List of the lengths of United States participation in wars
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This article contains the length and list of major conflicts, invasions and wars participated by the United States Armed Forces since its creation in 1775.
Lengths of US combat forces' participation in wars
War in the context of this list is broadly construed to be a direct armed conflict between organized US military forces and organized forces of (a) belligerent(s).
(Note: Ongoing wars are indicated in bold and with red bars.)
| Rank | War | Dates | Duration | Duration (graphical representation) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | War in Afghanistan | 2001 – 2021[1] | 19.9 years (19 years, 10 months) |
|
| 2 | US intervention in Somalia | 2007 – present[2][3][4] | 19.7 years (19 years, 8 months) |
|
| 3 | Vietnam War | 1955 – 1975[5][6][7][8][a] | 19.4 years (19 years, 5 months) |
|
| 4 | Occupation of Haiti | 1915 – 1934 | 19 years |
|
| 5 | US intervention in Yemen | 2002, 2009 – present [9] | 16.7 years (16 years, 8 months) |
|
| 6 | Philippine–American War and Moro Rebellion | 1899 – 1913 | 14 years |
|
| 7 | War in North-West Pakistan | 2004 – 2017 | 13 years |
|
| 8 | War against the Islamic State | 2013 – present | 13.4 years (13 years, 4 months) |
|
| 9 | Operation Inherent Resolve | 2014 – 2026 | 12.2 years (12 years, 2 months) |
|
| 10 | US military intervention in Niger | 2013 – 2024 [10][11][12][13][14] | 11 years |
|
| 11 | Northwest Indian War | 1785 – 1795 | 10 years |
|
| 12 | Iraq War | 2003 – 2011[15][16][17][18][19][20] | 8.7 years (8 years, 9 months) |
|
| 13 | American Revolutionary War | 1775 – 1783 | 8.4 years (8 years, 5 months) |
|
| 14 | Second Seminole War | 1835 – 1842 | 6.7 years (6 years, 7 month) |
|
| 15 | First Barbary War | 1801 – 1805 | 4.1 years (4 years, 1 month) |
|
| 16 | American Civil War | 1861 – 1865 | 4.1 years |
|
| 17 | World War II | 1941 – 1945 | 3.7 years (3 years, 8 months) |
|
| 18 | Korean War | 1950 – 1953 | 3.1 years (3 years, 1 month) |
|
| 19 | War of 1812 | 1812 – 1814 | 2.5 years (2 years, 6 months) |
|
| 20 | Mexican–American War | 1846 – 1848 | 1.8 years (1 year, 9 months) |
|
| 21 | World War I | 1917 – 1918 | 1.6 years (1 year, 7 months) |
|
| 22 | Great Sioux War of 1876 | 1876 – 1877 | 1.2 years (1 year, 3 months) |
|
| 23 | Gulf War | 1990 – 1991[21][b] | 0.6 years (7.2 months) |
|
| 24 | 2026 Iran War | 2026-02-28 – present | 0.5 years (6.4 months) |
|
| 25 | Whiskey Rebellion | 1794 – 1794 | 0.4 years (4.8 months) |
|
| 26 | Spanish–American War | 1898 – 1898 | 114 days |
|
| 27 | Kosovo War | 1999 – 1999[22] | 79 days |
|
| 28 | Invasion of Panama | 1989 – 1990 | 42 days |
|
| 29 | Invasion of Grenada | 1983-10-25 – 1983-10-29 | 4 (3.5) days |
|
| 30 | Twelve-Day War | 2025-06-22 – 2025-06-24 | 2 days |
|
| 31 | Bay of Pigs Invasion | 1962-04-19 | 1 day[c] |
|
| 32 | 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela | 2026-01-03 | <1 day (2 hours 28 minutes) |
|
Sources are found in the main articles of each war, as well as the Associated Press.[25][26]
See also
- United States military deployments
- Foreign policy of the United States
- United States Department of Defense
- Declaration of war by the United States
- Military history of the United States
- Foreign interventions by the United States
- United States Armed Forces
- United States military casualties of war
- List of wars involving the United States
- List of conflicts by duration
Notes
- Direct US involvement ended in 1973 with the Paris Peace Accords
- The Bay of Pigs invasion was conducted by Brigade 2506, a group of Cuban exiles recruited and equipped by the CIA as part of a covert operation, and trained by instructors from the CIA and US Army Special Forces, US Air Force, and Air National Guard.[23] The botched invasion took three days: Americans were initially not authorized to participate in the invasion. However, on the last day of the failed operation (April 19, 1961), US air support was authorized, and eight Alabama Air National Guard members flew into Cuban airspace.[24]