; the last French troops left the south in April 1956.
At the same time here: Korean War
War
Korean War
North Korea, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the Soviet Union
North Korea, Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and Soviet Union
against
South Korea and the United Nations Command
South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Netherlands, Canada, France, New Zealand, Philippines, Türkiye, Thailand, South Africa, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ethiopia, and Colombia
An armistice, not a peace treaty, ended the fighting on 27 July 1953, with the front line close to the 38th parallel; Korea stayed divided.
At the same time here: First Indochina War
War
Vietnam War
North Vietnam, the Viet Cong and their allies
Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) and, from 1969, the Provisional Revolutionary Government, Pathet Lao, Khmer Rouge and, from 1970, the GRUNK, China, Soviet Union, and North Korea
against
South Vietnam, the United States and their allies
Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Kingdom of Laos (from 1959), Khmer Republic (1970–1975), United States, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and Philippines
The Republic of Vietnam surrendered on 30 April 1975; North and South were formally united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 2 July 1976.
War
Soviet–Afghan War
Soviet Union and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
Soviet Union and Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (PDPA government)
against
Afghan mujahideen and their backers
Afghan mujahideen, Pakistan (supporting), United States (supporting), Saudi Arabia (supporting), China (supporting), United Kingdom (supporting), Iran (supporting), and Egypt (supporting)
The Soviet Union withdrew all its troops by 15 February 1989 without defeating the mujahideen; the war between the Afghan government and the mujahideen went on.
War
Gulf War
US-led coalition
United States, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, France, Egypt, Syria, and Kuwait
against
Iraq
Iraq
Iraqi forces left Kuwait and the coalition declared a ceasefire on 28 February 1991; Iraq accepted UN ceasefire terms, and sanctions on it stayed in place.
War
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
US-led coalition and the Afghan government
United States, United Kingdom, Northern Alliance (2001), and Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (from 2001, under its interim names until 2004)
against
The Taliban and al-Qaeda
Taliban (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan) and Al-Qaeda
The Taliban took Kabul on 15 August 2021 and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan fell; the last US and allied troops left on 30 August.
At the same time here: Iraq War
War
Iraq War
US-led coalition and the post-2003 Iraqi governments
United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland, Kurdish Peshmerga, and Iraqi governments after 2003
against
Ba'athist Iraq, then the insurgent groups
Ba'athist Iraq (Saddam Hussein's government), Ba'athist and Sunni insurgent groups, Al-Qaeda in Iraq / Islamic State of Iraq, and Mahdi Army
Saddam Hussein's government fell in April 2003 and new Iraqi governments were formed under occupation; the last US troops left in December 2011, while violence inside Iraq continued.
At the same time here: War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)