Academy Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets, U.S. Coast Guard Academy Midshipmen, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Space Force United States Coast Guard Army National Guard United States Army Reserve United States Marine Corps Reserve United States Navy Reserve Air National Guard United States Air Force Reserve United States Coast Guard Reserve Other training and auxiliary organizations of the Army, Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, Civil Air Patrol, and Coast Guard Auxiliary, as in the preceding order. While the U.S. Navy is older than the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps takes precedence due to previous inconsistencies in the Navy's birth date. The Marine Corps has recognized its observed birth date on a more consistent basis. The Second Continental Congress is considered to have established the Navy on 13 October 1775 by authorizing the purchase of ships, but did not actually pass the "Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies" until 27 November 1775. The Marine Corps was established by an act of the Second Continental Congress on 10 November 1775. The Navy did not officially recognize 13 October 1775 as its birth date until 1972, when then–chief of naval operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt authorized it to be observed as such. The Coast Guard is normally situated after the Space Force, however if it is moved to the Department of the Navy, then its place in the order of precedence changes to being situated after the Navy and before the Air Force. See also American Forces Network Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces Full-spectrum dominance List of military equipment of the United States List of active United States military aircraft List of currently active United States military land vehicles List of currently active United States military watercraft Military expression Provisional Army of the United States Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States military Stars and Stripes (newspaper) State defense force Uniform Code of Military Justice United States military casualties of war United States military veteran suicide United States war crimes Women in the United States Army Women in the United States Marine Corps Women in the United States Navy Women in the United States Air Force Women in the United States Space Force Women in the United States Coast Guard Notes Citations External links