The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces, designated in the U.S. Constitution as the nation's naval force. It is an institution responsible for naval warfare, maintaining security, and projecting power globally. The Navy traces its origins to the Continental Navy, which the Continental Congress established on October 13, 1775, to disrupt British supply lines during the American Revolutionary War. After the war, the Continental Navy was disbanded, but the U.S. existed without an official navy until the Naval Act of 1794 was passed on March 27, 1794, to address the problem of Barbary corsairs seizing American merchant vessels. This act authorized the construction of six frigates and created a permanent standing navy.
The Navy's mechanism works through its five enduring functions: sea control, power projection, deterrence, maritime security, and sealift. It operates globally through a structure of numbered fleets, such as the Pacific Fleet and the Fifth Fleet, which are grouped under larger commands like the Fleet Forces Command. The Navy is part of the Department of the Navy, which is a military department within the Department of Defense. The Department of the Navy also includes the coequal United States Marine Corps. The civilian head is the Secretary of the Navy, and the most senior Navy officer is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO).
A recent change involves the consolidation of policy and foreign affairs staff into a new secretariat-level position, the Chief of Naval Policy (CPOL), as directed by Navy Secretary John Phelan in a September 2025 memorandum. This change aims to streamline the management of international affairs and security cooperation activities, replacing the former Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy for Policy. The core mission of maintaining combat-ready naval forces and ensuring freedom of the seas remains the same.