United States – Defence 

Defence (structure & latest official data source)

• Services: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Space Force (plus U.S. Coast Guard under DHS in peacetime).
• Current active-duty counts (by service): The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) publishes the official monthly totals and rank/grade breakdowns (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force). (See the latest “Active Duty Military Personnel by Service by Rank/Grade”.)  

Current active-duty personnel (latest official)

• (DoD services; excludes Coast Guard, which is under DHS in peacetime)

• DMDC’s most recent total shows 1,283,053 DoD active-duty personnel as of May 31, 2025 (monthly fluctuations are normal). dwp.dmdc.osd.mil
• U.S. Coast Guard (DHS, not DoD): approximately 40,000 active-duty (plus ~6,000 reservists) — latest figure published in the CIA World Factbook (2023), a widely used global reference. (USCG counts are not in DMDC’s DoD tables.) CIA
• FY2025 authorized active-duty end strength (caps)
• (These are the authorized levels for Sep 30, 2025 — not the same as current headcount.)

U.S. AIR FORCE — Combat Aircraft (latest published inventories)

• Fighters (Total Aircraft Inventory, as of Sept 30, 2024; published 2025):
  F-35A: 431 | F-22A: 174 | F-15C/D: 205 | F-15E: 218 | F-15EX: 24 | F-16C/D: 783 | A-10C: 260. Air & Space Forces Magazine
• Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs): Active inventory 400 Minuteman III, based at F.E. Warren (WY), Malmstrom (MT) and Minot (ND). (Fact sheet “current as of June 2025”.) afgsc.af.mil

U.S. NAVY — Carriers, Submarines, Naval Aviation

• Aircraft carriers in commission (nuclear-powered): Gerald R. Ford-class (CVN-78) + ten Nimitz-class (CVN-68…77) — i.e., 11 CVNs in service. (Navy CVN fact file; ship list & program status)
• Typical Carrier Air Wing (what a deployed CVW looks like): ~9 squadrons, usually ~60–70 aircraft (e.g., strike fighters F/A-18E/F or F-35C, EA-18G, E-2D, CMV-22B, MH-60R/S). (USNI explainer on CVW composition)
• Submarines (all nuclear-powered): 53 fast-attack (SSN), 14 ballistic-missile (SSBN), 4 guided-missile (SSGN). (Official Submarine Force facts.) Sublant

Where they’re stationed (homeports)

• Carriers (examples, current official notices):
  • Forward-deployed carrier: USS George Washington (CVN-73) — Yokosuka, Japan (since Nov 22, 2024). 
  • West Coast: USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) — San Diego, CA (homeport return Aug 14, 2025).  
  • Pacific Northwest (maintenance/homeport): USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) — Bremerton, WA (homeport shift Aug 13, 2024).
  • Atlantic Fleet hub: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) — Norfolk, VA (returns/homeport coverage 2025).  
  Note: carrier homeports today cluster at Norfolk (VA), San Diego (CA), Bremerton (WA) and one forward-deployed in Yokosuka (Japan); ships rotate for maintenance and deployments, so positions change, but homeports are documented in Navy releases above.
• Ballistic-missile subs (SSBNs):
  • Atlantic SSBN base: Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, GA (only Atlantic base that supports the Trident II D5).
  • Pacific SSBN base: Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor, WA (Trident Refit Facility Bangor supports Pacific SSBNs).
• Fast-attack subs (SSNs) — Pacific hubs (official pages & moves): Pearl Harbor, HI; San Diego/Point Loma, CA; Guam (multiple SSNs now homeported forward in Guam).  

Nuclear power (propulsion)

• All U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and submarines are nuclear-powered. (Navy CVN fact file; Submarine Force official counts.)  

Missiles (core systems in USAF & USN)

• Air Force:
  • AIM-120 AMRAAM (beyond-visual-range AAM) — official USAF fact sheet.
  • AIM-9X Sidewinder (short-range AAM) — NAVAIR program page. 
  • AGM-158 JASSM / JASSM-ER (air-to-surface standoff) — DoD Selected Acquisition Report / DOT&E materials.  
  • AGM-158C LRASM (long-range anti-ship, USAF/USN) — NAVAIR product page. 
  • LGM-30G Minuteman III ICBM (nuclear, 400 active) — AFGSC fact sheet.  
• Navy:
  • Tomahawk (TLAM/MST) — Navy fact file.  
  • Trident II D5 SLBM (SSBN weapon) — Navy fact files / program documents.  
  • Standard Missile family / SM-6 — Navy fact file + DOT&E report on SM-6.  

Hypersonic programs (status you can cite)

• Navy Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) using the Common Hypersonic Glide Body: first full end-to-end, sea-based launch approach proven (DoD release, May 2, 2025). Navy says this supports first fielding aboard USS Zumwalt; subsequent reporting notes at-sea testing now targeted for 2027–2028.  
• Air Force Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM): program under development (USAF contract award; GAO-reported schedule pressure in 2025).  
• Background/oversight: CRS “Hypersonic Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress” (updated Feb 11, 2025) summarizes ARRW wind-down and HACM focus.  

Defense satellites (Space Force/Navy constellations that directly support DoD)

• GPS (PNT): Space Operations Command: 31 active GPS satellites (with 7 on-orbit reserves) supporting global PNT. 
• Missile warning: SBIRS — 6 GEO satellites + 2 HEO hosted payloads (official USAF/USSF fact sheet).
• Protected SATCOM: AEHF — constellation of 6 satellites (USSF press release).  
• Wideband SATCOM: WGS — operational constellation (10 satellites on-orbit; WGS-11+ in development). (Space Systems Command fact sheet.) 
• UHF SATCOM (Navy): MUOS — 5 satellites (constellation completed with MUOS-5). (Official Navy releases.)